This is my FAVORITE venue in Jax to catch a live show at. Everyone is always very hospitable and…read morefriendly. The vibes are always perfect here. You can catch cheap shows from pretty much any genre here. Rap, reggae, Punk, Ska, I die, you name it. Great place to discover your new favorite band! There is no need to spend hundreds on concert tickets with venues like these.

I had no food. I love the atmosphere. It's very loud though bring your headphones. I saw Tori…read moreNance and SunRiver. I really enjoyed them and look forward to coming back to Jack Rabbits.

Always a vibe at Ruby Beach Brewing. Great events, fun ambiance, and super friendly staff. Service…read moreis solid every time. The drinks never disappoint.

Great happy hour brewery near the stadiums in downtown Jax two blocks off the river. Need to…read morecheckout their weekend market and food trucks.

Fun place to take the wife and her friends. Had and awesome time celebrating her friends birthday…read more The DJ had the music booming. I don't really drink alcohol but the bartender was nice to get me a drink that was not too strong and tasted amazing.

Review is for SIP, the rooftop bar and is based on three different visits all with varying crowd…read moresizes. We've been there when it was just us, we've been there when it was a raging DJ party and we've been there when a Jags game is on. For me, every experience is based on setting your expectations. I'm an old man now and I've been in all of this situations one million times previously. So I don't go into a raging DJ situation ready to get my phone out and start writing a review to state "the music was just too darn loud!". I also don't go there during a Jags game just to write a review that says "I had to wait a long time for a drink....can you even believe it??". Was the music loud? Yep. Was the wait really long during the Jags game? You better believe it. We went in expecting those things though because that's how the real world works. The drinks are great. The bar is nice, the staff is cool and you can't beat the views. Sounds like a good deal to me.

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

I moved to Jacksonville recently from California and I am always on the lookout for new places to…read morecheck out. There is a building I pass every day near my home which caught my eye right away. Its stone façade and bright yellow sign flanked by two Medieval Knights, with the words "The Arena" across it in large block lettering stood out in comparison to its neighbors, a church and a discount furniture store. I quickly put on my detective cap and began scouring the internet for any explanation or reviews but information was sparse. I eventually found the website... The Arena | Jacksonville's Premiere Concert Venue... "The Arena is definitely one of Jacksonville's premiere and edgiest night scenes. With four stages, and full audio-surround sound, you will be blown away..." I ear marked it as a place to check out in the future. As Halloween grew closer The Arena began to look more and more like an off-beat community haunted attraction. A giant, ominous, clown face appeared over the door along with some additional lights and carnival décor. A new sign was added, "Carnevil". Of course I got back on the internet and found, "Welcome to Carnevil! The darkest and final act of the circus empire..." From the description it sounded pretty scary, I don't really do scary, but it was Halloween and we had no other plans and it was FREE. Now let me tell you, the free thing immediately set off some red flags, nothing is free but curiosity got the best of us. We invited some friends, put on our costumes and headed to the Arena but it was completely full and they sent us away with priority tickets for the next showing. Sunday night just my fiancé and I went back. Like I said, I don't really do scary well and as I stood in line my heart was racing. They announce that we are about to go in and once we are inside we will not be allowed to leave until the end. Honestly, we were half convinced that this place lures unsuspecting people in and keeps them forever... how else does a "Premiere Concert Venue" have almost no internet presence and NO reviews? The whole experience started off great. Creepy ghosts shambled through the lines, small groups were let into the theatre at a time, entering through a miniature haunted maze with all the scares and screams as a professional haunted house. There were plenty of scares for the audience while we waited for the show to start. The play had a great campy/spooky community theatre feel complete with frightening clowns, quality makeup, sound and lighting effects. Over and over I kept thinking, "How is this free?" and then it started... "drugs", "sex", "rebelling against authority"... "sin". Suddenly I realized I was at church. A preacher dressed as a cop stood center stage asking the audience to raise their hands, come up and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to avoid a hell worse than the clown camp we just witnessed. I want to be clear... I do not have a problem with this being a church function; I appreciate the local church for pulling together a great community event... I do have a problem with being completely ambushed. Nowhere on TheArenaJax.com does it mention its affiliation with Victory Church. To solicit itself as one of the country's premier, edgy music venue, "showcasing a spectrum of internationally renowned artists" is more than slightly misleading. I have to say, I felt a bit violated to be lured into what appeared to be a fun community theatre, told I could not leave until it was over and then force fed a religious message while adults in scary masks and makeup stood blocking the exit. Here is the TL;DR: The production quality is great for a free event. I really enjoyed the first hour and a half of my experience. I would even encourage people to check out one of their events but be advised... this is a religious venue affiliated with its neighboring church. You will be held inside the building and asked to approach the stage to accept their message.

