Broad beaches flanked by rejuvenated streets, boutiques and nightspots … urban riverside gardens … Southern storybook mansions … a 46,000-acre nature preserve … surfside mountain biking … history marked by catastrophic fire, ostrich races and pre-Hollywood silent film dominion. Whatever your pleasure, Jacksonville has a tour to explore it.
Located between the Atlantic Ocean and St. Johns River in northeastern Florida, the city is the largest in land area in the contiguous United States.
“Neptune and Atlantic beaches are beautiful. Right off the beach are tons of shops, restaurants and bars … many have outdoor patios, which is always a blast,” said Jamie Crombie, a Washingtonian who found a warm break just a short direct flight away.
“Year-round riding, spectacular seasonal fauna and flora, unique pockets of history,” inspired Leigh Burdett to start Talk Radio,Politics,Biogosphere,internet,Democrats,Republicans,Liberals,Barack Obama,Hugh Hewitt:41686752:41686752:Hugh Hewittride bicycle tours in November. Her tours explore beachside backroads to the Avondale/Riverside neighborhoods’ architectural gems — among the South’s most diverse — such as homes relocated by barge after 1901’s Great Fire ignited in a mattress factory. Burdette’s eco-ethos extends to picking up litter and supporting nonprofits such as St. Johns Riverkeeper, which raises funds with low-priced second-Saturday boat eco-tours.
How are perfumes created? During free 90-minute tours at Irene Parfums, Irene Saltzman — whose great-grandparents came to Florida by covered wagon — recounts lessons learned from an Egyptian perfumer and reveals trade secrets. Chanel No. 5? “Chanel wanted a scent produced by science, not nature, so it would be totally unique.” The base used in ancient perfumes? “Oil hand-pressed from green olives.” Cleopatra? “She had a [perfume] workshop on the Dead Sea, which helped finance her empire.”
Why does Thomas Moran’s mammoth 1878 painting “Ponce de Leon in Florida, 1513” depict western Plains Indians instead of the indigenous Timucuans? Take a tour at Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens.
Across “the Ditch” — the Intracoastal Waterway — in Atlantic Beach, One Ocean’s Azurea offers an “Adventurous Palate” tasting menu in its new oceanfront dining room. Sous chef James King said this gourmet tour highlights in-season foods sourced within 150 miles, such as citrus, heirloom apples and fresh-picked fennel.
New Jax attractions include Budweiser plant “Beermaster” tours and Saturday Riverside Arts Market’s crafts, fresh produce and entertainment under a bridge. Hotel Indigo opened lakeside in the new Tapestry Park urban village. “It was quite tranquil, yet we were in the center of everything,” said Donna Spellman of Forest Hill, Md. “And everywhere we went, people were so nice.”
Burdett agrees. “I moved here 12 years ago from Boston. A slower pace, [but] there is an overall goodness to Jacksonville.”
Reach Robin Tierney at [email protected].
