Questions: Jacksonville/Bowl Game Travel

Wear the cheeseburger hat.

Seriously though, Jacksonville is a cool town but I agree, it's nothing special.  I would look into maybe staying in Brunswick, GA.  It's about an hour away but I've heard it's a great area if you're big into history or maybe even St. Augustine.

If you're driving, stay at the Plantation on Amelia Island.  It'll be a little longer drive to the game (about 30 miles) on gameday than if you stayed in the city but its worth it.  Make the trip into a beach trip and enhance your pleasure.  Amelia Island is beautiful.

I was trying to convince my girl about the awesomeness of schlepping across the country and spending New Year's in Jacksonville.  She made a scrunched up face and asked, "What in the world is there to do in Jacksonville?"

Flabergasted that a Michigan bowl game wouldn't be enough to capture her unwavering interest, all I could come up with is, "I remember hearing they have a lot of murders there."

So yeah, things are not looking good.  I personally need any sort of positive, Chamber of Commerce type info about the city right away if there is going to be any hope of me catching the game in person.

Saw in RR's presser that the team is not staying in beach/resort areas, they are bunking downtown where the stadium is.  So if you want to be close to the team action, find a downtown hotel on hotwire.com.  Amelia Island Plantation is awesome, but remote.  Marriott @ Sawgrass is also very nice - "Sawgrass" is the golf/beaches area of Jax.  Have fun & GO BLUE!

If you want to stay in the city, I've stayed at the Adam's Mark downtown while there for work. It's close to Jacksonville Landing and on the river. It's not that far from the stadium.

*  Your "beach time" this trip will not be baking in your bikini.  More like cargos & sweatshirt & M cap, taking long walks in the surf in 65 degree weather.  The north Florida beaches are wide expanses with good waves and blustry.

*  The St Johns River runs from dwntwn Jax south.  Lots of boaters - marinas right downtown and all along the river.  There will be lots of boat cruise type things going on.

*  Sawgrass is home of the TPC with multiple championship venues available - this would be a great bowl trip for golf nuts.  World Golf Hall of Fame just down the road in St Augustine.

*  Jax hosted a Super Bowl, so they know how to put on a party. 

*  NAS Jacksonville is the big Naval training base where all the Navy flyboys go for their initial training.  It's a huge complex and there is always lots of plane traffic and several carriers are based here also, so for anyone into military stuff it's a good destination.

*  Avoid going too far north (where the airiport is) up towards the Georgia border.  Two big paper mills really give off a stink. 

I lived down there for 7 years.  It's a fantastic destination.  Not super glamorous, but there is plenty to do.  After all, it's Tim Tebow's home town!

GO BLUE

I moved here in 2001 from Michigan and I really like the area. In addition to the other places mentioned, I'd recommend that you look at 4 areas of town to stay. It all depends on your interests.

1. Downtown - It's the place to be if you want to be near the team headquarters and stadium. There will be Gator Bowl activities there, but the downtown area is somewhat limited for bars, restaurants and other nightlife.

2. The Beaches - Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville Beaches are all in a row along the Atlantic Ocean. Of course the best feature is the beach but there also are lots of bars and restaurants in Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach. It takes about 20 minutes to get downtown from the beaches area.

3. Ponte Vedra Beach - This is just south of Jacksonville Beach on the Atlantic coast and is considered an upscale resort area. The TPC Sawgrass is the main attraction with 2 great courses. There is only one public access beach but it is nice. St. Augustine is about 25 miles south and it's well worth the trip down A1A.

4. Southside/Baymeadows area - This area is central to both downtown and the beaches and is a good option if you are looking visit different areas while in Jacksonville. It is also close to the St. Johns Town Center, the main shopping complex in Jacksonville.

Hope this helps.

If you are looking to save money or not spend a fortune on a hotel, I would recommend using priceline.  I have literally used it on every trip I've made in the last 2 years including Puerto Rico, St. Pete's Beach, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Cleveland.  I have a system that will give you a good idea of what hotels you are potentially going to get if your bid is successful.  Makes it much less risky with the proper research beforehand.

Check out St. Augustine if you like history. It's the oldest city in the United States and has a 17th century fort, a beautiful downtown, and is right on the ocean. It would make a great day (or more) trip. Only about an hour from Jacksonville.

For those of you JAX natives, what's the best way to get around town? We're flying in, and we're trying to decide if renting a car is out of our price range or not. 

Is there any kind of commuter rail or buses into downtown? Or is cabbing it our best bet?

to any of the MGoBoard family in need of a place to crash.  I live in Gainesville, but don't worry . . .  90% of the student body will be down in Tampa.   

