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The Jenks House in JACKSONVILLE

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  • Inn Details

    Built in 1925 in the Prairie School style for the Marjorie and Thomas Jenks family, The Jenks House is a taste of old Florida. In 32 years of residence and restoration, Ila Rae and Tom Merten have preserved original features of the Jenks home including some of the Jenks family furniture. Additional furnishings include mission and early art deco pieces. Each morning savor freshly squeezed orange juice along with your delicious full breakfast. Top it off with a cup of coffee made from organically grown, fair trade coffee beans that we roasted the night before! Later relax under a ceiling fan on the sun-bathed porch as you enjoy our historic Riverside home.

    Innkeeper Information

    The innkeepers speak:

    • English


    Features

    Type:

    • Bed and Breakfast

    Property Noted For:

    • Beautiful oak floors and heart of pine woodwork.

    • High speed wireless internet

    • Organic gardens with grapevines and orange trees.

    • Subway tile and antique Belgian tile

    • Antiques/decor

    • Business travel

    • Gourmet food

    Amenities

    Guest Room:

    • Air conditioning

    • Alarm clock

    • Bath robes

    • Ceiling fans

    • Desk

    • Hairdryer

    • Ironing Board

    • Library

    • TV

    • Wi-Fi

    On Site:

    • Board games

    Other Amenities:

    • high speed wireless internet access

    • art deco AM/foreign band radios

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  • Green Getaways/Eco Escapes

    2/28/2007 - 3/27/2018

    "Low carbon impact" are more than just buzz words for Ila Rae and Tom Merten, owners of The Jenks House. For 11 years they operated their own highly successful water and energy conservation business. 28 years ago Tom installed a solar water heater in their home, now their bed and breakfast. Still working today, it annually provides better than 90% of the hot water needs at The Jenks House. Avid organic gardeners for 32+ years, Ila Rae and Tom love to show off their compost piles, vegetables, flowers and citrus trees. Come share ideas about living lightly on the earth. This "special" has no foreseeable end date. Ila Rae and Tom view it as a way of life, not a special.

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  • Mission Room

    Suite maximum capacity: 2

    • Beds

      1 Queen

    • Bathroom

      Private Bath

      Bathtub

      Shower

    • Nightly Rate

      (high/low season) N/A

    Live Oak Room

    Suite maximum capacity: 2

    • Beds

      1 Queen

    • Bathroom

      Private Bath

      Bathtub

      Shower

    • Nightly Rate

      (high/low season) N/A

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    Policy

    Reservation Policy

    • Check in: 3:00 PM    Check out: 11:00 AM

    • Minimum stay: Minimum stays required during special events.

    • Deposit amount required: Credit card information required at time of booking.

    • Cancellations: If reservation is for 1-4 nights: No charge if you cancel 7 days prior to check-in date. (If you cancel: within 5 days of check-in date, you will pay 50%; within 2 days of check-in date, you will pay 100%). If reservation is for 5 or more nights: No charge if you cancel 14 days prior to check-in date. (If you cancel: within 10 days of check-in date, you pay 50%; within 5 days of check-in date, you pay 100%). If reservation is for special events or holidays, no charge if you cancel 45 days prior to check-in date. (If you cancel: 30 days prior to check-in date, you pay 50%; 10 days prior to check-in date, you pay 100%).

    • Open all year round: Y

    General Policies

    • Smoking allowed: No

    • Guest pets allowed: No

    • Drinking allowed: Yes

    • Drinks available: N

    • Suitable for children: Limited

    • Childcare provided: No

  • Breakfast

    • Type: delicious full

    • Time Served: 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

    • Serving location: Dining Room

    Signature Dish

    Grandma Alford's sticky cinnamon rolls.
    Buttery, sweet and cinnamon-rich! We serve fair trade coffee. Also, enjoy a scrumptious picnic lunch packed in an art deco case (extra charge applies).

    Special meal options

    • Low fat

    • Restrictive

    • Vegetarian

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  • Location Type

    • Alltel Stadium (5 miles)

    • Beaches (17 miles)

    • Convention Center (2 miles)

    • Downtown (3 miles)

    • St. Vincent's Medical Center (7 blocks)

    • a national historic district

    • City

    City

    • St. Augustine

    • Distance to city: 38 miles

    • Directions to property:
      Located in the heart of Jacksonville in historic Riverside. From the North: Exit I-95 South onto I-10 West, exit left onto Roosevelt (US 17), turn right at first traffic signal (McDuff Avenue), turn right at next traffic signal, go one block, turn right onto Post Street, go four blocks, The Jenks House is on your right at intersection of Post and James streets. From the West: Exit I-10 East onto McDuff Avenue, turn left onto Post Street, go four blocks, The Jenks House is on your right at intersection of Post and James streets. From the South: Exit I-95 North onto I-10 West, exit left onto Roosevelt (US 17), turn right at first traffic signal (McDuff Avenue), turn right at next traffic signal, go one block and turn right onto Post Street, go four blocks, The Jenks House is on your right at intersection of Post and James streets.

