I had never been to the Enchanted Christmas Village when it was on the Westside of Jacksonville so…read morethis review is only for the new location in Ponte Vedra. We had bought tickets for 5 of us to go to the Enchanted Christmas Village on the Thursday before Christmas. Tickets are normally $22 however we got them online for a discount. There were four adults and one child who is five. When we arrived we took the drive to the back to the parking area and parked pretty close to the entrance which was nice. Parking was $5. We went to the ticket tables and handed in our vouchers and each received a wrist band. When you enter, you immediately see the large, beautifully lit Christmas tree. It was gorgeous and it has its lights timed to the music playing overhead. Past the tree were booths with vendors and activities. The vendors had an array of items for sale such as Christmas themed ornaments, clothing, house décor, food, honey, hair accessories and toys for kids. The activities which were included in the price were decorating a cookie and decorating a gingerbread house. There was also hot chocolate and really stale popcorn for sale that honestly shouldn't have been given away for free. There is a little path to walk along and it takes you to a photo booth, where you have the option of having your kids photo taken with Santa. There are also a few selfie areas if you just want to take pictures of your family. Next along the path is a live manger with live animals. Once you kept walking, there was a bounce house for kids to go and jump in. The first one was well done with not too many kids inside and the kids seemed to enjoy it. The next bounce house on the path was the opposite, they didn't limit the amount of age of kids inside so some were too big and rough and were hurting the little kids in the packed environment. There was a person on watch but they seemed oblivious. In this area there were also carolers who sang Christmas songs. It was nice. Past this was the entrance for the hay/tractor ride which took you through a path of lights while a guide sang Christmas songs. The ride lasts about five minutes and drops you off just a few feet from when you get on so you can continue your loop around the area. Once we continued on, there wasn't much else. There was a blown up igloo with live music which was honestly really hot inside and very loud with live music. After you left the igloo you came to the back of the area with vendors, where there were a few food trucks set up. There was a pizza food truck, a shaved ice truck, a Mediterranean food truck and a couple stalls that sold hot dogs, pretzels, funnel cakes and other carnival type fare. We walked around the vendors, decorated a cookie then walked out to the front where my nephew had the best time being chased around on the big lawn by his grandpa. Overall I would never spend the full $22 admission to come to the Enchanted Christmas Village but for the 10 dollars it wasn't terrible. I just wish there was a bit more to do and didn't feel like you pay to go to a place to then pay more on photos, food, drinks, and vendors like you are going to a farmers market which is more of what this felt like.

Came here with ny summer camp and we had a great time. There's a lot of activities for the kids to…read moredo and the staff are friendly and attentive! The only thing the fell short on was the food. They need to update the menu you can download off their website as it says the 7 inch pizza is $5.99 but when you oder it there its $7.99. Then I had to add pepperoni for $1.50 and was only given 4 which was disappointing. I also got the loaded tots which were really good I could tell the actually fried the bacon and didn't use bacon bits. The tots could have been crispier and would have benifitted from some shredded cheese but over all not a bad place and I would definitely come back.

Friendliness at the front It's already hot outside and feels…read morelike it's just as hot Im here. Also we need a plastic bag and not one bag available for us to have after spending all the money we spent. No to go bag not bags yet all these garbage cans have bags and no bags. If you can't give just be honest don't look at us like we are dumb and say have none. Kind of heartbreaking to what to be out with my grandkids and it's not so fun for us

I really enjoyed Noctoberfest! The space was great, food & beverages were plentiful and the crowd…read morewas ready for ein grossartige zeit! The beverage tents were divided into 4 cities: Kiel, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Each tent offered different options, but all had at least one unique German brew. This was a welcome change from other Oktoberfest knockoffs here in Jax. There was a VIP section with comfortable chairs - close to the stage and a special section with tail-Gate style party huts! What really set this event apart was the music. Two days of fun! Headliners were good, local bands were lots of fun! Only drawback was parking - but I'm sure they'll get that figured out before next year

My friends and I had so much fun at Noctoberfest in Nocatee. I purchased my ticket online for…read more$32.50. I pulled up the ticket from my phone at check-in then received a passport and a plastic beer mug. There were so many food trucks as well as four beer tents. Each beer tent represented different cities in Germany such as Berlin and Munich with beer from each region. We started with Berlin and worked our way around to the other tents. Each beer tent stamped the passport when you purchased a beer and once we had four stamps we went back to the entrance gate and received a free Noctoberfest t-shirt. Pretty cool! Beer was $7, each. Not bad for festival pricing. There was a ferris wheel and a nice size Kid Zone in the back corner. The entertainment was great! We ate at the kabob food truck. I had a steak kabob and shared fries. The kebab meat had a little more fat than I like but was still tasty. The fries were delicious! I would absolutely attend this event again!

