Hi!
I'm coming into Jacksonville for work in a couple weeks and would love to know about anything and everything that is going on in the city that would help me understand it better. Great restaurants? What are people talking about in politics? What locations or events would an outsider not know about?
Any and help is very much welcomed and appreciated! Thanks!
Rick
An attempt to be concise will fail me.
Some may suffice it to say that if you've found this site, you've much at your fingertips and are pointed in a right direction.
You may only need further explore answers to your interests.
A river runs through it.
Find the Cummer Gardens on RiversideAve.
The Northbank Riverwalk. It's below the I95 FullerWarren bridge.
Walk to the Jacksonville Historical Society at old St.Lukes Hospital and peruse the Geneological records in the old Casket co. bldg.
Buy the 10 worth saving book heartfully put together by Folks who understand from where we have come.
Visit the ruins of the city worth saving.
You will see why a KrispyKreme being reopened on SR111 a/k/a Cassatt Ave.(&saving its signage) is newsworthy.
Definitely spend some time in the Karpeles Manuscript Museum.
Ditto MOCA JAX, Laura St. Downtown.
TheLanding...read the historical plaques and markers paying homage to the wharves now paved over by "Coastline Dr."
Friendship fountain. And MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY.
Jax Arboretum. In Arlington. Over the Mathews bridge.
Old St.Andrews.
Normans Studios.
LaVilla Theatre and Museum.
HogansCreek and disc golf park greenspace from Maxwell house coffee to UFShands hospital in Springfield.
Read of the Great Fire which was itself a catalyst for growth between the city's first "subdivision", Springfield, and the Riverside-Avondale of today.
Visit Five Points, SanMarco Square, Talbot Island, the historical monument at Fort Caroline.
The old Ford asembly plant northeast of Everbank Field / the JacksonvilleJaguars stadium.
We have beautifully maintained cemeteries.
The Jetties at Hugenot park, Heckscher Drive.
Tour the Busch plant on DunnAve. East of I95.
IntuitionAleWorks, BoldCityBrewery, CoRK arts district, and the Loft, Rogue, Garage, Kickbacks, ParkPlace, PerfectRack, Alibi, MoonRiver, Peles, biscottis, bbs, brick, casbah, bluefish, 1534oak st., TCC, FYC, SKYLINE lunch, Everbank tower 2nd floor cafe, downtownwalking tour, major Jax Farmers Market on Beaver St., east of Stockton, Three Layers at 6th & Walnut.
Grenamyers, Pastiche, waafa&mikes on MAIN ST. IN SPRINGFIELD.
Chart house, aix, moniques kitchen,
arden cafe for a tasty touch of the missing matriarch of your kin,
Dessert first, edgewood bakery, dreamette ice cream treats,
Golf at the best facilities to which you can gain entry and access .
CHAMBLINS BOOKMINE!!
Both the Laura St. AND ESPECIALLY the off Roosevelt Blvd US17 locations are labyrinths worth losing your hourglass.
Take your new read and Fish from the neighborhood pier and meet colorful locals,
Www.JacksonvilleMarinaMile.com
Look at what the previous owners of our Jaguars and the city have done to makeover the John Gorrie.
BoldBean. 13Gypsies.
Cycle much??
ZenCog, LakeShore Schwinn, Tillie Fowler Regional Park in Yukon .
you won't get a hotter shave, cleaner cut, and shoulders rubbed from any older soul thanks to the guys at Pomade and Tonic on Blanding, immediately north of the Cedar River.
Then hit the Symphony. TimesUnion Center for the Performing Arts. Bay St.
Looking for lodging??
Find a b&b near MemorialPark, until you like something more permanent.
And don't forget the Riverside Arts Market each Saturday 10a-4p.
The Suns are great, don't know how long you're here.
Our baseball Grouds, county agricultural fairgrounds, Arena, and Equestrian complex are great facilities.
The Florida Theatre is a gorgeous place.
EastBay St. is fun and may be where you find madcowford improv.
