Last weekend I decided to drive North to visit Jacksonville.
As a big city, Jax offers different things to do: you can explore the local art around the town or visit one of many museums, walking on the riverside enjoying the city skyline, explore Downtown district with its unique buildings rebuilt by famous architects as Henry J. Klutho and M.H. Hubbard.
I started my tour from Downtown. As in many other American cities, you will find many modern skyscrapers and buildings…however, looking around you will note some interesting and unique constructions! Try not to miss the chance to walk by the Greenleaf & Crosby Building, a unique ‘30s building designed by Marsh and Saxelbye, very well-known architects at that period, and the Florida Theatre, one of only four remaining high-style movie palaces built in Florida during the Mediterranean Revival architectural boom of the 1920s. If you need a lunch break after the long walk, you should go to the River City Brewery Company, not for the food honestly (it’s good but not the best I ever got), but rather for the incredible view of Jax skyline that you get from the outdoor area (it is also close to the science museum if you are interested). After taking a breath, you should spend a couple of hours at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It hosts a large collection of modern and contemporary pieces of art as paintings, installations, prints, sculptures, and photography by some of the biggest names in the visual arts.
When the cultural tour is over, it’s time to have fun! San Marco district on the east side of the river is full of restaurant and cocktail bar, however, I found a special place in Downtown to enjoy the spirit of Jax…It’s the Volstead, a small cocktail bar design to bring you directly to America of the ‘20s: when you walk through the red curtain, you will feel like a character of Fitzgerald novel.
Finally, you can drive east until Jacksonville Beach to enjoy spectacular North-East Florida’s beaches and get tanned!
I hope you will enjoy JAX as I did!
