Jacksonville's Beachy Nightlife Neighborhood and other Jacksonville, FL Nightlife Tips

Nightlife Spot: Beach Town Center

The setting of John Grisham's novel, Jacksonville's Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach communities share a lively, beautifully landscaped Town Center full of funky, trendy and casual restaurants, coffeehouses, boutiques, gift shops, galleries and nightspots. Hip and happening yet quaint and homey, Town Center is a pedestrian friendly environment covering several blocks where everyone from yuppies and executives to families and surfers all have favorite hang outs in a picture-perfect, quintessential beach town environment just steps from the sand.

Two oceanfront hotels, the 8-story Sea Turtle Inn and the 2-story Sea Horse Inn anchor the beach side of Town Center. Both hotels are ideal places to plan your vacation around, as all the amenities of Town Center and the beach are easily walkable. Plus, Town Center is a bike ride away from the noteworthy dining, nightlife and special events of Jacksonville Beach and within a 15-30 minute drive of Adventure Landing water park, Mayport Ferry, the Talbot Islands Geoparks, Fort Caroline, shopping malls, movie megaplexes, golf courses, and the museums and attractions of Jacksonville's downtown riverfront.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: It's the beach. No special dress is necessary.
Address: East end of Atlantic Blvd.
Directions: Atlantic Beach/Neptune Beach
Website: www.beachtowncenter.com

Nightlife Spot: San Marco Square

San Marco Square, an artsy shopping, dining and entertainment district just south of downtown, is one of Jacksonville's trendiest destinations. Its historic Italian influenced architecture stretches along the Y-shaped intersection of Atlantic and San Marco Boulevards just west of Hendricks. At the center of the Square, a giant statue of three lions watches over Bails Park and its classic white bandstand.

In the Square you can stroll through art galleries, boutiques, independent bookstores and upscale gift shops while trying to decide if you want to dine in class (e.g.: at a two-story Thai bistro and live music club, a sushi bar, an eclectic sidewalk cafe with absolutely fabulous desserts or at an elegant wine grotto) or if you would rather enjoy cheaper treats (e.g.: at a casual, pet-friendly sidewalk pizza parlor, a Chicago-style bar & grill or at a popular local hot subs chain). There's even a chocolate boutique to drool over. Don’t forget to enjoy the latest art film or first run release showing at the old-fashioned art deco San Marco Theatre as well. If live performances are more to your liking, catch the latest production of Florida’s longest running community theatre at the playhouse.

Further exploration of San Marco will uncover numerous other fine dining and trendy casual restaurants, along with nightclubs and day spas. The streets south of the Square are lined with stately old estates and riverfront mansions certainly worth a look. Peterbrooke Chocolates also offers tours of their chocolate factory located on San Marco Ave.

San Marco Square gets very busy during the lunch hour, when executives and yuppies hop over from downtown to grab a bite, and again when they return for a happy hour or dinner. Behind the shops and restaurants lining Atlantic Blvd. is a large parking lot -- good to know in case all of the on-street parking spaces are taken. A free trolley also shuttles people back and forth between downtown and San Marco Square during the day.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Ranges from casual to dressy depending on where you eat.
Address: Atlantic Blvd. at San Marco Blvd.
Directions: Historic San Marco (just south of downtown)

Nightlife Spot: Jacksonville Landing

Jacksonville Landing is a horseshoe shaped riverfront dining, entertainment and shopping complex located along the Northbank Riverwalk right in the middle of downtown. The Landing gets busy during the weekday lunch rush and on nights or weekends when special events are taking place. Live entertainment can be found on the center courtyard stage most weekend nights throughout the year.

On the night after Thanksgiving every year locals pack the Landing to see the lighting of the city's official Christmas tree in the central courtyard. Other major annual events centered on the Landing include the holiday light boat parade, pre and post game parties for both the Florida-Georgia game and Gator Bowl game, and the city's spectacular New Years Eve and Independence Day festivities.

Located next door to the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts and between the Adam's Mark and Omni hotels, the Landing is also linked with the restaurants, museums and hotels of the Southbank via water taxis.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Family Spot
Address: On the Riverfront
Directions: Downtown Northbank

Nightlife Spot: Five Points and Club 5

Located a couple blocks off the river in the otherwise scenic, stately and historic Riverside part of town is a neighborhood that serves as Jacksonville's answer to San Francisco's Haight-Asbury. Called Five Points for the five-way intersection at one end, this shopping, nightlife and dining destination features an eclectic mix of shops specializing in vintage clothing, independent music, body art, antiques, drug paraphanalia and alternative lifestyle gifts intermingled with art galleries, mom and pop eateries, fast food retaurants and salons.

At Five Points' center stands an old style movie house that has been converted into Club 5, one of Jacksonville's most popular and notorious dance and live music clubs. Most famous for the who's who list of modern rock acts that have performed there for more than a decade, Club 5 has also built a reputation for the avant guard by being the first to bring such "in" club fads of the past several years as leather fetish shows, live piercings and foam showers to the River City.

A very interesting neighborhood for people watching, Five Points draws extravagantly pierced punks and goths, geek chic local artists, self-proclaimed vampires, guitar-toting next-generation hippies and other free spirits that together bring as much color as the brightly painted brick walls, sidewalks and storefronts that define the neighborhood. While not "upscale trendy" like San Marco Square, Beach Town Center or the nearby Shoppes of Avondale, Five Points is a short walk from several quaint bed and breakfasts, stately riverfront homes and fashionable restaurants.

Leave a Comment

Theme: People Watching
Address: Park St. between Post and Margaret
Directions: Riverside

Nightlife Spot: Jacksonville Landing/Downtown area

Many cities shoot off fireworks to celebrate Independence Day and maybe New Year's Day, but few shoot them off as frequently throughout the year as Jacksonville. Whether to celebrate the two aforementioned holidays, every weekend of the holiday season, following Jaguars football games, following Suns baseball games or signifying a major festival or event, fireworks are almost a part of the local nightlife culture. The fireworks pictured here were taken during one of three consecutive nights during Super Bowl week, when the city shelled out a million bucks to launch fireworks from three and sometimes four different locations along the Downtown Riverfront. Oooooh! Aaaaah!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Address: Downtown Riverfront