This is my new favorite cinema…read more I used to drive all the way to the AMC at Orange Park mall. I had the loyalty membership and went often on discount days and morning matinees when they weren't crowded. My three boys and I had the run of the place. But then we stopped going through the covid shutdowns and switched over to this closer cinema afterwards. Love them for the same reasons. Newer, cleaner. better service. The loyalty discounts on admission aren't nearly as good with Cinemark, but it's much closer for me and has some better food options nearby for the pre- or post- movie meals. The family is older and has more opinions on the meals and the venue.

This is a great theater for so many reasons but I have been going here for 6 years and the main…read morewomen's bathroom ALWAYS SMEELS BADLY OF URINE. No matter what day of the week. Use the hallways bathrooms as they do not smell. This theater has every kind of theater or entertainment arena type food that you could want. They even have Korean hot dogs but $12$!! They do a good job keeping everything else clean but the WOMENS BATHROOM NEAR THE EXIT. The young adults and teenagers who work here do a really great job. They're polite and sweet and kind.. I highly recommend the Korean fried chicken Nextdoor and then they really healthy place on the other side of that plus the gyros and salad A deputy was recently added because of the spiked Rick kids who live in the area who think they can do what the hell rhey want. Can you imagine a deputy sheriff has to be here in a very wealthy area? Because of rich kids? The deputy said that parent just come here and drop off their tweens and up and then when they get into mischief, they call and their parents are drunk and they can even come pick them up., There's always a pack of teen boys at the Walmart in the next plaza, running around like idiots in the store and on the sidewalks. They're loud and obnoxious and think this whole plaza is their playground and yeah, they're probably about 16.. There's no cops at the Cinemark in Orange Park. I'm sure.. You'll see kids as young as 11 years old just running a muck in the parking lot anywhere in the Durbin pavilion parking lot We are regulars here. I highly recommend the theater.

Best spaghetti in Jax! Two huge meatballs, large portion of spaghetti and bread--$13, cannoli $4…read more Delicious and what a bargain!

Amazing!!! $13 for spaghetti and two huge meatballs. The cannolis are delicious too! Will…read morebe back for sure!

Awesome experience! We had the best time! So worth the money. We immediately wanted to go back in…read more The young man that was our guide was excellent, kind and helpful!

I had a great time with my family... Stephanie and Alex were great.. Alex was very informal and…read moresuper helpful with answering questions .Stephanie was very accommodating.. I areally enjoyed myself... I will come back whem.i come back to Jacksonville.

Oh yeah! Yes, yes, yes! Great food, friends, food & friends!!!! Come one, come all! What else can b…read moresaid, delicious samples. We have only spent about $20-30 per person app far and have all tasted lots of fantastic yummyness! That tuna tartare was great! But why aren't more people dancing? Let's get this party goin'! This will be an annual event for our bunch!we are having a blast, so are our husbands!we heard the next band RedRiver Band will be even better than "The Committee" which is playing now. Lots of covers. Not bad band but the atmosphere! Awesome! But this is ST AUGUSTINE people! Lots of deaf people but no interpreters at all are working this event. Not even for a the band. Come on!

I love when towns have "A Taste of..."! It's such a great opportunity to try a nice variety of the…read morelocal culinary scene. A "Taste of St. Augustine" was no different. As I drove to the amphitheater, my taste buds were in full force. Upon arriving, I was struck by how small the parking lot was and the swarm of cars that were looking for a spot. Folks were hungry! After spending about 45 minutes looking for parking, I was finally ready to check out the vendors. About 30 food establishment booths were set up on the concourse with food ranging from corn dogs to Spanish pork. I bought some tickets and I was ready to taste. I started with the coconut curry shrimp from The Reef, then on to Luli's Cupcakes for a red velvet mini cupcake. Then, I picked up a piece of chocolate cake from The Fudge Lady, a steak and stout pie from Meehan's Irish Pub and Backyard, followed by a sweet tea to wash all the food down from Fusion Tide Tea. I needed to take a break from eating so we went to listen to the bands play for a bit and bask in the sun. After an enjoyable hiatus, I was ready to tackle the tight quarters of the concourse and the crowd to sample a few more things. I grabbed a piece of pizza and I picked up the crab chowder from Crispers and the banana-strawberry delight from Barnacle Bills Seafood House. The small portions for varying numbers of tickets, which were each a dollar, were perfect for tasting some of the best dishes that the restaurants had to offer. After a few hours, I was spent! Good food, good music and good company made for a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Saw an advertisement on FB about this event and decided to research and check it out. Purchased…read moretwo tickets and rolled out. Got some really cool seat (actually there wasn't a bad seat in the house). We lucked up and a band that we saw a few months ago at the Jazz Lounge was in the house (For the win!). In between sets they had a poetry showcase from local talent. It was very smooth and intimate. For snacks we had an order of wings and fries. The staff (who were the members of the Elk Lodge) were very hospitable and helpful. They hold these every 1st Friday here in Jax. It was really enjoyable.

