Putnam County · local guide
Things to Do in Palatka, Florida
A working river town with a genuine downtown, a riverfront park system and more further-education provision than its size suggests.
Palatka gets underestimated. It is a river town with a real downtown, a hospital, a state college campus and an arts school — a level of infrastructure that most towns this size in Florida gave up long ago.
The St. Johns is the reason for all of it, and it is still the centre of local life: the riverfront parks, the boat ramps and the bass fishing that draws people down from Jacksonville every weekend.
The list below comes from a live lookup around a town-centre point. Distances are straight-line, which along a river bend can be very different from the drive.
How this list was put together
Names, categories and distances come from OpenStreetMap through this site's own nearby-places service. It is community-maintained and covers the town centre better than the rural county.
Nothing here is paid placement or an endorsement, and we have no financial interest in any business listed.
Parks and outdoor space
Riverfront and neighbourhood parks within the search radius.
Danny Martinez Park
park
800 Laurel Street, Palatka
About 0.2 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Fred Green Park
park
About 0.3 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Booker Park
park
About 0.4 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Riverfront Park
park
About 0.5 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Bryan Park
park
About 0.5 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Recreation, fitness and going out
Recreation and fitness within the search radius.
Planet Fitness
fitness centre
About 2.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Gym
sports centre
About 2.6 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Places to eat and drink
Downtown kitchens and cafes alongside the main-road chains.
Dairy Queen
fast food
822 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka
About 0.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Magnolia Cafe
restaurant
705 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka
About 0.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Viva! Italia Pizzeria
restaurant
409 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka
About 0.3 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Dunkin'
fast food
1401 Reid Street, Palatka
About 0.4 mi from the centre point used for this page.
City Cafe
restaurant
About 0.4 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Shops and everyday retail
Everyday retail rather than destination shopping.
Dollar General
variety store
201 North Eighth Street, Palatka
About 0.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Boopty Lu Boutiqe
clothes
About 0.4 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Family Dollar
variety store
2608 Reid Street, Palatka
About 1.3 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Big Lots
department store
109 South State Road 19, Palatka
About 2 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Colleges and universities nearby
More further education than a town this size usually has.
Saint Johns River College
college
5001 Saint Johns Avenue, Palatka
About 2.7 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Florida School of the Arts
college
About 2.7 mi from the centre point used for this page.
University of Florida Hastings Agricultural Extension
university
About 10 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Groceries and market runs
Where a Palatka weekly shop gets done.
C V Discount
convenience
About 0.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
EZ Food Mart
convenience
About 0.2 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Wawa
convenience
About 1.9 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Publix
supermarket
171 Town and Country Drive, Palatka
About 2.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
La Tienda De Maria
supermarket
193 US 17, South East Palatka
About 2.1 mi from the centre point used for this page.
Where these figures come from
- Places, addresses and distances: OpenStreetMap, retrieved through this site's own nearby-places service on 2026-08-04, searching about 5.0 miles around a centre point in Palatka.
- Page compiled 4 August 2026 by The Parham Team, Lindsey Parham LLC, brokered by Momentum Realty. Details change — please verify anything you plan to rely on.
Thinking about Palatka or the river?
River access, in-town historic homes and acreage on the edge of town are three completely different buys at three different prices. We will show you all three honestly, including the parts that do not photograph well.
Call (386) 530-1737 Email The Parham Team
Palatka is home for us. Ask us anything about a street before you drive down.
Questions about Things to Do in Palatka, FL
Answered from the figures and sources shown on this page.
How many places are listed on this page?
24 in total — 5 parks and outdoor space, 2 recreation, fitness and going out, 5 places to eat and drink, 4 shops and everyday retail, 3 colleges and universities nearby, 5 groceries and market runs.
Is anything on this page a paid recommendation?
No. Nothing here is paid placement or an endorsement, and we have no financial interest in any business listed.
How far from the centre point does this list reach?
Centre point: Palatka, Putnam County · roughly a 5-mile search radius · places data from OpenStreetMap via this site's own nearby-places service.
Everywhere else on The Parham Team
Every guide, market report and neighborhood page on this site, grouped by county.
This site
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Putnam County
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