Hey Everyone,
9 friends and myself are travelling Nov 9-13 down to Jacksonville from Canada for a bachelor party. The guy getting married is a huge Jags fans which is why we chose this location. We are all in the 25-30 age range. I'm best man and looking for some help.
So far what we have planned is a big airbnb with pool, hot tub etc in Jacksonville Beach for accommodations. We'd like to play a round of golf Friday (would appreciate course suggestions) and the football game Sunday.
If people could give suggestions about things to do during the day and places to go at night it would be appreciated. I'm interested in hearing good spots to eat, sports bars, clubs and strip clubs (and places to avoid). Also if anyone knows of a club promoter and could put me in contact with them that would be awesome. Thanks for the help!
If you're coming all the way down from Canada... don't you have to splurge and play the Stadium Course? Most people don't realize it's open to the public. It's super expensive, of course.
As for the rest of your questions... I live near downtown and rarely get out to the beaches area so I'm totally useless and will leave it to others to help out.
This site is much more downtown oriented than the beaches, but there are tons of restaurants and bars out there at Atlantic/Jax beaches.
Wow! This is a bit unusual. For mine we went to Montreal...maybe not the most common but certainly a bit more traditional haha.
But that's very cool especially since he's a Jag!! I'm not gonna be much help as I am not a golfer nor a clubber. Your options for the latter will be limited, but for golfing there are tons of good options. Most famous would be the aforementioned TPC Sawgrass Stadium course.
Staying at the beaches you will be able to easily reach (either walkable or easy to grab taxis/uber) many of the beach bars. They are littered all along the beaches with a couple clusters at downtown Jax Beach and also at the Beaches Town Center. Other areas of notable nightlife are the St Johns Town Center (there is a Top Golf there which might interest you all) and Riverside. SJTC is not far from the beach, Riverside is a little bit of a hike.
We have a number of micro-nano breweries, perhaps 9 open now with a few more coming?? Some tourists like to hit them all up (the 'Jax Ale Trail' as the visitors bureau calls it). We also have a Budweiser plant with free tours and samples. If you do the beer tour the destinations are spread all over the city, which is good cause you would get to see many interesting parts of town. But bad also cause you'd have to find a way to get to them all.
For restaurants we have a few dozen that are noteworthy, depends a bit on your taste, cuisine, and ambience you're seeking. One thing that comes to mind is the Cowford Chophouse, which may be open by the time you visit. It's a wild card as none of us have ever tried it or even know what it will look like, what the views are like, or if it will even be open yet...but if it is there is a good chance it will be the signature high end steakhouse in the city.
Strip clubs in Jax aren't notable...or if they are it's not in a good way. Keep your expectations low on this front, drink a lot, and you'll have a good time lol.
Have fun and hope the Jags win!! (Not sure if that's an even or odd week lol)
Wild Bill's* Saloon on Talleyrand
They have manatee dancers on Thursday nights...
also you can check out a prime example of 20th century American industrial architecture
at the nearby Ford Assembly Plant (Albert Kahn)
*no relation
Dinner - Atlantic Beach/San Marco/5 Points
The premier place to go out in this town for nightlife is Jax Beach. Surfer (dancing and bar), Hoptinger (bar), The Pier (dancing), the Ritz (bar and dancing), Brix, Shim Sham, The Wreck, etc. are all good spots. Definitely go your hardest night in Jax Beach. Day drinking? Lemon Bar (legendary Jax spot in a crappy hotel in Neptune Beach), Wreck, or Surfer's second floor balcony. If you are at Lemon, then stop by Pete's Bar for a moment which is the oldest bar in Jacksonville/Duval.
Another good spot is Riverside if you want something different and maybe a little more young professional. King St is probably the best place to go with the Loft (club), Rogue (college like bar), Garage, Riverside Liquors (more sophisticated), Kickbacks (open all night) and others, but 5 Points (about a mile away) has Hoptinger, Black Sheep, Birdies, and Rain Dogs. There is also Bold City Brewery down the street on King St. Before the game, I would go to Intuition Brewery's roof and drink. That is also a solid place to watch other games.
