Jacksonville to Charleston SC drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Jacksonville to Charleston SC drive are Jekyll Island, Savannah GA and Hilton Head Island. The distance from Jacksonville to Charleston SC by car is 239 miles, with a 3h49m driving time.
Planning a Jacksonville to Charleston SC road trip itinerary
The Jacksonville to Charleston SC drive takes you from the biggest city in northern Florida to a much-storied city on the South Carolina coast.
Top Jacksonville experiences include Amelia Island kayak tours, guided art and architecture tours by electric bike and electric skateboard rides along Fernandina Beach.
For cultural attractions, head to the Cummer Museum, where the strength tends to be the rotating temporary exhibitions.
Charleston SC is one of the most attractive historic cities in the South.
Highlights of a visit include plantation tours – take your pick from the Boone Plantation and the Magnolia Plantation. Most visitors will also take the ferry to Fort Sumter, where the American Civil War started.
Other classic Charleston activities include a horse and carriage tour, history cruises on the harbor and night-time ghost walks.
For less conventional options, try a dinner cruise with live music, a Downtown food tour and a speakeasy cocktail-making class.
Jacksonville to Charleston SC distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Jacksonville to Charleston SC is 239 miles. That makes for a driving time of around three hours and 49 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-95, then Highway 17.
The best stops to add to a Jacksonville to Charleston SC road trip are Jekyll Island, Savannah GA and Hilton Head Island.
Jacksonville to Charleston SC drive: Jekyll Island
Around the turn of the 20th century, Jekyll Island was an exclusive escape for the super rich, but is now much more egalitarian. For shameless fun, the Summer Waves Water Park has slides and a wave pool.
But Jekyll Island’s highlight is the Georgia Sea Turtle Centre. Here, turtles are rescued and rehabilitated. Visitors can meet the turtles, and learn about the conservation work the Centre is undertaking.
To see slightly bigger creatures, you can hop on board a Jekyll Island dolphin cruise.
Best stops between Jacksonville and Charleston SC: Savannah GA
Savannah has a timewarp handsomeness about it. Parks are lined by mossy oak trees, 19th century buildings ooze history and riverboats glide along the rivers.
Great activities in Savannah include the Ghosts and Gravestones trolley tour, riverboat cruises and a true crime pub crawl.
Jacksonville to Charleston SC road trip attractions: Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head is an island off the South Carolina coast, best known for its white sand beaches. The Coastal Discovery Museum covers the region’s complex ecology, while the chunky red and white-striped Harbour Town Lighthouse is the island’s icon.
Top Hilton Head activities include a dolphin-watching cruise, a kayak tour, parasailing and a Segway tour.
You can also head out on a shrimp boat trawling cruise, try a mixology and tapas experience and jet skiing.
More Jacksonville road trips
Albany GA to Jacksonville | Atlanta to Jacksonville | Augusta to Jacksonville | Austin to Jacksonville | Jacksonville to Charlotte | Chicago to Jacksonville | Columbia SC to Jacksonville | Jacksonville to Daytona Beach | Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale | Gainesville to Jacksonville | Houston to Jacksonville | Jacksonville to Lakeland FL | Macon GA to Jacksonville | Ocala to Jacksonville | Jacksonville to Orlando | Jacksonville to Palm Coast | Jacksonville to Panama City | Jacksonville to Pensacola | Savannah to Jacksonville | Jacksonville to St Augustine | Jacksonville to Tallahassee | Jacksonville to Tampa | Valdosta to Jacksonville.
More Charleston road trips
Asheville to Charleston | Atlanta to Charleston SC | Augusta to Charleston | Charlotte to Charleston | Charleston to Greenville SC.