Jacksonville Florida - What To Do

Looks like I am going to have a free day & night next Saturday. Pretty much open to anything during the day, and hopefully a great meal, that is not to pricey, at night.

Jason

Not sure I can contribute much other than a restaurant recommendation. Marker 32 was a very nice seafood driven meal with a great view. There isn’t a whole lot in JAX that I found while down there but curious to see what others recommend.

Head to Amelia Island…

What do you like to do? History? Boat tours? Beaches?

Love history. And it is fun to visit east coast beaches after growing up on California beaches.

J

Never been, but Kingsley Plantation sounds interesting. If you’ve not seen a real plantation, this might be a good thing. Apparently it focuses on the grit rather than the antebellum charm.

Bern’s is only 3 hrs away.
So in 12 hrs…:
Drive
Eat and drink
nap
Drive back

St. Augustine FL?

Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine

And just a few miles south is Washington Oaks State Park. The rocks on the beach there are coquina of the Anastasia Formation, which is the rock that was used to build the fort.

So aside from relaxing, beach combing, boat / fishing charters, wandering the shops in Fernandina, and golf, I don’t know if it’s the most exciting area I’ve ever been to, but there are a few things:

St Augustine is worth a visit, although it’s about a 90 minute drive. Given the drive and things to do, you can easily burn a day.

Closer to home, Fort Clinch on the north side of Amelia Island is worth walking through, and there are trails along Egan’s Creek that are nice for a walk (view wildlife, including gators).

Amelia Island River Cruises do a cruise around Cumberland Island that was fun. Formerly the site of a number of mansions (e.g.- the Carnegies), the island also has wild horses. With any luck you might see a boomer (Nuclear Sub) entering or exiting Kings Island Naval Base.

The Okefenokee Swamp isn’t too far away either. You can pick up a boat tour of the swamp from the Richard Bolt Visitor Center.

It’s also a 2 hour drive north to Savannah Georgia.

A lot of change in the restaurants over the past few years, i think mostly for the better. We went to Le Clos a few years ago for dinner and it was pretty good.

Clarification–Jax to St Aug is only about 45 minutes.

[quote=“Scott Brunson”]Clarification–Jax to St Aug is only about 45 minutes.[/q]

ah! I thought they were staying on Amelia Island. But now I realize someone else asserted to “head to Amelia Island.”

Beautiful drive from Jax Beach/Ponte Vedra to St Augustine via A1A [cheers.gif]
(my childhood)

My father lives on Amelia Island, and my brother in law is part of the Fernandina Beach PD (moved down with my sister from NYC after my parents retired there). Usually spend a week or two there every year.