WELCOME TO JACKSONVILLE

    Easy on the wallet and a great family value. Visitors to Jacksonville should first sample Jacksonville Landing in the heart of downtown at the waterfront and Metropolitan Park with an open-air pavilion and picnic area near the waterfront as well. The Jacksonville Zoo, Alligator Farm and the Museum of Science and History have many spellbinding exhibits for hungry minds. Kids will love the water rides at Adventure Landing. Football fans will recognize Alltel Stadium as host of the 2005 Super Bowl. 

   Proving that the city is more than a family vacation putpost, Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art is raising the stakes for similar museums in cities of similar size. The Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts is one of the one of the finest multi-auditorium entertainment venues in the Southeast. The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens features galleries of American and European art overlooking the exquisite Gardens and the meandering St. Johns River. A downtown arts district is in its infancy. The blossoming cultural scene includes LaVilla School of the Arts, the home of the next generation of artists.

    Jacksonville succeeds as one of America’s prime golfing, heritage and beach destinations. More than 20 miles of soft white sand beaches nearby provide a backdrop for sunbathing, surfing, fishing and water sports, coupled with ferries, party boats, and riverboats plying the lifeline of the region, St. Johns River. Culinary enthusiasts delight in the more than 1,000 restaurants -- many with dramatic waterfront  views.

    About 25 miles south of Jacksonville, exit I-95 Freeway, east to the Florida A1A Highway to St. Augustine, America’s oldest established city. It teems with historical, cultural and entertainment attractions. And for many golfers, it’s THE reason to visit since it contains World Golf Hall of Fame.  Wheile in town call the local Florida Museum of Natural History for a guide to detect the ruins of Ft. Mose where Black soldiers served under the Spanards in 1565.

    Afrocentric areas of interest include the Edward Waters College, which gives you a buzz you can only feel at a Historically Black College. The ever-popular Ritz Theater and LaVilla Museum complex is the mainstay of Black cultural life. Want to check historical exhibits and traveling Black art exhibits?  This is it. Need to share libations with the sisters and brothers during Kwanzaa? Look no further.  In music circles, the city is most famous for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival when internationally famous musicians come to jam. If you chose only one time to visit, the Jazz Festival should be it.

    Since hosting the Super Bowl, the city has a greater sense of confidence about its place on the national scene. There are more hotels, restaurants and shops. Jacksonville, coupled with nearby St. Augustine, can proudly roll out the welcome mat to its growing base of maritime, heritage, dining, golf, general and family attractions.