Ellie's Top 3 Jacksonville Faves

Hi friends! I’m a Jacksonville native, and I truly love living in the 904. As a San Marco resident, I love walking to so many of my favorite restaurants, shops, and parks. However, there are so many different neighborhoods in Jax that I love. I’m sharing my Top 3 JAX Neighborhoods!

1. San Marco- San Marco is home. I love that it feels like a small town community with walkability and familiar faces at all of your places! I can grab my favorite latte, workout at Pure Barre, shop in the Square, dine on a delicious meal, and toast my favorite cocktail all within a 1 mile radius!
   My San Marco Favorites: Bold Bean Coffee, Grape and Grain Exchange, Fig and Willow, Pure Barre San Marco, Taverna, and Hendricks Nails

2. Avondale- I grew up close to the area, so the stores and restaurants in Avondale are the perfect mix of new and nostalgic. There are so many options for a day with the family or a special date night. You MUST get cake from Biscotti’s while you’re around (triple chocolate, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and coconut are some of my top choices!), and you’ll love to find a new outfit at the cute boutiques!
   My Avondale Favorites: Emory, Tenley Dietrich, The Fox Restaurant, The Brick, Sivada’s, Southern Grounds

3. Springfield- Over the last year, I’ve discovered just how many gems there are in Historic Springfield! I can’t get enough of the 1748 Bakehouse breakfast sandwich or the Strings burger, while you shoot some hoops. Not to mention, you can get a mega-mosa from Crispy’s! Everyone that lives in Springfield absolutely loves to support their neighbors and local businesses, and you feel that when you’re there!
   My Springfield Favorites: 1748 Bakehouse, Springs Sports Brewery, Crispy’s, Social Grounds Coffee

Emily's Top 3 Jacksonville Faves

Sharing my Top 3 Happy Hour Spots with you!

1. Family Friendly: European Street- On a beautiful day there is nothing better than sitting outside enjoying the weather, a cold beer, + a delicious sandwich (looking at you international club). Happy hour starts at 2, and is all day on the weekends, with 2-for-1 beers. What makes it family friendly? The giant candy selection inside that we bribe our children with (hey, it works!). There are four locations to choose from, but you will most likely find us in Riverside on the patio!

2. Date Night: Grape + Grain- Whether you prefer a cocktail or a mocktail, they make the best! My husband and I try to sneak in a day date every now and then while the kids are at school (this is a no judgement zone, ok- sitters are expensive!) and G+G has a spectacular HH menu. $6 cocktails, $6 wines, and $1 off draft beer Sunday-Thursday from 2pm-7pm! They also double as a package store with craft beers, delicious wines, and a large selection of liquor so you can continue date night at home.

3. Shopping Break: The Marlin Bar- This new(ish) restaurant connected to Tommy Bahama is the perfect place to pop in when you need to refuel while shopping. Happy Hour is every day from 3-6 and includes $6 wines, $6 cocktails, $8 martinis, and $5 beer. Highly recommend enjoying HH with an ahi tuna poke bowl.

Cheers!

Chelsea's Top 3 Jacksonville Favorites

Even as a Jacksonville native, I never grow tired of the beach, or the beaches area; and as a mom it’s essential to find family friendly places that everyone can enjoy. One of my family’s favorite things to do is head to South Beach and work our way up to Atlantic Beach with a few stops to our favorite places along the way.

1. Our first stop is South Beach Park and Sunshine Playground. Every parent should be familiar with this park and it’s easy to see why it’s our favorite go-to spot! Not only is Sunshine Playground kid friendly for every age (toddler area included), it is also fully fenced in and secure. Huge bonus because if you’re like me and have multiple children, having gate and locked fence around the whole permitter of the playground sets your mind at ease knowing your children can’t dart out in the middle of the parking lot. Playground aside, South Beach Park also offers a small splash zone where kids can cool off after a long day at play, a skate park, volleyball courts and more!

2. Beach Hut Café is the perfect spot to stop for lunch. While their burgers are to die for, my kids would argue that their water themed murals were their favorite. The wait is never too long, food is always hot, and the paintings on the walls keep my kids busy playing ‘I Spy’ - it really is a win/win!

3. After a long day of play and getting full belly’s, we always try to end the day at Whit’s Frozen Custard. While there are many other ice cream shops in the area, I love how Whit’s always changes their menu and gives you something fresh and new. If you’re like me and love all things coffee, be sure to try their Twisted Coffee - loaded with mocha custard + crushed cookies n’ creme, chopped almonds, topped with peanut butter and fudge swirls!

