Jacksonville travel guide

 

 

Jacksonville is one of the cities where you can’t get bored with so many activities on offer that you can have a hard time deciding which to do first: lay on the beach to get a good ten, swim, play golf, wonder around one of its state parks or decide upon a historic tour.

People didn’t always see Jacksonville as a favorite destination it was mostly known for its smelly paper mills but the development the city went through in the 90s has transformed it into a sprawling metropolis with plenty of entertainment possibilities.

They are mostly found in the downtown area that is overrun by people especially during weekends when both locals and tourists rush to the many bars and restaurants to relax and charge their batteries for the next week. The most visited venues are the Jacksonville Landing and Southbank Riverwalk offering both entertainment and dining opportunities.

If you would rather spend time in the open the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve is the place to be. This 46,000-acre preserve blends beautifully in the city’s landscape providing excellent opportunities to explore historic buildings, unspoiled wilderness and exhibits on the area’s natural history. You can find out more information at the preserve’s visitor center Fort Caroline National Memorial, hosted in a replica of a 16th century French Huguenot settlement boasting some archaeological artifacts.

North west from the forth is the beautiful Theodore Roosevelt Area a place rich in history where the ancient Timucuan lived and when the Willie and Saxon Browne brothers choose to live much in the way the Timucuan lived, without plumbing and electricity. Populated until the last brother died in 1960, the cabin can still be seen in the wilderness.

East of the forth is another historic sight, the Ribault Monument dating 1924 named after the person who died defending the fort from the Spanish.

Besides people and historic places the park was and still is home to a wide variety of wildlife among the animals you can see are gray foxes, raccoon, hawks and wood storks. There are other sights that will enchant your eyes like the beautiful wild flowers and the banks of St. Johns River. If you will feel like relaxing after a long walk you can just take out your blanket and basket and have a nice picnic in the middle of nature. To better understand and explore the place it is recommended that you come during the weekend when a guided tour of the area is available.

See history come alive at the remains of a 19th century plantation called Zephaniah Kingsley Plantation, where you can enjoy well preserved special monuments including a two-story residence a kitchen house a barn and 23 slave cabins. You can choose to have a self guided tour of the plantation or a more informative guided one.

Coming back in town for the evening entertainment you will find plenty of venues like the Alltel Stadium, the Ritz Theater, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum all boasting concerts and shows wile some of the bars offer great live music one of them being the River City Brewing Company. Downtown at Jacksonville Landing you can check into the club scene, hang out at a cool bar, stay low key at a pub. At Town Center there are other hot spots you can check

Jacksonville mixes history and culture with a picturesque landscape to deliver a vacation destination like no other. Singles and couples will love the adventure and the romantic escapes offered by the city and surrounding area, and families will love the variety of activities.