Feel welcome to voice your feedback to our wonderfully receptive city council in the St.James on Hemming Plaza.
Welcome, friend.
Many visitors don't realize that Jacksonville has some of the most beautiful and accessible beaches anywhere in the state. The Jacksonville Beaches communities also have some very nice and vibrant commercial districts on and around 1st Street.
Many people also don't know that Jacksonville was the site of a short lived French colony in North America. It was founded in 1564 as a Huguenot sanctuary, until the Spanish came in and established St. Augustine and sacked the fort. The Fort Caroline National Monument is dedicated to it and has some great trails and exhibits on the history of the area.
Among the best restaurants in town, in addition to the ones Ricker named, include Burrito Gallery, Chomp Chomp, and Indochine downtown, Matthew's, San Marco Deli, and Bistro Aix in San Marco, and Orsay and Carmine's Pizza in Riverside.
The best bars include Dos Gatos and Underbelly downtown, the King Street spots, Birdies in 5 points, and the brewery taprooms of Intuition, Bold City, and Green Room (and soon to be Aardwolf). Hands down the best coffee shop is Bold Bean off Stockton. Jacksonville also has amazing sea food, barbecue, and Arabic/Mediterranean food. Stop into the Casbah for a hookah.
Must sees:
1) Atlantic Beach (take Atlantic until it dead ends, then make a left and cruise around, rent a bike, go to Pete's Bar or Lemon Bar on the oceanfront for singles "beach" scene), lots of good restaurants here
1A) Diversion to Mayport to see the ships and eat at Safe Harbor Seafood. This is a MUST!! Unique to the area, and you will miss out big time especially if you are coming from an inland area.
2) Make the drive from Atlantic Beach down US1 along the coastline to St. Augustine (this includes Ponte Vedra Blvd right where JTB dumps into the beach) (i.e. see why people move to the region)
3) St. Augustine (need only spend a day there)
4) Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach (need only spend a day there)
5) Cummer Museum for the gardens and specialty/permanent collections
6) MOCA if there are any events/parties going on
7) Jacksonville Zoo (one of the few things Jax does really really well...probably the best zoo in the SE, certainly better than the zoos in Miami and Atlanta...last curator came from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chi if I'm not mistaken)
Must eats:
1) Orsay in Avondale (Park St)
2) 13 Gypsies in Riverside (Stockton St)
3) Matthews (San Marco) or Medure (Ponte Vedra) for a splurge
4) Ocean 60 (Atlantic Beach)
5) bb's (San Marco) or Biscotti's (Avondale)
Hangouts:
1) Avondale/Riverside (coffee shops, bakeries, breweries, bars)
2) Atlantic Beach (see above)
Hotel:
Hmmm, can't think of any hotels that stand out as cool places to stay that are flagged and offer rewards, but there are some resorts worth staying at: Ponte Vedra Inn and Club (for 5 stars this is as cheap as a Marriott Courtyard in most large cities), Ritz Carlton (cheap for a Ritz but out of the way), Casa Monica (you can get Marriott Rewards here, but as it is in St. Augustine it is out of the way), I have heard bad things about One Ocean and unfortunately it does not even look appealing to me (seemed cooler when it was the tacky Sea Turtle, which I enjoyed twice in my younger years).
Nightlife:
King St in Avondale for bars and brewpubs (alternative vibe here, imo, but picking up some of the young prof scene as well)
E. Bay St downtown for regular bars that feature music, live and DJs
St. Johns Ave in Avondale for "local" bars, some of which feature live music (and one of which is really the best hookah lounge I have ever seen, one of the first legit ones in the country actually)
Jacksonville Beach for the busy beach bar scene, but watch out for cops and good luck getting a cab! (personally not a fan of perhaps the trashiest beach I have ever seen)
No dance clubs in the city as it is a bar town
People are talking about how the city council voted not to include protections for LGBTQ people in the anti-discrimination law. Huge setback. This is the largest city by landmass in the continental United States, which means sprawl and lots of it. Drivers here aren't the friendliest to cyclists (they think you're either crazy or the scum of the earth for "losing your driver's license), but screw 'em.
