Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau 550 Water Street Jacksonville, FL 32202 (904) 798-9111 (904) 798-9103 (fax) Population 635230 Time Zone Eastern Latitude/Longitude 30.32° /-81.66° Today's Forecast HIGH: 76 LOW: 54

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Attractions

The center of downtown activity in this busy riverport is the St. Johns River — both sides offer plenty of things for visitors to see and do. Jacksonville Landing, the major marketplace and entertainment zone on the north bank, has dozens of unique retail stores and restaurants, along with nightspots and special events with live entertainment. The south bank's Riverwalk also features numerous special events along with its plethora of shops, restaurants, and play areas. The Friendship Fountain, one of the largest in the nation, will be spotted spouting here. You can drop in at the Jacksonville Maritime Museum to see the ship models and then head for the Museum of Science and History for planetarium shows, anthropology exhibits, and hands-on activities.

Back on the north bank, art lovers will enjoy the collections of 18th-century Meissen porcelain and paintings by American masters at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. Overlooking the St. Johns, the museum's formal gardens are graced with the presence of the magnificent Cummer Oak. For art with a contemporary flair, the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville features temporary exhibits by representatives of the avant-garde as well as a permanent collection of works created since 1960 by the likes of Frankenthaler, Lichtenstein, Nevelson, and many more. Art of African origins, including masks, musical instruments, and sacred artifacts, is on display at the Obi-Scott-Umunna Collection at Edward Waters College. At Jacksonville University, visit the Alexander Brest Museum, with its displays of Steuben glass, Royal Danish porcelain, and pre-Columbian artifacts, and the restored house where British composer Frederick Delius composed his first works. Some of history's most important original documents reside at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, one of several Karpeles museums located throughout the United States whose holdings range over music, literature, science, religion, politics, and other topics.

Jacksonville's cultural scene includes its own symphony orchestra performing at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. The lush and plush Florida Theatre, restored to all its 1927 grandeur, also offers a broad program of music, dance and theatre.

In a city and state dedicated to outdoors activities, football is undoubtedly the biggest spectator sport. The old Gator Bowl, now transformed into Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, is home to the Jaguars of the NFL, the annual Georgia-Florida football rivalry, and the traditional New Year's Day Gator Bowl game. Meanwhile, in this hot town you'll find the Suns of the AA Southern League playing at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, and the SPHL Barracudas playing ice hockey at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. PGA golf of the highest quality is offered at the TPC Players Championship held at Sawgrass in nearby Ponte Vedra. The World Golf Hall of Fame at World Golf Village is just 25 miles south.

For a peaceful stroll among the splendors of nature, try the Tree Hill Nature Center or the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, where some 2000 animals live in re-creations of their natural habitats, and thousands of plants grow among a burgeoning series of themed pocket gardens. Outdoor activity with an historical twist is offered at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Part of the National Parks system, the site's 46,000 acres encompass Fort Caroline National Memorial, where a wood-and-earthworks fort was built by French Huguenots in 1564, and Kingsley Plantation, where cotton, sugarcane, and other crops were grown. The two-story residence, separate kitchen, barn/carriage house, and 23 slave cabins remain.

But this is also the land of greyhound racing, fishing, and beach volleyball. Miles and miles of long sandy beaches are just a few miles east of downtown Jacksonville at Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. Each offers its own unique features — boardwalk, lighted fishing pier, waterpark, and the Beaches Museum and History Center.

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