Brunch at Metro, Beach Diner, or Maple Street. If you want Mimosas then Zeta Brewing Company. If you want a nice night out for a bunch of guys in Riverside/Avondale, you could do Black Sheep rooftop, Hawkers, Mojos, etc. (there are nicer/more expensive places but I like those). Towards the beach, you could do the Beaches Town Center area near Lemon Bar and do North Beach Fish Camp, Flying Iguana, Hawkers, Ragtime, and others. Taco Lu is also a town favorite in Jax Beach but more laid back. If you want to see a different and cool part of town, do San Marco's Taverna or Town Hall if you want nice and if you want really chill/drinking/affordable, go to the La Nopalera in the old train station which is across the street from another Brewery, Aardwolf.
TPC Sawgrass Stadium is the most famous but most expensive. I believe the Omni Ocean Course is worth playing in Amelia. World Golf Village is worth a play and has the Golf Hall of Fame if you are interested. Ponte Vedra Inn and Club is very nice as well.
Do you all like history? St. Augustine is pretty cool and a nice day out if you are sick of the beach. There are some cool areas that are historical to see throughout Jax. Rent a boat or jet ski at the beach too. Brew Bus is fun and will take you to a bunch of different breweries in town. The Anheuser-Busch factory is one of only 5 in the country that you can tour and see where Budweiser and InBev products are made. It is pretty cool but up by the Airport.
Nice write up....JAX seems pretty cool.
If you aren't able to find a good airbnb in Jax Beach, I'd suggest looking at Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach. It's a recently renovated small boutique hotel that is only 4 blocks from the beach and right next to the Beaches Town Center, where you will find some great local restaurants and bars. This area is not as wild as downtown Jax Beach, but definitely a good place to start the night or day drink at Lemon Bar. You can take a 5 minute uber to DT Jax Beach.
Hotel Palms may be able to get you on at Atlantic Beach Country Club, which is a newly renovated course that just hosted the Web.com Tour Championship. If not, then Ponte Vedra is the place to go for golf, or Windsor Park if you are on a budget.
http://thehotelpalms.com/
Hey all,
Thanks for all of the responses! I realize Jax isn't the typical bachelor party destination but it seems like we will have more than enough to do in addition to the Jags game that was our main purpose for the location.
As for golf I appreciate the other course suggestions as about only about 4/10 of us are actually golfers, so to get the rest to pay over $250 a round is alot to ask. I love the Bud tour idea, we had also discussed doing a stadium tour not sure if anyone has done one before and if they enjoyed it or not.
Another idea we were toying with was going to a Jacksonville U football game Saturday afternoon, just wondering if these are typically fairly busy and if people tailgate before the game.
Glad to see we are in an area that will be fairly busy for bars and nightlife. FlaBoy just wondering if any of the places you mentioned are better Thursday nights? We are getting into town that day and it would be nice to know where to go the first night.
Lastly I know someone mentioned a new Steakhouse opening, Just wondering any other steakhouse suggestions for a nice meal the one night. We are mobile as we will have vehicles down there.
Thanks again for all of the help.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
Hey all,
Thanks for all of the responses! I realize Jax isn't the typical bachelor party destination but it seems like we will have more than enough to do in addition to the Jags game that was our main purpose for the location.
As for golf I appreciate the other course suggestions as about only about 4/10 of us are actually golfers, so to get the rest to pay over $250 a round is alot to ask. I love the Bud tour idea, we had also discussed doing a stadium tour not sure if anyone has done one before and if they enjoyed it or not.
Another idea we were toying with was going to a Jacksonville U football game Saturday afternoon, just wondering if these are typically fairly busy and if people tailgate before the game.
Glad to see we are in an area that will be fairly busy for bars and nightlife. FlaBoy just wondering if any of the places you mentioned are better Thursday nights? We are getting into town that day and it would be nice to know where to go the first night.
