What attractions do you want in Downtown Jax?

[Tacachale]

Hey folks, seeking input for a potential article: what attractions would you like to see in Downtown Jax? It could be anything from what you'd like to see in parks to artworks to museums and amenities.

[heights unknown]

Don't know what exactly, but it has to be something to draw in people from all over the city, county, and area; maybe a good sized mall (larger than the landing (several blocks) with a movie theater, restaurants, but is has to be different than your average mall nowadays. Or take one street, or two or three, and make them THE entertainment district downtown with restaurants, fast food places, bars, sports bars, a night club or two (or 3, or 4, or 5, etc.), gaming centers, coffee houses, etc. I don't know (in my opinion LaVilla would be perfect for this as it was heavily laden with such (for blacks) back in the day; Jax seems to be just so distressed, with her head down, it appears the leaders just don't know how to plan, organize, control, promote, advertise, etc., to get such things off and running, and then keep the momentum going. I hope something spurs very soon.

[Kiva]

The main businesses that survived until Demo Lenny at the Landing were restaurants and bars. So those need to be close to the river. Further back, residential. On the water you need something other than the water taxi. Boat, jet ski and kayak rentals. Guided boat tours. Get people on the water.

[Kerry]

Pick a city at random and peruse their vistor's bureau web site.  90% of their cultural attractions could be "anytown usa".  The difference between us and them is that they actually do it.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I just got back from vacation in NYC (no, this isn't a comparison) and what did I want to do while there? 

Nothing in particular, I just wandered around lower Manhattan for a day.  Took everyone to Coney Island Thursday.  Went to a Yankees game on Sunday and spent Monday just wandering around Governors Island.  The rest of the trip was spend in the NJ country and rafting in PA. 

So what attractions do I want?  None.  I just want more options - more places to eat, more places to wander, more places to sit back and watch other people doing shit. 

I have season tix for our family at:  Jags, Theater, MOSH, Zoo.  I go to a few shows a year at Daily's and I go to a few at the FL Theater.  I'll hit 6-10 Jumbo Shrimp & Sharks games a season.  But what I never do is just go to wander around.  There's really not much there that I haven't seen. 

The main attraction that DT Jax needs is perception.  No one's going there to do anything that they can't do elsewhere in town aside from special events, so the powers that be just need to make the perception of going downtown en vogue again.

[MusicMan]

N-RN W , you are missing one of the few world class organizations in Jacksonville, The Jacksonville Symphony.
I guarantee it's a lot less expensive than watching our mediocre football team, and we offer something for every member of the family. Tickets start at $19 in the upper balcony, which is a great place to listen from. Come on down to Jacoby Symphony Hall, you will be proud of YOUR orchestra.

www.jaxsymphony.org

[thelakelander]

So what attractions do I want?  None.  I just want more options - more places to eat, more places to wander, more places to sit back and watch other people doing shit.

^This. Clean up and invest in the destinations, parks and attractions already present and attempt to fill in the gaps with local businesses, housing, services, etc. as much as possible.

[Kerry]

N-RN W , you are missing one of the few world class organizations in Jacksonville, The Jacksonville Symphony.
I guarantee it's a lot less expensive than watching our mediocre football team, and we offer something for every member of the family. Tickets start at $19 in the upper balcony, which is a great place to listen from. Come on down to Jacoby Symphony Hall, you will be proud of YOUR orchestra.

www.jaxsymphony.org

Thumbs Up

[Pastor Eric Wester]

New downtown resident, here. Moving into our place in February and steadily getting around downtown. Several ideas mentioned get my "thumbs up," particularly getting folks on the water and affirming the appeal of the symphony, Florida Theatre and the Main Library. Two quite modest "quality of life" suggestions I would make: (1) careful grid of dedicated bike lanes and (2) commitment and resources to collect trash/litter and even clean the pedestrian walkways.

On a humorous note, has the gondola idea been scuttled?  Just wondering...sure seemed like a stretch to me.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

N-RN W , you are missing one of the few world class organizations in Jacksonville, The Jacksonville Symphony.
I guarantee it's a lot less expensive than watching our mediocre football team, and we offer something for every member of the family. Tickets start at $19 in the upper balcony, which is a great place to listen from. Come on down to Jacoby Symphony Hall, you will be proud of YOUR orchestra.

www.jaxsymphony.org

Baby steps, MM...  lol.

It's coming, but it took me 40 years to even make it to a broadway show - Le Mis last year.   

[Ken_FSU]

Call me a dullard, but I'd be genuinely thrilled to just have a CVS/Walgreens, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and pizza restaurant without rats within a block of Laura Street.

Plus a well designed urban waterfront park with lots of amenities nearby.

At least twice I week, I get in my car, leave downtown, and drive to Memorial Park in Riverside to get the above experience.

Shouldn't have to be that way.

[dp8541]

Someone already mentioned this on another thread, but with the landing demo pending (big lost opportunity for a food hall in the current structure, at least part of it) and a "park" replacing it, I would like to see something like the Water Works park on the Tampa riverwalk as a central attraction at the new park.

https://www.tampagov.net/parks-and-recreation/featured-parks/waterworks

[Adam White]

A Fuddruckers.

[Fallen Buckeye]

https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/26/the-big-picture-singapore-supertrees/
Something like the artificial forest in Singapore would be really cool. If they're planning to tear down the Landing, a vertical garden with light effects and so on would be a cool replacement. Imagine that on a postcard.

[Lostwave]

In another thread you talked about Baltimore.  We need an area like the inner harbor (ideally at laura street).  We need an Aquarium a science center, move mosh in there, a festival marketplace (sh!t, we had one), many areas to just chill outside, lots and lots of restaurants and bars, some interesting retail, convenient nearby parking. 

Then people will come from all around to spend the day, even if there aren't many residents in the immediate area.  Then once that is established, the area around hogans creek and the jail could be revitalized like fells point (also in Baltimore) to be a residential based entertainment district.  More bars and restaurants, but this time supported by mostly local residents supplemented with visitors.

Then we can have infill connecting the "inner harbor" with the hogans creek area and eventually the stadium district.  People would come if its done right.