Jacksonville: Recreation
Sightseeing
The hub of Florida's First Coast has much to offer visitors with its theaters, museums, art galleries, riverboat cruises, beautiful fountains, outstanding musical events, and historic sites.
Jacksonville's miles of beautiful wide beach area has three main sections: Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach. The Jacksonville Beach Pier is a place known for fishing and people-watching; and artifacts, paintings, and lighthouse models are the focus at the American Lighthouse Museum in Jacksonville Beach. The beach's Seawalk Pavilion features music concerts at its 2,000-seat open air auditorium. The Pablo Historical Park, a few blocks off the beach, preserves the area's railroad history with a nineteenth-century station master's house, a railroad depot, and a 1911 steam locomotive. The nostalgic autoferry Jean Ribault carries visitors to the nearby fishing village of Mayport, home of a large commercial shrimp fleet, as well as to historic Fort George Island. Mayport Naval Air Station, one of the nation's largest navy ship facilities, is located in this charming community. Favorite beach area recreation and camping sites are the Kathryn Abbey Hanna State Park with 450 acres of picnic areas, salt and freshwater fishing, and Little Talbot Island State Park beach and campground.
Jacksonville's beautiful downtown area, which has seen more than a billion dollars in restoration, is centered around the shores of the St. Johns River. On the north bank of the river is Jacksonville Landing, a festive marketplace featuring fine dining, boutiques, and an open courtyard that frequently offers entertainment. Located at the landing is the Jacksonville Maritime Museum, which contains artifacts embracing all facets of the maritime scene from historical to technical. Across the river on the Southbank is the Riverwalk. Its wooden boardwalk, lined with shops, restaurants, and outdoor vendors, extends for more than a mile along the river, allowing visitors a wonderful view of the city's skyline. At the end of the Riverwalk is Friendship Park, the site of one of the tallest fountains in the world. Water taxis offer an enjoyable way to cross the St. Johns River.
The Jacksonville Zoological Gardens, located on the city's north side, consists of 89 acres and houses more than 1,000 animals. An African veldt (an open grazing area typical of southern Africa) has been recreated and visitors can experience it firsthand on a wood boardwalk. The Okavango Village is a replica of an African riverfront village that features a dock, wildlife exhibits, a petting zoo and a river shuttle back and forth from downtown. Tours that display all the steps of the beer-making process are available at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Visitors can also watch Oreo cookies and other
The Fort Caroline national memorial is the site of the first Protestant settlement in the United States. Established in 1564, the site overlooks the St. Johns River and includes a replica of the original fort. Located on Fort George Island, the 1792 Zephaniah Kingsley Plantation contains the remains of slave quarters. Nature walks are available at the Nature Trails at the University of North Florida, the only state university in the country located in a protected wildlife area. Self-guided and expert-guided walking tours of historical areas around the city are well worth the exploration.
Located 25 miles from the city, Fernandina Beach is a 300-year-old town that was once a haven for pirates and smugglers and today features many restored buildings and eighteenth-century homes. A half-hour south of Jacksonville by car is the nation's oldest city, St. Augustine. A walk along the recently restored St. George Street, with its authentic Spanish-Colonial homes and quaint shops, provides a view of more than 400 years of American history.
Camp Milton Historic Preserve is scheduled to be opened in September 2005. Named for Florida's Civil War governor, John Milton, the 124-acre park will feature an educational center, boardwalk, interpretive hiking trails, and a tree sanctuary.
Arts and Culture
From musical theater to contemporary drama, the arts are alive and well in Jacksonville. This is partly due to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, which keeps the spotlight on the arts and encourages public and private partnerships to increase arts funding.
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, one of the premier orchestras of the Southeast, offers classical performances with world-class guest artists in its more than 130 annual concerts at the Florida Theatre, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, and in nearby communities. The Florida Community College at Jacksonville Artists Series brings top quality national and international entertainers to the Florida Theatre and to the Times-Union Center. The Alhambra Dinner Theatre, which has been producing professional Broadway style shows since 1967, features professional Equity actors.
Jacksonville's museums and galleries reflect the diverse historical and cultural interests of its residents. The Museum of Science and History features wonderful exhibits showing the history of the area, science and health demonstrations, and nature studies. An indoor playground at the museum and the adjacent Alexander Brest Planetarium bring fun to young and old alike. The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, on the city's south side, houses five galleries and features a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts as well as exhibits of painting, sculpture, and photography. Its adjacent outdoor sculpture garden is a famous place for picnicking. The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, located in the restored former First Church of Christ Scientist, is one of seven in the nation that exists to display the historical manuscript collection of David and Marsha Karpeles. Surrounded by two acres of beautiful English and Italian waterfront gardens in Riverside, the Cummer Museum of Art is the largest museum in northeast Florida. Its permanent collection of more than 4,000 objects includes works from prehistoric, medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, 19th Century Impressionist, and modern art eras. The Ritz Theatre houses the LaVilla Museum, displaying a permanent collection of African American history. The Museum of Southern History features a collection of artifacts reflecting life in the southeastern United States, the Civil War, and genealogy of southern families. Other items of note are the Battle of Antietam replica, and more than 3,000 books, periodicals, military, and cultural items. Finally, the Jacksonville Maritime Museum is dedicated to artwork and large-scale models of maritime-related events and objects from the history of Jacksonville and the First Coast.
