About Jacksonville
Explore Florida
Overview
Located along Florida’s northeastern coast, less than 40 miles south of neighboring Georgia, Jacksonville sits amidst the St. John’s River and Atlantic Ocean. Its most popular beaches include Jacksonville Beach and Neptune. Here, people still greet each other with a smile. And, why not? When you sit in the middle of all this culture and beauty, it’s easy to be gracious.
Locals and visitors have plenty of reasons to smile, considering the city holds the country’s second largest jazz fest and exquisite art galleries and music venues, from the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra to the cutting-edge Cork Arts District and local southern rock bands.
It is said that the further north you go in Florida, the more southern it feels. Get ready for Jacksonville’s gracious southern hospitality along Florida’s northeastern coast.
What To Do
Get an earful at the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra or any of the local hotspots hosting smooth southern rock.
Visit MOSH (Museum of Science & History). View more than 1,000 pieces of art at Jacksonville’s cool Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
Enjoy a whole day at the beach. Take a unique eco-kayak tour through watery grasslands and colorful birds. Experience an entertaining evening of live music at Jacksonville Beach’s charming SeaWalk Pavilion. Or watch some of the region’s best surfers compete near the Jacksonville Pier.
Spend a night at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre with your special someone. Hike, paddle, or kayak amid the oak-lined shores of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Walk hand-in-hand across a few of Jacksonville’s 22 miles of wide sandy beaches, watch the stars come out, and call it another perfect night.
When to Go
Winter, spring and fall are the coolest times to visit Jacksonville. But then you’d miss so much of the summer fun. December and January temperatures hover around 65 F, while summertime temps can rise to the 90s, and autumn is often wet.
Money
US Dollar
Fast Facts
Jacksonville is actually the largest city in the continental United States spread out across 840 square miles.
The city was named after the country’s seventh president, Andrew Jackson, who also served as the Florida Territory’s first military governor. Northeastern Florida’s median age is 36, much younger than the rest of the state. The St. Johns River actually flows north instead of south.
There are more than 30,000 active-duty military and only 20,000 civilians living in the Jacksonville area.
During the early 1900s, over 30 movie companies were located in Jacksonville, before moving west to Tinseltown, aka LA. Jacksonville currently maintains the country's largest urban park system, boasting a glorious 111,669 acres of parkland.
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