I stayed in Jacksonville at the beach for the Florida vs. Georgia game.  We rented a condo at the beach and it was really  a great place to stay.  The price is comparable to a hotel and they still have availablity.  The couple that owns the place are big Michigan fans which is a bonus.  We decided we are staying in a hotel with a restaurant this year but these condos are really nice.  Below is the contact info.  Alicia is really quick to respond and she has the website info.  We found it on HomeAway.com.

Alicia Glowe

sandbetweenmytoes4f@yahoo.com

I'm going to be staying downtown near Jacksonville Landing with some other students. What are the nightlife options like? Are there good spots in walking distance from the Jacksonville Landing area?

I'll be driving up from Tampa with grill etc in tow.  If anyone flying in is interested in sharing the grill just let me know...  Have not yet picked a parking area but will post it if anyone is interested in tailgating.

Wish I could be there.

I have lived in Jax for the last 3 years.  This city is actually pretty fun; definitely more family oriented but still some cool places.  Jax is a city of neighborhoods, so you'll have to venture out of Downtown to find some good pockets of places to hang.  However, within 5-10 minutes of Downtown (or in Downtown) I would definitely recommend the follwoing places:

Downtown:

1. Dos Gatos (speakeasy type bar) - across from the FL Theater
2. The Sinclair (hole in the wall artsy bar - lots of live events)
3. The Pearl (on the edge of Springfield - the biggest hipster/scenster crowd in Jax - most nights it's 18+, for those coming with a younger crowd - expect a huge but fun NYE crowd)
4. TSI (also a big draw for the indie rock/hipster crowd - walkable to and from the Stadium - will have the best NYE party for the rock crowd - bands, DJ's, etc)
5. Mark's (more updscale lounge)

Riverside (westside/just out of Downtown): probably the "coolest" non-beach area in Jax for the 20-something crowd - only about 5 minutes (max) from Downtown

1. Underbelly (behind a clothing store called Anomaly - hard to find (on purpose) - pretty much locals only but all would be welcome, think Brooklyn indie scene meets sothern outdoor bar)
2. Birdies [formerly Starlight] (cheap drinks, lot's of 20-something scenesters)
3. Lomax Lodge (grundge/punk/rock crowd with a killer beer selection - best "dive" bar in Jax)
4. Walker's Wine Bar [King St. District] (NY/Boston styled wine bar - very hip with late 20's early 30's)
5. The Rogue [King St. District] (hole in the wall bar - rock/indie crowd, owned by owner of Walker's - right next to The Loft and across the Street from Kickback's)
6. The Loft [King St. District] (small but very hip - pulls a big crowd of Jax hipsters that think cover charges, lounges, bottles (i.e., Jersey Shore) are lame)
7. Kickback's Gastropub [King St. District] (over 200 beers on tap, and another 500 in bottle - killer food also served 23 hours a day - saw Guy Fieri of Triple D eating and having a beer here while in town shooting a show about another place)
8. There are alos 2 great local breweries in the King St. District - Intuition Ale Works and Bold City Brewery.  Both breweries put out some great stuff and have tours and a tap room.  You can score a growler for the game pretty cheap.  [Bold City will be on tap all over town, but they over special kegs only found on site - check it out - could make for a fun few hours].

Avondale: wealthy enclave just past Riverside.  Homes remind you of the north (think Grosse Pointe).  Small shopping district with high-end restaurants and boutiques.

1. Town (an American tapas restaurant with a cool but small bar - they have truffle tater tots and pork belly popcorn as bar snacks - enough said)
2. Casbah (hookah lounge with pretty decent middle eastern food - draws the scenster crowd for food before a night out - live belly dancing - heatied outdoor patio)
3. The Brick (great restaurant with a 30-40 something martini/craft beer crowd)
4. Eclipse [past the Shoppes of Avondale on St. Johns Avenue] (small but cool dance club with an awesome old wave night for anyone that is a big Depeche Mode/Cure fan)

San Marco: wealthy enclave on the "south" bank of Jax (opposite side of the river from the Stadium).  Mansions and historic homes.  Another small shopping district with high-end restaurants and boutiques.

1. Square One (nice lounge/dance club popular for all crowds from 20's-40's - expect a well dressed, fun mixed crowd around NYE)
2. BB's (on Hendrix Ave - walkable from south bank hotels) (my favorite restaurant in Jax - has an awesome wine/beer selection)
3. Taverna (very nice Spanish tapas restaurant with a killer wine selection)

I go there every friday night. Live hip hop, great beer. OBERON ON TAP What what???!!! And that's my stompin' ground as i work a block from Lomax, so if anyone is down for some Oberon and good hip hop (not radio shit) get at me & we'll make it happen the friday before the game!