What neighborhood will you be staying in and do you have your own vehicle? Depending on where you are and what your mobility looks like will determine what you will most likely be able to do. Also, what do you like doing? What are your interests? Historical parks? Drinking? Are you a foodie? There's a beautiful arboretum built on what used to be a titanium mining site. MOCA is our contemporary art museum but with more emphasis on 60s-80s era art than 90s-present era. You will probably find nothing potentially "offensive" there. The Cummer even less so, as they focus on kind of boring antiquated art, with a contemporary exhibit once in a blue moon. The gardens are all right if you dig old English gardens.
The Southern Baptists think they run this town, the river is pretty unhealthy, but the St Johns Riverkeeper keeps us informed on what's up, organizing the occasional group kayaking thing. There's historical bike tours every so often. If for whatever reason you go anywhere near Mandarin, check out Mandarin Road and the Walter Jones Historical Museum. If you really need to go shopping for "high class" crap, the arrogantly named "St Johns Town Center" is the place. If you want to buy "healthy" foods, the local places are Grassroots and Native Sun (beaches people help out: is Turtle Island in Atlantic Beach still around?). If you must have Whole Foods in your life, there is a Whole Foods on San Jose in Mandarin. If you want to shop specifically for Greek/Mediterranean foods, the Hala Cafe is pretty awesome. Saturdays there's the Riverside Arts Market, and there's a couple other farmer's markets in town. Not all of it is locally grown stuff, but a decent amount is. We have local honey to get you through the next millennium. Burrito Gallery downtown is delicious and much more satisfying than anything you'd get at a Moe's, Chipotle, or Qdoba if you're into hardcore hipster takes on Mexican food. Definitely go to Chamblin's Uptown if you're a foodie and if it works for you.
There are buses but the routes aren't the best. Some lines are pretty infrequent and end early. Always do your research if you want to move around by public transit (jtafla.com).
There's drag shows at a couple places if you're into that. Hamburger Mary's and The Norm put on drag shows regularly. There's an Art Walk the first Wednesday of the month and there will be maps handed out for you to more easily navigate. Treaty Oak on the Southbank is awesome if you're into old trees. Bold Bean and Bold City Brewery are the local vice-havens for coffee-addicted and beer-loving people. Publix lets you make your own six packs out of a selection of beer if you prefer. Harpoon Louie's has the best burgers and has pool tables. Mandarin Ale House also has that kind of homey sports bar + pool tables thing going for it.
I'm from the swampier parts, so the beaches aren't my fave, but this is one of the places for black shark's teeth. If you dig on that, spend a couple hours looking. Washington Oaks state park is my favorite, mainly for their coquina. Some unique geological event type of rock that's illegal to remove from the beaches, but looks and feels wicked cool.
The main library downtown is good to spend a hot afternoon in. There's a zine library. That's fun.
Where do most SanMarco residents most frequently pick up groceries and fresh fruit and veggies?
Catching up....I don't live in San Marco, but I can tell you that from there you are just a hop, skip and jump from the Farmer's Market on Beaver Street for a large variety of fresh (including some stalls that sell organic) vegetables. There's a vendor that sells honey, too.
Quote from: RRS2 on September 30, 2012, 11:08:01 PM
Hi!
I'm coming into Jacksonville for work in a couple weeks and would love to know about anything and everything that is going on in the city that would help me understand it better. Great restaurants? What are people talking about in politics? What locations or events would an outsider not know about?
Any and help is very much welcomed and appreciated! Thanks!
Rick
Rick,
Have you ever been in a kayak? I'll show you a Downtown adventure that will take your breath away. I'll pick you up at your hotel. As for politics I can give you a brief monument tour and point out numerous taxpayer subsidized boondoggles that just surround us and we can accomplish this while laughing our butts off and having fun at the same time.