Jamily's Top 3 Jacksonville Faves

I haven’t lived in Jacksonville long, we’re coming up on our 5th year Jacksonville anniversary. But even so, it’s the longest my husband and I have lived anywhere! In the almost 14 years since we got married we’ve lived in 3 states and had 10 addresses, and no, we’re not military. When we first moved to Jacksonville it took some getting used to. We were coming from the Gulf Coast of Florida and if you’ve been there, Sarasota specifically, you know it’s just different. At first Jacksonville felt so big, like I’d never get the hang of the neighborhoods, and honestly even now I still occasionally have to look at a map to get my bearings. In the short time it took to reach our first fall and winter in Jax, I was hooked. The weather completely sealed the deal for me and I absolutely love living here! You get just enough of cold and cool weather to miss the beach and just when you’re longing for hot beach days it warms up! It’s hard for me to choose 3 favorite things about living in Jacksonville but if I had to choose:

1.     The Bridges. Follow me here for a second. With all the land that encompasses Jacksonville and the St. John’s River flowing through it, you’ve got to have several bridges to get around this large city. Jacksonville has 5 major bridges connecting its towns and I absolutely love them all. Depending on which bridge you’re on you get to see so much of our beautiful city! You can see the river, the waterways and marsh, the beautiful mansions on the water, boaters, fishermen! I could name a hundred reasons but my absolute favorite is going over the Dames Point bridge at sunset. The glistening water and views of Jacksonville are breathtaking and I am so thankful every time I go over that bridge that I live here.

2.     Local Pride. Business owners and long-time Jax residents love it here! It’s no secret that Jacksonville is one of the biggest cities in the country, but did you know that because we have two major military bases we also have a huge revolving door of people coming and going? I think that makes us unique and those that are locals, including small business owners, are happy to stay for the long haul. The people of Jacksonville are proud to be here and support local businesses more than chain stores. That’s unique for a city so large and I’m happy to be a part of that local culture.

3.     The Seafood. I’m a huge foodie – it’s my first love and passion. It takes skill to cook a great fish but also to supply it. My favorite seafood restaurant here is called Safe Harbor Seafood (https://www.safeharbor-seafood.com)  and you can find me there at least once every 3 months. My family and I have been going there for about 4 years and they consistently serve fresh, local seafood time and time again. There is a plethora of wonderful seafood restaurants here in Jacksonville – we’re so close to the ocean you’d be hard pressed to find one that didn’t serve wonderful food. Our local fisheries take pride in their craft and providing our town with the best catch is something they have mastered.

Erica's Top 3 Jacksonville Favorites

1. Dreamette: Growing up, my mom was the director of a preschool in Murray Hill right down the street from Dreamette, and I have so many memories of us walking over there on summer days or stopping by on our drive home. You really can't go wrong with anything you order but my go-to always has been and still is the banana milkshake. It's so good anddddd now I'm craving one.

2. Sun-Ray Cinema: I always heard people talk about how cool this two screen movie theatre was but until a few years ago I hadn't been for myself. They show new movies, old movies, and even kids movies in the summer. They serve classic movie theatre treats like popcorn, hot dogs and candy but they also offer sandwiches, salads, + desserts! They recently added Sun-Ray Pizza Cave and they just announced this week they're opening a permanent drive-in location which I'm very excited to go to!

3. The Beaches: We have so many beaches to choose from here in NE Florida. Family friendly, fun, and mostly free - you might have to pay for parking. As a Jacksonville native, I've always loved living near the beach. When I was a kid my parents would take us on a stay-cation in an oceanfront Fernandina Beach condo, we'd spend our weekends on Huguenot aka The Jetties (I loved that we could drive on that beach) and in high school almost every day of spring break and summer were spent on Neptune or Jax Beach. I loved beach days then and I still love them now. PS - don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Mary Mychael's Top 3 Jacksonville Favorites

1. Memorial Park: Right on the St. John’s river, Memorial Park is the perfect place to watch sunrises, sunsets, and fireworks. It has such rich history as Florida’s true WWI Memorial: “To further honor the fallen, the names of the more than 1220 Floridians who died in the first World War were inscribed on parchment and placed in a lead box within a bronze box which was buried in the ground in front of the statue Life.” – Quote taken from www.memparkjax.org. Fun Fact: Eric and I got married in this park in a last minute mini-elopement ceremony! 

2. Riverside Arts Market: Every Saturday, right in Riverside under the bridge, local vendors, artists, farmers, jewelry makers, musicians, (you name it), come together for a fun outdoor gathering space. You can shop while you sip on a beer, snack on some local goodies, and even treat yourself to an ice pop while listening to a local band or watching a local ballet performance. 10am-3pm every Saturday!

3. Restaurant Orsay: Okay, if this isn’t at the top of everyone’s “faves in Jax list” then I don’t know how to help you  Impeccable food, gorgeous cocktails, and a sexy environment…Orsay is always exceptional. They have the best happy hour in town and just remember to ALWAYS save room for dessert – you’ll thank me later!