Jacksonville Beach, a Must-Visit Destination on Florida’s Atlantic Coast

The Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier extends from the boardwalk, over the sand, and out over the Atlantic Ocean. This beach pier is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks and one of its most popular attractions. Around a little more than a quarter-mile in length, the Jacksonville Beach Pier is a great place to just take a relaxing stroll and offers both views of the ocean and the city skyline. Fishing is allowed at the end with a permit. The wheelchair-accessible pier is open to the public from 6:00am until 10:00pm and has restrooms, a bait shop, and concessions.

503 1st St N, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-241-1515

While Jacksonville Beach, Florida is known best for its beach and resorts, the city is also home to some interesting history that’s often overlooked. The Beaches Museum and History Park provides an opportunity for both locals and tourists alike to discover much more about the city of Jacksonville Beach. The museum shares the local history of the area, dating back to the indigenous peoples who lived in the region before Europeans arrived, followed by the British, Spanish, and United States history of the coastal area. Visitors at the Beaches Museum can see history up close, local artifacts, abundant old photographs, and more.

381 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-241-5657

Adventure Landing Jacksonville Beach is one of Jacksonville Beach’s most popular attractions among both visitors and local residents. This family-oriented amusement park is great for people of all ages and is home to a wide variety of activities and special events. Adventure Landing offers baseball batting cages, go-karts, laser tag, miniature golf, a Mega Arcade, and much more, and with the Adventure Landing Shipwreck Island Waterpark, there’s even more fun to be had in the water and the largest waterpark in northeastern Florida. The waterpark features a lazy river, wave pool, and the Kiddie Play Area among other attractions.

1944 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-246-4386

What to do if you are traveling with kids:

The Cradle Creek Preserve in Jacksonville Beach, Florida is located along the Intracoastal Waterway separating the city from the much busier Jacksonville, Florida. This nature reserve is a great place for people to get out into nature while not having to stray too far away from the comforts of the city. Boardwalks guide visitors along waterways and creeks where they can find amazing views of the Cradle Creek Preserve from a number of viewing platforms. For anyone feeling more adventurous, canoes and kayaks can be used to explore the creek. The preserve is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

900 S 15th St, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-247-6100

Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:

Players by the Sea has been enriching the community of Jacksonville Beach for more than fifty years ago through excellence in innovative and live theatre. The theater strives to present an array of productions that are entertaining, emotionally stimulating, thought provoking, and engaging through extraordinary dedication and support from volunteers in the community, including visual artists, carpenters, backstage crews, designers, directors, and actors. Productions put on by the Players by the Sea range from re-invigorated classics to edgy contemporary plays to large Broadway musicals. The theater facility is made up of both an intimate theatre and a mainstage theatre.

106 N 6th St, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-249-0289

Created by Sonya and Chris Ashton, the Mind Bender Escape Rooms are a collection of interactive and immersive games during which a group of people must work together to solve riddles and puzzles and find clues to complete their objective within one hour and “escape” the room. Mind Bender features four different escape rooms. Players can choose from escaping from the house of serial killer Zachary Klein in The Wood Shed, discovering the true identity of Jack the Ripper, retrieving the Templar Ruby in The Jewel Heist, or finding treasure and a way to escape in Captain Mayhem’s Revenge.

1500 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-853-6192

The Thompson Surf School in the coastal city of Jacksonville Beach, Florida offers surf lessons, coaching, and a surf camp for people of all ages and skill levels, from people just beginning to try out surfing to advanced surfers. Owner and operated by Tristan and Evan Thompson, Jacksonville Beach locals and professional surfers, the Thompson Surf School has a goal of providing the best in surfing instruction to both the local community and visitors alike of any ability or age to ensure the experience is safe and fun for everyone. They aim to always have clients “leave with a smile.”

429 1st St S, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-316-8573

Where to Eat:

The Salt Life Food Shack boasts a beachy, laid-back vibe, serving a variety of tacos, burgers, and sushi in Jacksonville Beach. This surf-themed, eclectic seafood restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, seven days a week, with a menu that includes an array of appetizers, salads, sushi, a raw bar, authentic street tacos, handhelds, bowls, mainland favorites, salt water specialities, and plenty of fresh fish. Specialties include the skirt steak, the fried grouper basket, and the southern fried shrimp. There are several gluten-free options and kid-friendly dishes on the eclectic menu at Salt Life Food Shack as well.

1018 3rd St N, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-372-4456

First opening its doors on Jacksonville Beach’s Beach Boulevard in 2008, the future of TacoLu was often in doubt by many due to the state of the AMerican economy at the time. However, this small taco restaurant persevered and now offers some of the best fish tacos in the area, as well as some fine tequila. TacoLu features a tequila menu with over 125 tequilas for customers to choose from and is known for making some of the best Mezcal cocktails and margaritas around.

1712 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-249-8226

Eleven South Bistro is situated in South Jacksonville Beach, providing an elegant, yet warm setting for visitors and locals to dine on seasonally inspired, worldly cuisine prepared by an award-winning team. With a belief that fine dining can also be fun, the restaurant balances an excellent menu, professional service, and a casual environment and maintains an inviting and comfortable atmosphere. The Eleven South Bistro benefits from a distinctive location, from which it gets its name, only a few blocks away from the ocean and has been the recipient of many different awards over the years, including ones from Wine Spectator.

216 11th Ave S, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, Phone: 904-241-1112