Going To Jacksonville for Gator Bowl ...

Waterytart is correct ... I obviously meant to say "west" of the beaches. Three miles east of the beaches would put you in the Gulfstream. And that's a bad place to find barbecue.

Obligatory excuse: I live on Florida's west coast, so we travel east to go inland. Old habits, etc.

 

All these suggestions, and nobody said anything about the Outback Crab Shack in St. Augustine? Look up this place on the web. Best restaurant in terms of great food (plus the gators swimming around off the docks are cool, too) and sheer volume. Make sure to at least strongly consider this place. By far my favorite restaurant there (Mojo's is No. 2), and I lived there 4 years.

 

Reformedhack, I grew up in South Florida, but my husband and I spent two stints in Northern California. I never got used to the idea that if you drove to the ocean and turned right, you were headed north, so I hear you.

 

Words of advice from another long-time Flori-fornian ...

If the sun comes up over the ocean and it's already too hot to touch the steering wheel, chances are you're in Boca.

If the sun goes down over the ocean and it's too foggy to find your car, chances are you're in Bodega.

 

A city may look boring or seem boring to a lot of people, and despite being so big Jax just gives off that vibe. However, like you said, that's when you start looking underneath the surface. Never know what gems you might uncover.

 

If you want to hang out after hours and partake in some nightlife, Jacksonville Beach is very underrated. I don't remember the names of specific places, but it's not hard to find the bar district where there are many establishments from which to choose. Doubt you'll be disappointed.

 

I completely agree on Harry's. It is awesome (though I went to the one in Jacksonville itself that no longer exists apparently). I have been to Harry's in three cities and they have all been good.

Also, if you love used bookstores, Chamblin Bookmine is the biggest I've ever visited.

 

The corned beef hash is out of this world.

 

Awesome thread and I wish I'd seen it prior to last year's Gator, when we saw MSU whip Michigan.
Other family, with kids, were there and we all sort of got stuck together when we actually should have been looking around for more to do.
Good thread, and it shows Jax may not be down for the count after all.

 

I lived in the Riverside neighborhood for about a year and a half, leaving in November 2009. Loved the little downtown with its bars and restaurants, especially O'Brothers Irish pub with outdoor seating and misters during the heat. There's a nice park right on the St. Johns River that we used to walk our daughter around in her stroller.

Downtown and the Landing are duds.

Out by Ponte Vedra, there's Palm Valley Fish Camp right on the inland waterway. Get the grits and shrimp and thank me later.

On the road to St. Augustine, there's a small parking lot (probably about 15 cars, total) that gives you access to my favorite beach in the whole area, and that includes Jax Beach.

For higher end restaurants, there's Michaels (very, very pricey; probably the highest in the whole city), Orsay (very pricey), Bistro Aix (pricey) and Blue Bamboo (pricey). I've eaten at the last three and had drinks at the first.

 

I survived 5 nights in JAX. The Landing was lame except for Friday and Sat. night. Sat night was New years Eve.

We stumbled into Maverick's nightclub one night, kind of a big honky tonk dance club. Good time.

They weren't prepared for a crowd. The Hooters ran out of BBQ sauce and the American Grille ran out of ketchup. The hotel ran out of Marlboro Lights.

Nice area though and New Years Eve was a blast. Fireworks show, while brief, was impressive.

The bowl hospitality was outstanding. No real food, per se, but they kept the drinks flowing New Years Eve till 1 a.m. and Sunday night before the game till midnight. For a non-BCS bowl, that was impressive.

Trip was a good time. I doubt I will ever need to make a trip back there, though, unless I'm covering another Gator Bowl (ha ha it won't be next year).

 

Complaining that a Hooters ran out of anything is like complaining a porn movie ran out of flower vases in the background of the orgy scenes. And the hotel running out of Marlboro Lights saved about 27 minutes of your life.