It's First Friday! This was a great day/evening for it. The weather was nice, lightly breezy, with…read moremusic, vendors, food trucks, bubbles, and a beautiful fountain that changed color when the sun set. The event was from 5-9:30. The Blood Mobile was there accepting blood donors, there was a table for financial literacy, pediatric clinic, vet table, bubbles, face painting, and music! I ordered a vegetable pancit, early on, which was tasty and could stand more seasoning and vegetables. Later I ordered a green curry with vegetables and tofu over jasmine rice with a spice level of 6! It was SPICY! Yes!!! I had a great night! Thanks @JaxParks!

Visited Friendship Fountain and honestly it was one of those spots that just feels good to be at…read morewithout trying too hard. The fountain itself is huge and impressive when it's running, with water shooting up and moving in these patterns that make it weirdly calming to just sit and watch. It has that "you could stay here way longer than planned" kind of vibe, especially with the river right there and the open space all around it. My family and I just hung out nearby, walked along the water, and let the kids run around while we took in the view. It is one of those places where nobody is in a rush and everyone is just kind of enjoying the moment. The whole area feels peaceful but still active enough that there's always something to look at--boats passing, people walking, and the fountain doing its thing like the centerpiece of it all. Five stars. Perfect mix of relaxing, pretty views, and a great spot in Jacksonville to just slow down and enjoy the day.

We stopped by Memorial Park with the dogs this Memorial Day. This park is THE iconic symbol of…read moreRiverside. It is always the perfect place to walk, run, relax on a bench, take in the beauty of the St John's River, fish and it is especially, a place of remembrance and respect. It is equipped with water stations, plenty of grass and plenty of shade. This should always be a stop when you're in Riverside.

I love this park. So close to my home! Perfect place to picnic, sit in the sun, fish or do your…read morepark thing!

What a great experience! Entering the park and touring the plantation and its grounds is all free…read more(!!!!) to the public and absolutely lovely. The one worker that is stationed at the house, was friendly and very knowledgeable. I just wish that there were more furnishings in the home, but there is a plaque that actually addresses this. Be sure to bring your phone with you so that you can follow the audio tour (again, free!), and you might even get a chance to see some bald eagles in the front of the house. You will definitely need your camera! TIP - there isn't a ton of parking, so be sure to go earlier in the day.

To help celebrate his birthday, Tony Vanoy and I went to Kingsley Plantation & Slave Ruins on Fort…read moreGeorge Island near St John River in Florida! Located near the Georgia Border & Amelia Island State Park. Also near Little Talbott State Park! It was Free to enjoy and explore! There are buildings to go into and Tabby Ruins of the Slave Quarters Village. We spent about an hour walking around the plantation grounds! A lot of history here!Today Friday 15th Tony Vanoy and I explored the McIntosh Sugar Mill Tabby Ruins near St Mary's GA . It's free to enjoy and explore. There is a private parking lot and picnic tables BUT BE WARNED we experienced a ton of mosquitos! So BUGGIE SPRAY the Heck out of your exposed body parts! I got ate up and so did Tony! It's much larger than it looks from the parking lot! There's a Historical marker available to read about the previous owner dates and Plantation name! Definitely recommend & hope you enjoy!

Sadly, the St. Johns River Light is on the Naval Station Mayport property and it is not open to the…read morepublic. You can get quite close to it though and for me, that was good enough. Constructed in 1858, it was decommissioned in 1929 and replaced with a lightship, the St. Johns Lightship (LV-84) that is moored 8 miles offshore. It was the third lighthouse to stand at the mouth of the St. Johns River, and was designed specifically to overcome the previous structures' problems with visibility and erosion. It is substantially taller and further from the waterline than its predecessors. The Old St. Johns River Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is the oldest surviving building in Mayport, and was designated one most significant historic buildings in Jacksonville by the Jacksonville Historic Landmarks Commission. [Review 15747 overall - 1330 in Florida - 1251 of 2021.]

Sadly, this lighthouse is not being well maintained and it sits behind a fence on the Mayport Naval…read moreStation, so you can't get close to it. There is a little pull off area, with a plaque, and I was able to get a picture through the fence. True lighthouse aficionados will enjoy this visit, but this is hardly a tourist attraction.

Marijuana smell in the entire building. Loud neighbors. Unhealthy to live here until they fix the…read moresmoke issue.

Actually got to check out the inside of the this building during One Spark and it's pretty cool!…read moreDidn't realize how big it is. Definitely awesome to look up and check out elevator shaft that went all the way up to the top. Mark B. got a great shot & took an amazing picture of it. It has tons of potential with good bones. Felt lucky to get a chance see a Jacksonville building from the past in all its glory today and look forward to going again.