I have seen the Carnevil show twice now and I absolutely love it. Yes, it wasn't for the faint of…read moreheart, but it was awesome nonetheless. I am not one to like scary things but after seeing the show I had to see it again. The storyline and characters are well-made and very nice people. They put all they had into making this show work and after the show you get to meet them and get to know them personally. The theatrics of it were stunning and very luring and the sound effects blew me away. I loved how well the actors dressed up and scared people. They'd pop out of the dark, they sang along to hit songs from Slipknot and they made it a very good memorable experience. Along with the thrills they made some funny remarks during the show which made it more enjoyable and fun. If they were able to keep the show going on for more days I would go to all of them. For free it was worth it- if I had to pay, it would've been totally worth it. At the end of the show there was a part where a character made a statement about being "lost" and how he was able to come to terms with himself. Yes, they help people to believe but even if you aren't into Christianity or religion at all it didn't matter. They wanted people to remember the show and to tell everyone else back home about it. They wanted to inspire people to not be afraid and to become more than what people think of you. They don't force any part of religion on anyone and they don't force people into a prayer at all. They merely want to help people and for the people who were just there for the show, they got to see how much hard work and dedication the actors put into this to make it fun and memorable and thrilling. I absolutely loved it and would go to many more shows for the rest of my life for the experience. Amazing job well done.

I came here for a metal concert. They did not offer food or mixed drinks during the event, only…read morebeer, so I can't speak to those products. They had three draft offerings--PBR, an IPA and Michelob I think. I opted for the IPA ($6), and it was good. This is very hole-in-the-wall, so I won't harp on anything, just know that coming in. The concert was great. The place was packed front to back, standing room only. The crowd was pretty rowdy and there were a few fights. I only saw two bouncers, and they stayed by the door, so the crowd had to police itself. Anyway I had a good time and would come for another event. There are other bars and restaurants on the same block, so you have options before and after the event you came here for.

I didn't mind this venue. The new bar has added a flair and it's a good vibe inside, not too dark…read more Bathrooms diffently could use a update but otherwise I enjoyed the people I met, and the servers were great. The food..those turkey sliders and pork ribs were amazing. Everyone wanted to buy the BBQ and take it home. My event was a BBQ and Bourbon tasting, and it was great time. They provided us Buffalo Traces best line up. Enjoyed a lot of laughs at my table and that BBQ will be back for. It was a Foodie dream..

I love this place! I love the cool ambiance and the entertainment/music is also just super cool…read more The drinks are very affordable and just exquisite. The service is also just excellent. I would definitely come back here.

I found it funny that I read about "The Elbow" being a historic downtown must do in a Southern…read moreLiving magazine- here in Jacksonville. What's the elbow? Or better yet- where? I asked John and he was just as puzzled- google it is. Turns out we have frequented the area known as the elbow over the years for Art Walk, eating out, hitting up bars and breweries and even a distillery. The Florida Theater is on that list too. Between art, shows, food, and adult beverages- this is the highlight of Downtown Jax. This is the highlighted area for Nightlife in Downtown Jacksonville- the businesses include 9 bars and/or breweries, 10 dining options and 5 clubs and/or theaters. Check out the link below to see how many you have hit. https://downtownjacksonville.org/the-elbow/