    Airport

    • Jacksonville, FL (JAX) 15 miles

    • Directions to property:
      25 minutes from Jacksonville International Airport on I-95 South. Exit onto I-10 West, exit left onto Roosevelt (US 17), turn right at first traffic signal (McDuff Avenue), turn right at next traffic signal, go one block and turn right onto Post Street, go four blocks, The Jenks House is on your right at intersection of Post and James streets.

    Area Attractions

    • Antique Shopping

    • Art Galleries

    • Beach

    • Casino

    • Concert venue

    • Gourmet/Fine Dining

    • Historical interests

    • Movie Theater

    • Museum

    • National/State parks

    • Nature area

    • Ocean

    • our own organic garden and orange trees

    • historical tours

    • boating/kayaking, fishing, golfing, hiking trails

    • Performing Theater

    • Picnic area

    • Religious Services

    • River

    • Ruins

    • Zoo

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    • Overall 
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    A Special Experience

    About the reviewer

    • 55+ years old

    • Stays at B&Bs once a year

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling for a weekend getaway

    • Overall 
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    Thank you so much for a lovely weekend as we enjoyed spending time and getting to know you both. We were so pleased when you joined us for an incredible breakfast. The food was exquisite and the conversation even better. You have a lovely beautifully restored B&B. It is refreshing and apparent that you are quite passionate about creating a relaxing and pleasant experience for your guests.

    This is the only place to stay in Jacksonville if you care about the environment.

    About the reviewer

    • Between 45-55 years old

    • Frequently stays at B&Bs

    • Typically stays in premium lodging

    • Was travelling on business

    • Overall 
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    Fresh squeezed orange juice, delicious vegetarian breakfast, warm and welcoming hosts - we didn't just have a nice B&B stay, we made new friends. Ila Rae and Tom couldn't have been more our type of people; we liked them so much, we lingered over breakfast for hours chatting and getting to know one another. Not only are they wonderful human beings, but they have restored a gorgeous home in the historic district. The beds are more than comfortable, the shower had plenty of water pressure, the whole place was spic and span, the termperature was ideal, and the home was done in an authentic and period restoration right down to the vintage of the linens and the dishes. What clinched it for us to book was the fact that Tom and Ila Rae are committed to being a Green Lodging, which means they recycle most everything, they use rainwater that they collect and filter a zillion times for purity, they serve many foods they grow in their garden, and they have lined the driveway with soft pine which is not only lovely but makes for a quiet entrance at night. If we lived closer, we'd hang out with them and hope to have a closer connection. There is not reason to stay any where else in this area.

    Exceeded Expectations

    About the reviewer

    • Between 26-35 years old

    • Stays at B&Bs twice a year

    • Typically stays in luxury lodging

    • Was travelling for an event

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    I had planned a special weekend getaway to celebrate my mom's birthday on New Year's Eve. Tom was beyond helpful in pointing me in the right direction for navigating the fireworks, the symphony, dinner, etc. He was so prompt with communication. The house was exquisite! We enjoyed the quaintness of it, the proximity to downtown and the river, easy access to the freeway. Breakfast was wonderful! Fresh squeezed orange juice, wonderful blueberry pancakes. Would definitely recommend!!

    Little Jewel

    About the reviewer

    • 55+ years old

    • Frequently stays at B&Bs

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling on vacation

    • Overall 
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    It was only a stop along the way, but it turned out to be a surprisingly refreshing pause! Our hosts were warm and welcoming, the house full of history and the breakfast hearty, healthy and delicious. The Jenks House is a little jewel in the historic Riverside neighborhood, close to downtown and easy to reach from the expressways. It will be our destination the next time we are in Jacksonville.

    Jenks House JaxFL

    About the reviewer

    • 55+ years old

    • Frequently stays at B&Bs

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling for an event

    • Overall 
    • Guest room 
    • Services 
    • Value 
    • Cleanliness 
    • Dining 

    Beautiful home on a corner lot in an historic district. Loved the garden out back; drank fresh squeezed OJ from their own trees every morning. Enjoyed the "Florida" room upstairs- -great reading spot. Innkeepers welcomed us warmly and made us feel right at home. We'll look here first for next year's JaxFL visit.

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