The St. Johns River at Palatka is wide, slow, and genuinely beautiful — one of the few rivers in North America that flows north. At Riverfront Park, a fishing pier juts out over the dark tannin-stained water and the views downriver toward the Memorial Bridge are peaceful in the early morning. The river here teems with largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and bluegill, and the shallow grass beds upstream and down are productive for serious bass anglers.
The Bronson-Mulholland House, a restored antebellum home at 100 Madison Street (one of the oldest surviving buildings in Palatka, dating to 1854), overlooks the river from a bluff at the north end of the waterfront. It is occasionally open for tours. The entire riverfront is walkable and calm in the morning hours before the heat builds.