Lastly I know someone mentioned a new Steakhouse opening, Just wondering any other steakhouse suggestions for a nice meal the one night. We are mobile as we will have vehicles down there.
Thanks again for all of the help.
I would go to Surfer Thursday night and go from there. Stay out at the Beach for sure on Thursday. It will be pretty lively with a lot of UNF and JU students on Thursday. If I were you, Saturday you should do some day drinking, hit the Beach, and then maybe rent a Boat or jet skis? Since you have your cars, another awesome thing to do would be to take the Mayport Ferry and go to Huguenot Park where you can park your cars on the Beach and party (just have a DD lol). JU games are small and they only play NAIA football. Not much to see. Save your football for Sunday with the big show.
Steaks? How expensive are you looking for?
Think about that Brew Bus or a Party Bus/Limo to take you around one night. Keep everyone relatively together for awhile. Some of my fav bachelor parties were spent on a Party Bus in Jax bouncing from Jax Beach to Lemon Bar/Neptune/Beaches' Town Center, to San Marco for a beer at Aardwolf or the Speak Easy, drive through DT, go to Hoptinger in 5 Points on the roof, and then drive over to King St., and back out to the Beach for some late night fun in a sweet limo/party bus.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
As for golf I appreciate the other course suggestions as about only about 4/10 of us are actually golfers, so to get the rest to pay over $250 a round is alot to ask. I love the Bud tour idea, we had also discussed doing a stadium tour not sure if anyone has done one before and if they enjoyed it or not.
Look into Top Golf. As a non-golfer, I have always had a lot of fun there. Stadium tour would probably be ok but perhaps superfluous. If you hit just one of the breweries I would suggest it be Intuition Aleworks.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
Another idea we were toying with was going to a Jacksonville U football game Saturday afternoon, just wondering if these are typically fairly busy and if people tailgate before the game.
Nah not worth it. If you're interested because of the spectacle of major college football in america, this is not it at all. JU would be more akin to high school football in the south...not disparaging the team but I'm referring to the hoopla and fanfare aspect.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
Glad to see we are in an area that will be fairly busy for bars and nightlife. FlaBoy just wondering if any of the places you mentioned are better Thursday nights? We are getting into town that day and it would be nice to know where to go the first night.
The beaches are the best nightlife every night in Jax. That said, if you were gonna try another part of town at some point then I'd go with Fri or Sat in Riverside.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
Lastly I know someone mentioned a new Steakhouse opening, Just wondering any other steakhouse suggestions for a nice meal the one night. We are mobile as we will have vehicles down there.
In Jax the best steak for me has generally been at my place, sadly. I guess Ruth's Chris would be at the top if I was going out. High hopes for Cowford!!
I probably should have mentioned that we are from Niagara Falls, Ontario so the majority of us are in the states frequently. Thanks for the info on the JU games, we will probably not waste the time if it isn't the "party" environment we are looking for.
I like the ideas of jet ski/ boat rentals, does anyone know of a company that does rentals in that area? I also like the party bus idea for one night, again if anyone has any positive experiences any referrals would be appreciated.
Not overly concerned with the price of the steak house, if it is worth the money. We have a Ruth Chris here and I think it's overpriced for the quality (but its right downtown Niagara Falls). Was hoping more for a 1 off steakhouse vs a chain.
Thanks!
Check out Azurea, Eleven South, Mezza, and Doro as quality restaurants at the Beach. None are "steakhouses", but you should be able to get a great steak.
...and North Beach Fish Camp at the Atlantic Beach town center. The tequila joint there is also pretty good. The restaurant in One Ocean is good, but kind of fu fu for a bunch of bachelors IMO.
Downtown I would recommend Dos Gatos for drinking.
Cowford Chophouse should be open by then. You can report back and let us know how it is!
I had a great experience years ago with this company that does tours to different breweries in town: https://jaxbrewbus.com.
For one bachelor party, we also rented a limo to take us around to different bars and breweries - it ended up being cheaper when split among all of us.