Festivals and Holidays
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival is the city's best-known annual event. This three-day celebration takes place in the spring, and draws classic and contemporary jazz and blues celebrities and includes the Great American Jazz Piano Competition. The JaxParks Family Fest, held each March, features games, entertainment, and food for the whole family. Also in the spring are the Jacksonville Film Festival; the 15K River Run; the World of Nations Celebration, which provides an opportunity to experience the food, culture, and traditions of various countries around the globe; and the Kuumba Festival, devoted to African cultures.
The Fiesta Playera dia de San Juan Bautista is an annual summertime festival paying tribute to St. John the Baptist and celebrating the customs and culture of Puerto Rico. It has been voted among the top 20 festivals in the region by the Southeast Tourism Society. The Juneteenth Celebration celebrates the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 with food, entertainment, and music. The Caribbean Carnival is held each autumn and features costumes, cuisine, and music. The Olustee Battle Festival re-enacts the 1864 Battle of Ocean Pond, a major Civil War battle, each winter.
Celebrations in Jacksonville are not limited to annual events. The First Wednesday Art Walk takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. On these days, Downtown Jacksonville is transformed into a walkable art gallery. A variety of art is displayed in dozens of historic buildings, and is accompanied by live bands, sidewalk artists, and street vendors.
Sports for the Spectator
More than 70,000 avid fans flock to watch the Jaguars of the National Football League, who play home games on Sundays from September to January at Alltel Stadium. This arena is also the site of two annual college event games: the Gator Bowl Classic and the University of Florida vs. University of Georgia contest. Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, built on the site of the former Jacksonville Coliseum in 2003, is the venue for the Jacksonville Barracudas hockey games as well as other sporting and entertainment events. Memorial Arena also houses the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. Jacksonville's newest professional sports team is the Jade, who compete in the W League, a nationally organized women's soccer league in the United States.
Athletic enthusiasts in Jacksonville also enjoy the tennis championships organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals as well as March's Players Championship, which attracts 150,000 spectators to Sawgrass Resort, the toughest course on the Professional Golfer's Association tour. Up to 10,000 fans fill the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, a stadium constructed in 2003, to watch the Class AA Jacksonville Suns minor league team. The Kingfish off-shore fishing tournament in July draws nearly 50,000 people. The 42-mile Mug Race Regatta in May attracts both local and Olympic sailors for the longest river sailboat race in the world. Jacksonville has a year-round greyhound racing season at St. Johns Greyhound Racing Park, the Jacksonville Kennel Club, and the Orange Park Kennel Club.
Sports for the Participant
Jacksonville is home to the largest urban park system in the nation. Residents and visitors enjoy more than 82,000 acres of land that extends from the rivers to the beaches. Nearly 60 miles of free beaches avail themselves to boating, sailing, surfing, fishing, and swimming. Playgrounds, tennis courts, picnic areas, about 70 golf courses, and dozens of public pools offer more choices.
The Fort Clinch State Park, a restored Civil War fort built in 1847, has picnic grounds, beaches, and an ocean fishing pier. Adventure Landing features two miniature golf courses, batting cages, a go-cart track, an uphill water coaster, and Shipwreck Island water park. Hikers enjoy the trails at Timucuan Ecological Historic Preserve.
Shopping and Dining
Jacksonville is a shopper's delight, offering interesting shops downtown and arty shops along the beaches. Jacksonville Landing offers a festive marketplace atmosphere, with novelty and gift shops, name-brand apparel, antiques, toys, and locally made accessories along with entertainment venues. The Avenues Mall on the Southside and Regency Square in Arlington each offer more than 100 nationally known retailers. Avondale, one of the country's largest National Register of Historic Districts, is a charming place to stroll, shop, and dine. San Marco Square, in the style of St. Mark's Square in Venice, offers an open-air produce market, restaurants, and boutiques, together with a water fountain, bronze lions, and a gazebo.
Local fish camps and waterside restaurants with their fresh seafood fare add to the pleasure of dining in Jacksonville. Southern barbecue is also a tradition. A delectable selection of ethnic foods from Japanese to Greek to Indian or Tex Mex are offered by the city's many casual and upscale restaurants downtown or at suburban or beach locations.
Visitor Information: Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau, 550 Water St., Ste. 1000, Jacksonville, FL 32202; telephone (904)798-9111; toll-free (800)733-2668