I hate to leave this review but after paying $45 I still had to leave and grab dinner at anywhere…read morethat was open. Perusing the internet for events to put in my "must do" blog and to kick off my birthday month, I saw the Jazz Poetry café. I looked around at the website and mainly using the venue as my deciding factor because I'd been to it before for a different event. As I write this, let me say I did not stay until the end of the jazz event. Beautiful idea poorly executed. Right now, it seems like it may have started as a hit but has succumbed to lack of effort, consistency, and the idea of how much money can we get paid from filling seats. It's a beautiful idea and if it was the way their website describes it you would have a sold-out crowd, but the concept isn't in that room. Create the vibe you want using all 5 senses, hire people who know how to work a SOCIAL event and sell out the show. The event has tiered seating with 2 VIP options and then a couple general admission type seating options. The VIP tickets come with a catered meal. It has a very slow but good cash bar with a great set of options to choose from. It was not a bunch of cheap liquors and sugary drinks. Unsure if it's a bartender or a person working at a bar. The live band was okay for a quick Friday night out. I don't sing or play instruments, but it was not much to rave about. The music was extremely loud. Club bass booty shaking loud. Not comfortably order your food loud. The waiter had to be too close, or I yell and repeat myself. As an event with tiered seating I expected more from the "environment" because 1st impressions, right? The decor was subpar. In my professional opinion I think the ideas they had with decor were great just need to add a couple more dollars, maybe do some thrift store shopping, hit up YouTube and PRACTICE because I think it can be pulled off DIY but better. The noisy QR code menu and little boards can go though. Now on to the real deal and that is FOOD. We can have good entertainment and crappy food, or crappy entertainment and good food but not crappy entertainment and crappy food. It was a CATERED event that showcased the chef with a bio and picture, so I expected a meal. The options were a "creamy chicken etouffee" and a "creamy seafood etouffee" both with fettucine, garlic bread, spring mix salad, and fruit kabobs. I chose the chicken. I am unsure why all the extra words to say they put some frozen or precooked chicken, added mushrooms and I think onions with jar/canned sauce over HARD pasta noodles. It wasn't al dente it was just HARD like they cooked too many at a time or was in a rush and at the first droop they took them out the boil. The little garlic knot deal was ok, and I guess the choice was salad OR fruit. The salad was just a bag of spring mix, some barely chopped cucumbers and grape tomatoes thrown in a dessert cup. Pieces much larger than you use with the flimsy fork. I asked for 1000 island or ranch bc the waiter didn't know what they had, and I got back a mystery dressing seemed like a creamy vinaigrette of some sort or maybe Catalina. I ate the salad and tasted the "chicken etouffee". It was not one of those meals you can just endure because I am one of those ppl that would. The buildup of the menu was a shot in the foot. Even with all precooked store items a little bit of effort, taste testing for quality control, and proper cook times would've made that much difference. Chicken Alfredo is easy and a common favorite, so it was a smart and economical choice especially with a seafood option but missed the mark COMPLETELY. The food really killed it for me, but I had to leave after the unorganized talent show started. I knew it had an "open mic" factor, but it was an MC somewhere introducing people with little to no edification. It was similar to the person calling your name out from the karoake list but you're a regular, so they say a little extra about you. Some guy was too drunk to be on the microphone at all. An older gentleman started rambling off a piece he wrote while walking through the crowd like he was Luther Vandross. I will say the best part of the night was a young lady got up and she has a BEAUTIFUL voice, and I couldn't wait to follow her on social media to hear more of her singing. There were vendors there for whatever reason but over the music and how dark it was I didn't see much of what they had besides some hats. I didn't stay long enough for the lights to come on. All in all...THIS EVENT JUST NEEDS MORE EFFORT.