If you’re ever in downtown Jacksonville and are looking for somewhere to have a picnic, sit outside, or just enjoy a giant 250-year-old tree, I would definitely stop at Treaty Oak Park!
The Jessie Ball DuPont Park, aka Treaty Oak Park, is a few minutes walk from the Jacksonville Riverwalk in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It was created for the gigantic octopus-like Southern live oak tree in the park, named Treaty Oak. The tree is estimated to be 250 years old and might be one of the oldest living things in Jacksonville, predating the founding of the city in the 1820’s!
Treaty Oak got its name when Times Union reporter Pat Moran began efforts to preserve the tree in the 1930’s, when he “coined the name Treaty Oak while writing a fictitious story about how white settlers and Indians met under the tree to sign peace treaties,” according to the City of Jacksonville website about the park.
The park is a peaceful piece of downtown to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. It is quite small, but there may be efforts to expand it. For Jax natives, it is a popular spot for photoshoots (I saw 2 weddings and a quinceanera photoshoots in the span of a few hours when I visited!).
If you’re in downtown, be sure to check out the Treaty Oak! It is a truly beautiful tree.
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Thank you for reading! Have you ever been to Treaty Oak or a really old, really beautiful oak tree like it? Let me know in the comments below and like this post if you want more like it!
Xoxo’s
Emmalee
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Emmalee Mauldin 