My Hometown- Jacksonville - Jacksonville - TravBuddy

Jacksonville holds a lot of promise, it’s located in a prime location situated near both the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Johns River and it’s city in terms of square mileage in the entire United States. We are 841 square miles big however there’s a ton of that space that has yet to be developed.
Jacksonville’s main attraction is the beach, however I assure you if that’s why you’re coming, continue southwards or southwestwards to some of the cities on the Gulf or to the beaches closer to Miami, their water is far more beautiful than ours. Our water is very murky and you can’t see the ocean’s floor when looking down. Sharks aren’t a problem here but they are present, as are jellyfish.

Due to the cities sheer size it is impossible to get around on foot and our mass transit system isn’t the best. In fact, I know not a single person who rides the bus, everyone here drives so if you’re planning on visiting, plan on renting a car.

To get a great insiders view of our downtown take the Skyway monorail which operates from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm. A right will cost you only 0.35 and you’ll get a birds eye view of our downtown which has been cleaned up thanks to the Super Bowl coming to our town a few years ago. The journey lasts about 10 minutes from the Convention Center to Hemming Park. If you’re an Elvis fan pay close attention to the Florida Theatre, in 1957 Elvis played his first indoor stage appearance in this theatre. It is beautiful decorated inside and draws in some big names.

Located on our south bank is the Museum of Science and History lovingly known as MOSH here in JAX. MOSH has a hands-on exhibits, a planetarium and an exhibit dedicated to the history of northern Florida. It’s a pretty cool exhibit. Behind MOSH is Friendship Park a beautiful and scenic place to have a picnic or to simply relax on the lawn. The park overlooks the St. John’s River and The Landing where you might want to spend some time shopping. Walking across the bridge to The Landing is quite refreshing, or you can pay to park here as well.

Other museums are the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art and the Cummer Museum of Art and gardens which features works by prominent European artisans.

For shopping might I suggest the St. John’s Town Center home to some delicious restaurants and chain stores.

Also, we have a great zoo here in Jax that I highly recommend.

There are two things that drive people away from our city. Firstly, it smells like coffee a lot of times. Maxwell House Coffee has a plant downtown and often times the daily brew can be smelled in some parts of town. It doesn’t bother us locals, except for when they burn the coffee, but some people don’t like the smell. (Yet that sit in Starbucks, go figure). Another thing that causes people to steer clear is the religious zeal of the city. It is true that there are tons of religious folks running around here but you won’t be preached to or lectured or looked down at. In the end people really don’t care. During the early 1900’s Jacksonville was the film industry hot spot however folks were driven out because of religion. Things have changed since then, I promise. I myself am not a religious person however I do know lots of people that are. They don’t try to convert me and they mostly keep their opinions to themselves. Don’t that that rumor keep you from coming here.