MUST-SEE SPOTS IN JACKSONVILLE
Locals know the best places to watch sunset, dine by the water, pop the question, get a fresh grouper sandwich, take the kids on a rainy day and much more. Writer Lisa Codianne Fowler talks to everyone from the grocery clerk to Donald Trump to glean hidden secrets known by the locals.
Best place
to take the kids:
"Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island. There are a number of nature
trails, and the beach there was named one of the top beaches in the country by
Conde Naste Traveler … the beach is right in front of the fort, which
was built in 1840. They always have re-enactors out there, and you cannot get
them to talk in 2001 -- they're back in 1860s. About four times a year there
are150 - 200 of them, all dressed in period costumes. The women cook food from
the 1860s -- they make bread by grinding the wheat -- and the kids play games
from the 1860s. It's gorgeous out there, and educational and fun for the kids."
- Dick Flitz, owner, The Amelia Island
Williams House Bed and Breakfast
Best place to watch the sunset:
"At sunset I sit upstairs at the Crab Trap, one of the older restaurant
bars in Fernandina Beach, and look out the back corner window. You see the most
awesome sunset. It's also during their happy hour. Mostly locals go there and
there's usually a guitarist playing, which of course adds to the ambiance. Once
people find out about it, they keep going back, especially on Friday and Saturday
nights."
- Debbie Manser, owner, Ride the Beaches
of Amelia
Most romantic
spot:
"Staying at home on Fort George Island, that's my favorite romantic
spot! Other than that, I like Fernandina Beach just because it's a quaint little
out-of-the-way village. You can stroll the streets at night and have dinner --
my favorite restaurant there is La Clos. We go there for our special occasions.
We also like the San Marco area, just a mile south of downtown Jacksonville.
There are lots of nice shops and restaurants … it's got everything
from ice cream parlors to pizza parlors to nice, upscale dining -- Matthew's
is probably one of the finest restaurants there."
- Jack Diamond, Rink, Reynolds, Diamond & Fisher
Architects.
One thing you
just can't leave town without doing: "There's nothing
quite like a night cruise on the St. John's River. If you don't own
a boat you can rent one, and there are cruising boats you can go on
with your friends and have dinner and drinks. The sky is full of stars
and there's black water below. It's dreamlike. Of course, the Jacksonville
skyline rising out of the water is breathtaking. What's amazing about
it is how big the river is and how big the sky is above. It reminds
you how small you are in the universe."
- Jim Overton, city councilman and
"Jacksonville cheerleader"