I've rented boats from this company. You take them out on the Intracoastal Waterway rather than the ocean: https://www.jaxbeachmarine.com/boatrentals.htm
I second the Beaches for Thursday night. It's usually pretty lively out there during the week (and crazy on the weekend). And lots of different types of places depending on your tastes. If you want a decent cocktail check out Flask and Cannon. If you like craft beer, check out Green Room Brewery. If you like dive bars, you can't beat Pete's Bar in Neptune Beach, the oldest bar in the area.
Besides Cowford Chophouse: Capital Grille at St. Johns Town Center is a small chain, and the restaurant's in a mall outparcel, but it has quality steaks and good service and a large alcohol selection.
Not sure if River & Post will be open by Nov. 13 but they look to have a good menu and rooftop bar that will command a great view of the city.
Check with Steve Mullen at fishhunter.net if you're interested in chartering a day or half day of fishing. He's a great guy, knows where the fish are, and has licenses and bait and tackle taken care of. His boat isn't big enough for the whole party but if everyone's interested in going, I'm sure he could refer you to someone with similar amenities and a bigger boat.
QuoteCapital Grille at St. Johns Town Center is a small chain
LOL. I counted 58 Capital Grille locations on their web site. Not so small to me ;). And, to add, Capital Grill is owned by Darden Restaurants, the largest full service operator in the world with 1,700 outlets and 175,000 employees. They also own Longhorns, Olive Garden, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Cheddar Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, and Eddie V's. Until a few years ago, they also owned Red Lobster. For fiscal year 5/17, they did over $7 billion in sales. The company currently has a market cap of over $10 billion. If you are in Orlando, you can drive by their huge corporate HQ's campus around the corner from International Drive.
Sorry to pop your bubble on Capital Grill being closer to Mom and Pop than not. I will add we have always enjoyed the food and service so there with you on that.
Two more craft breweries at the beaches-Southern Swells and Engine 15. My son loves the brew at Southern Swells. Both are on Beach Blvd., a major artery between Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach.
Did not realize there were so many Capital Grilles, or the affiliation with Darden. That said, the steak is quite good.
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 12:22:14 PM
As for golf I appreciate the other course suggestions as about only about 4/10 of us are actually golfers, so to get the rest to pay over $250 a round is alot to ask. I love the Bud tour idea, we had also discussed doing a stadium tour not sure if anyone has done one before and if they enjoyed it or not.
Jax Beach Muni is a decent track - not great, not horrible, but if you're just looking to go out, have some beers and knock the ball around, you can do it for $30ish per on Friday afternoon.
If you want something nicer that's not overly tough, you could drive out to Orange Park (if you're getting a rental car/van) and it'll be about 45 min from the beach and you've got a couple solid options Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island, Eagle Landing & CC of OP.
I know the pro pretty well at Fleming and CCOP, so if you're up for the drive I could get you onto either for the cart fee ($25).
Quote from: MackPandell on October 18, 2017, 03:22:47 PM
Was hoping more for a 1 off steakhouse vs a chain.
According to news reports today, Cowford Chophouse will be open on Oct 26th. So they'll even have a week to work out the kinks before you arrive!
I vote for Pete's. My favorite little dive with good drinks, friendly staff, and a rockin' jukebox. Best kept secret on the beach!
And for a quick tasty bite before going to Pete's try Bar-B-Q Sticks, the little hidden gem around the corner. Also, near Pete's & Bar-B-Q Sticks is a cigar bar, if you're into that
Happy Bachelor Partying and welcome to Jacksonville!!!!!!!
I endorse both Pete's and BBQ sticks. 8)
If you're staying at the beach.. I suggest using Beachside Buggies to get around. They have several 8-10 passenger carts and vans. Its free (except for tipping your driver). and available everyday. They have a phone app and service all three beaches communities (Jax, Neptune and Atlantic). The drivers are also good with suggestions on where to go and the best places to do this or that.
Hamburgers marys