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20 Fun Date Night Ideas Jacksonville Fl
I’ve been to Florida many times through out my life, but most of the visits have been to Orlando to Disney World and then more recently to Miami, but I had never visited Northern Florida before so I was very excited to visit Jacksonville, Florida for the first time and see what it was all about and I was not disappointed!
Looking for somewhere with amazing weather to visit? Look no further than Jacksonville! They get over 270 days of sunshine a year! Jacksonville is also home to 1100 miles of shoreline, more than any other city in the state! There is literally 22 miles of perfectly amazing white-sandy beaches. Interestingly enough, Jacksonville is also the largest city in the Continental US by landmass!
With all of that said, Jacksonville is also a vibrant city boasting many cultures, delicious food and breweries, parks, beaches, museums and more! I promise you won’t be bored in Jacksonville as there is so much to do. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be overwhelmed. I put together a list of the Best Things to do in Jacksonville Florida for you!
Fun Things to do in Jacksonville Florida
Jax Ale Trail
Jacksonville is home to a huge and thriving craft beer scene with dozens of local breweries. One of the best things to do in Jacksonville Florida is to explore the breweries and bounce around visiting breweries on the Jax Ale Trail.
You can pickup a Jax Ale Trail Brewery Passport from any of the participating breweries or from any of the Visit Jacksonville Official Visitor Centers. The passport is really cute and has symbols for each of the participating breweries on it. You can get a Brewery Passport stamp from each participating brewery and receive free Jax Ale Trail beer gear!
The passport is also nice to have on hand because it lists all of the participating breweries as well. (Trust me, there’s a lot!) Get a drink at each brewery and then ask to have your passport stamped. Then you will be eligible for FREE prizes. Four Stamps is a a Free Koozie, Eight stamps is a free Jax Ale Trail t-shirt and koozie and a fully stamped passport is a free koozie, shirt and a super secret prize!
Wicked Barley Brewery
One of the best things to do in Jacksonville Florida is to visit the Wicked Barley Brewery. This Brewery also has a restaurant with delicious food options (definitely try the fried cheese curds)! Wicked Barley Brewery is also one of the participating breweries on the Jax Ale Trail so don’t forget your passport. Wicked Barley has many Ales, IPAs, Sours and Ciders to choose from and they also have a selection of wines as well. They have a seasonal Tap menu which might be fun to try a drink from. They had some fun Halloween and Fall favorites while we were there.
This brewery is located right on the river so you can literally dock your boat or kayak. The setting and ambiance there are amazing and it is very family friendly. There is a small sandy beach area with chairs that you can relax in. There is a huge outdoor beer garden and they even have some fun lawn games you can play. This brewery is also pet friendly and we saw a lot of cute dogs while we were there. You can definitely stay here for awhile and it was definitely one of my favorite things we did in Jacksonville.
Congaree and Penn
A visit to Congaree and Penn is definitely one of the best things to do in Jacksonville Florida. We absolutely enjoyed our time on the farm and there is so much to do there. Congaree and Penn is a farm-to-table restaurant, venue, working farm, orchard, brewery and more. They are dedicated to agriculture and culinary endeavors and they try to gather the community to enjoy both. They are seriously doing a great job at this!
Congaree and Penn is also part of the Jax Ale Trail and they make their own ciders. These ciders are unique to the South as they pair hard apple cider with North Florida\’s indigenous fruits. Their brewery area is stunning and the design is simple yet beautiful. They also sell their ciders in cans so you can get some to go.
One of the best parts about this farm is the Goat Greets that they do! They have 4 goats, 2 are Nubian and 2 are Saanen. You can book on the website for your group to be introduced to the goats and spend time with them learning more about them. You can feed the goats, interact with them and if you want even help groom them! Our baby LOVED this activity. It was so cute, he laughed every single time he pet one of the goats. This activity is fun for the whole family or all ages. After the Goat Greet, we got a chance to walk around the farm and near the river and it was seriously so peaceful. A visit to Congaree and Penn is a must when visiting Jacksonville Florida.
Aardwolf Brewing
Strings Sports Brewery
Southern Swells
Location: 1312 Beach Blvd • Jax Beach
Jax Ale Trail Breweries
There are dozens of amazing local breweries on the Jax Ale Trail, you could just spend your entire trip visiting breweries and still have the best time in Jacksonville. Here are a few more notable breweries, but make sure to visit the Jacksonville Jax Ale Trail page here to get info, hours and websites for all of the breweries included on the trail!
Intuition Ale Works– popular brewery located downtown near the Jaguars Stadium
Green Room Brewery- Jacksonville Beach’s first microbrewery
Fishweir Brewery- An aesthetic and unique brewery located in Murray Hill with a backyard Beer Garden
Engine 15- Offers a great pub menu and has fun lawn games out back
Visit the Beaches
Fun things to do in Jacksonville Florida
Cummer Gardens and Museum
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is definitely one of the best things to do in Jacksonville Florida. It is the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida. It was actually founded in 1958 when Ninah Cummer used her art collection and riverfront home to create a museum. Now it includes more than 5000 works of art and the gardens are incredible with the St. Johns River in the background.
I absolutely loved visiting the gardens and there was an English style garden and Italian garden and they were both so lovely. The art was incredible and there were paintings, sculptures and other art masterpieces from all over the world.