I saw this while I was walking around exploring the area. And then I came across The Jacksonville…read moreVeterans Memorial Wall is a powerful place. Seeing the thousands of names etched into the granite really puts everything into perspective, and the eternal flame adds a quiet sense of respect. It's peaceful, meaningful, and a place that sticks with you long after you leave. It's a good spot go check it out

This is a beautiful memorial for veterans that is conveniently located in between the football…read morestadium and the baseball stadium. Worth a visit and a moment of silence to remember the brave men & women who have defended our country.

Shantytown is a rare and amazing unicorn! Monday night karaoke is a must. They have amazing beer as…read morewell as really significant sake. The owner has done an amazing job with this place providing unique experience just like the Justice Pub downtown. Make sure to check out their social media for upcoming events.

This place wasn't really my vibe. Came for a friend who was DJing. The spot itself is quaint, three…read moreoutside dressing area was really nice. I didn't like the smoking inside, smelled horrible. Crowd was mostly older, they had a decent beer selection which was nice. Overall fine, just not my kind of place

Just going to say - looks beautiful but only open Wednesday thru Sunday! So we only got to see the…read moreentrance gate.

Ribault Monument is one of the most beautiful views you will see in Jacksonville. It is the highest…read moreelevation which made it a strategic point during war times. Before moving to Jacksonville friends took me here for the first time. I didn't realize there were any high points in this area until I physically saw this spot. It's truly breathtaking! You can read the historic placements in the area to learn more about the history of this strategic high point in Jacksonville. From the Spanish to the French, Jacksonville and the surrounding areas were claimed by many hundreds of years ago. I never really liked history class as I prefer to learn my history firsthand. Fort Caroline and the surrounding State Park offer beautiful sceneries while also learning history. I guess you could say it makes history fun!

We crossed this beautiful bridge several times while on our road trip to Jacksonville from Miami…read more We stayed in Jacksonville for 3 nights and were exploring the city as much as possible. We loved that the Main St Bridge turned a brilliant blue at night! You could see it for miles. We found that the best picture taking was located by the Hyatt Regency. There was easy parking and very little traffic to make it safe while standing in the street and photographing the bridge. I can just imagine the views from the hotel windows of the bridge and the city skyline!

Officially the John T. Alsop Jr. Bridge when it was named in 1957, it carries US-1 and US-90 over…read morethe St. John's River near downtown Jacksonville Florida. It was named after the mayor who served from 1923 to 1937 and again from 1941 to 1945. It opened to traffic in 1941. It is a vertical lift bridge and has four lanes for traffic and pedestrian walkways on each side and a fantastic view of the city skyline. A little spooky for me in the Sprinter van as there is only a double-yellow line between the traffic. It is the only moveable bridge carrying vehicles over the river in the Jacksonville area. There is no toll to cross the bridge. [Review 19317 overall - 1664 in Florida - 287 of 2023.]

This is such an educational and beautiful walking trail. You get to learn about the Timucuan…read morepeople and history and the path is a perfect blend of nature and water. I am always looking for interesting places to walk in Jax and was pleasantly surprised at this location. It does have natural walkways, so tree roots and sand are expected and some elevation. I wouldn't recommend if you need a flat surface to walk on.

I love history and I instantly fell in love with this area!! The trails are amazing! Fort Caroline…read moreis significant in the history of Florida and the times of conflict since its discovery by the Spanish and French on the First Coast in the 1500s. Fort Caroline itself is not the largest historical fort you'll ever visit, but it is a fair replica somewhat of the structure, the walls (which were probably stronger and reinforced), and the moat around most of it served to give an idea of what means were used to slow down an adversary to make it more difficult to breach the walls. The history of the battles that took place between the French and the Spaniards was not only for conquest due to claims on the land, but since this was the early part of the Reformation period that began in 1517, it also was a religious war between the Catholics (the Spanish) and Protestants (the French). Now the actual site of the real fort Caroline is unknown at this point, but most historians agree that what exists there now is probably close to the location. This spot certainly provides a great view of the St. John's River from both sides. So strategically for those times, the fort's placement was ideal. This River had originally been given the title of The River of May by the French. As you go down the Hammock Trail to the Fort, you'll find that there are a couple of trails that lead off to other areas as the Hammock Trail has about a mile and a half circle and there are other neat sites to see along the way. If you have the "All Trails" app, you have it made in the shade to track your walk, know where you are, and be sure you won't miss what you want to see! I recommend everyone have this app highly for hiking! Also, make sure you visit the Timucuan Visitor Center! It serves as a museum with interesting artifacts and tells the story of the history before the Spaniards and French arrived, of course, about the history following, and you'll even find the oldest totem in North America on display as well! For a smaller museum, it sure packs a truckload of information! Well I spent a couple of days here collecting photos and video to tell the story of what happened at the Fort in the near future. And for exercise purposes, I'll use this trail Lordwilling many more times in the future! If you desire to visit: Make the visit! Don't think, JUST DO! Recommend: VERY HIGH