QUICK TIP: If you are a college student with an ID you can get in for free Tuesday-Friday 11 AM- 4 PM
A current installation by British artist Rebecca Louise Law.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Visiting Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is one of the best date night ideas in Jacksonville Florida and this is seriously one of the best zoos I have ever been to. I was completely blown away. I absolutely love animals and I always hope that they are receiving the best care at the zoos they are at, but at Jacksonville Zoo I seriously felt like they were. The animals all really seemed to be thriving, the exhibits were incredible and spacious and it felt like the staff really cared.
Later I found out that the Jacksonville Zoo is one of only 7 Zoos that has an Animal Wellness team. This Zoo is also HUGE, you could easily spend the whole day. There are incredible gardens everywhere too and I was pleasantly surprised to find bamboo everywhere! I felt like I was back in Japan. My baby loved this zoo and they have lots of fun events through out the year. We were there around Halloween time and there were a lot of fun photo opps and activities. This Zoo also has a petting zoo, lots of restaurants, fun exhibits and animals, a splash pad, a 4D Show and a train.
Explore San Marco
Treaty Oak Park
Treaty Oak Park otherwise known as Jessie Ball DuPont Park is home to the Treaty Oak- the most impressive tree I have ever seen! It is believed to be over 250 years old and I was in awe as we walked around it. Just imagine everything it has seen! Treaty Oak Park is located in the San Marco area so you can easily visit as you are exploring San Marco. It is definitely worth a visit as it is one of the top things to do in Jacksonville Florida.
Walter Jones Historic Park
Walter Jones Historic Park is just about a 10 minute drive from Wicked Barley so you definitely need to visit before or after visiting the brewery! This park was incredible and so peaceful. It was such a great place to walk around with incredible oaks and views overlooking the riverfront. This park is actually very historic and the city of Jacksonville acquired the original homestead for the purpose of creating the city’s first historical park. There is a farmhouse from 1876, a barn, winery and sawmill. There is also a house you can walk through that has been furnished to reflect family life during the late 1890s.
Best Places to Eat – Date Night Ideas Jacksonville Fl
One of the best things you can do in Jacksonville Florida is eat and here are some of the best places to eat!
Taco Lu-
Popular tacos and tequila spot in the Beaches area of Jacksonville. Make sure to try the fish tacos and mezcal.
V Pizza-
V Pizza is located right next to Jacksonville Beach and is a must! The service was great and the food was soo good! They make wood-fired pizzas that are to die for. Pick one of their classics or make your own. Make sure to also try the wings!
Delicomb-
Delicomb is a delicious local deli with tasty breakfast and sandwiches. The kitchen is all natural and organic and everything is made from scratch! They also have Acai bowls, kimchi, wraps and chai lattes.
Maple Street Biscuit Company-
This restaurant is something of an icon here in Jacksonville and I could totally see why. The biscuits are incredible and some of the best I have ever had! I love it here because it is Southern comfort food meets modern twist and they serve up some dang good biscuit sandwiches! They also have a large variety of coffee.
Salt Life Food Shack–
Surf themed seafood restaurant founded in Jacksonville Beach. The location is just three blocks off of the beach and is a great restaurant for beach goers. They offer many different food options and have a trendy indoor seating area or a nice laidback outdoor seating area. They offer many choices including sushi, salmon, tacos, burgers, shrimp and more!
Good Dough-
Looking for a light tasty breakfast that is adorably delicious? Look no further than Good Dough. These donuts are handmade from scratch everyday and they offer a variety of flavors from Pumpkin Gingersnap to Carrot Cake Cookie Dough. Get your phone ready because these bad boys are very Instagrammable.
The Bearded Pig-
Make sure to stop by this delicious BBQ joint and Beer Garden located in San Marco. Make sure to bring a big appetite or get one of the sharable platters to share with your group.
May Day Ice cream-
May Day Ice Cream is a must while in Jacksonville! There are locations all over Jacksonville, each with its own personality, but they all serve up artisan home made ice cream! In fact, everything here is homemade, even the waffle cones and sprinkles! Make sure to try these flavors: The Parent Trap, S’mores and O’ Canada!
Florida Cracker Kitchen-
This restaurant serves up Southern style food and Southern style hospitality. Their motto is feeding your belly while also feeding your soul. They try to take you back to a time when things were more simple and they treat every guest like family. They serve up traditional Southern dishes like Shrimp and Grits and Corn Beef and Hash.
Poe’s Tavern-
You might have guessed that this restaurant is Edgar Allan Poe themed and you would be correct. This kitschy and quaint restaurant is located in Atlantic Beach and serves up burgers and pub fare.
Where to Stay in Jacksonville, Florida
Element by Westin Jax Beach:
We absolutely loved our stay at the Element by Westin Jax Beach! They have really great suites to stay in with your own kitchen, an incredibly amazing complimentary breakfast with a changing menu with options like avocado toast and breakfast tacos, complimentary afternoon snacks with cheese boards and complimentary beer and wine and free bike rentals! It is also just a few minutes walk to Jacksonville Beach and is a short walk from many food options.
This trip was in collaboration with Visit Jacksonville, but as always, all opinions are my own.
There you have it! 20 Fun Date Night Ideas Jacksonville Florida!
What do you plan on doing? Let me know!
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