It had been a few years since I took a trip to Jacksonville. The last trip was a quick day trip, so I didn’t get to explore the city, but I was able to do a bit more exploration on this past trip. I’ve put together a list of places I visited, for better or worse (mainly better tho) should you decide to visit Jacksonville anytime soon.

JACKSONVILLE EATS

Brew Five Points

Neighborhood: Five Points

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area

Outdoor dining: one table

A coffee shop so good we went twice. Not only does this local cafe have good coffee, but a great food menu, so we hit them up twice for breakfast. Only one outdoor table, but we were able to snag it both times.

Photo%2BMar%2B04%252C%2B11%2B30%2B22%2BAM.jpg

Community Loaves

Neighborhood: Murray Hill

Parking: There are a few spots in front, or street park

Outdoor dining: yes

This local cafe sits in a beautiful home with seating both indoors and in a outdoor courtyard. Coffee service was a little slow for breakfast, so don’t be surprised if you get your food before your coffee. Otherwise a good option for an outdoor breakfast, heavy on the carbs.

Black Sheep

Neighborhood: Five Points

Parking: Street Parking

Outdoor dining: yes rooftop and patio

This restaurant is well-known and has won several awards for Jacksonville dining. We made reservations to dine on their rooftop. There was a very odd smell upon entering the dining room that was very off-putting. It smelled like strong sulfur. I don’t know how anyone was dining inside with that smell. Thankfully no such smell was contaminating our senses on the open air roof. The food was delicious, and a unique cocktail was an added bonus. However, having to encounter that putrid smell again when leaving left this just below a rave. Someone articles online suggest Jacksonville is known for having a smell, but the building the restaurant was in was literally the only place we encountered it. Dine outdoors if you go.

Bearded Pig

Neighborhood: San Marco

Parking: Restaurant parking lot

Outdoor dining: yes

Very easy, order at the counter BBQ joint. It didn’t stack up to our local Smokemade Meats, but the meat had a good flavor, sides were pretty meh, my macaroni and cheese had different bites of hot, cold, and gritty. Would say you could pass on this if you have better BBQ options at home.

Moon River Pizza

Neighborhood: Murray Hill

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area

Outdoor dining: no

Moon River is very reminiscent of Lazy Moon, with slightly smaller slices. The staff inside could not have been nicer, and while I can’t say this is a must for you if you visit, it was worth a quick, affordable lunch pit-stop for a slice.

Setlan Coffee

Neighborhood: San Marco

Parking: Parking lot

This coffee trailer has a dedicated spot among other local spots like MayDay ice cream, La Nopalera Mexican, and both Aardwolf Brewing and Good Dough nearby. My speciality iced latte was great, and there was a very friendly barista working. You can take it to-go or sit outside and enjoy. Worth a stop if you are near the area.

Vagabond Coffee

Neighborhood: Murray Hill

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area

Vagabond is one of the few spots I had visited on my last Jacksonville trip. They updated the decor, but sadly the coffee was not as good as the last visit. The baristas looked a bit confused/stressed although it wasn’t busy and my latte was very weak. However, the pastries were still delectable. I’d give them another chance, they may have been having an off morning.

Mixed Fillings

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

Some locals call it a pie speakeasy but this spot over near five points is pretty easy to find. Mixed Fillings is a walk up a window where you can order a slice of pie from the menu that day. It’s located on the backside of a building and there is an courtyard alley adjacent where you can sit under some shade and enjoy your slice. We tried Apple pie and a chocolate pecan.

Cool Moose Cafe

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

Outdoor dining: yes limited first come, first serve

I did not get a chance to eat at Cool Molose Café on this trip because it is such a popular place it’s almost impossible to get a table for breakfast on the weekend. However, I did really enjoy it on my last visit so just based off of that and the fact that it still packed I would recommend.

Good Dough

Neighborhood: San Marco

Parking: Street Parking

If you love Good Dough, I’m sorry! I really was not a fan of Good Dough on my last visit but I decided to give it another try. Unfortunately the donuts were still pretty dry. I can’t recommend unless somewhat dry yeast donuts are your jam.

LOCAL SHOPS

Tomato Vintage

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area

Tomato vintage is a great shop to find trendy clothing and some vintage items as well however everything I tried on did not fit me. 😭 Really cute stuff tho, and very helpful staff inside.

Echo Relics

Neighborhood: Mixon Town

Parking: Parking on property

Eco Relic may not be a place for you unless you’re really into large warehouses full of a random treasures and furniture. It’s really meant more for people that are buying items for maybe their home or their business but I still think it’s worth going because you may just find something you’ve been looking for like an old CRT TV for retro video games on like we did.

Video Game Rescue

Neighborhood: Lakeshore (location below) 2nd location Mandarin

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area we visited several video game/collectible shops around Jacksonville but video game rescue may have been one of the best. They had a really great collection of some harder to find items like GameCube games, but more importantly there is an arcade in the space as well.

Awesome Toy Jax

Neighborhood: Fairfax

Parking: Street Parking

Another cool collectible shop that we found over at Awesome Toy Jax. If you played with it in the 80s or 90s there’s a good chance you might find it here. There are newer collectible items as well.

Cool Stuff Vintage

Neighborhood: Five Points

Parking: Street Parking in this popular area

This nondescript building won’t lure you in as you drive by, but inside you’ll find a mix of vintage goods including furniture, clothing, art, decor, and lots of other random goodness.

Fans & Stoves Antique Mall

Neighborhood: Five Points

Parking: Street Parking

This was a great antique mall in their Five points district. it’s much larger than you realize from the outside.

Do Good Beauty

Neighborhood: Murray Hill

Parking: Street Parking

Do Good Jax is part retail shop part salon in the back. The best part about this boutique is that they go up to size 3X and a lot of their items and everything they carry is super cute. This was literally the only boutique where I made a purchase.

Southern Crossing Antique Mall

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

I almost passed this antique mall up because from everything I could find online it didn’t look like it would have much. Fast forward to 5,000 sq ft of lots of goodies. We cleaned up here and the prices and a lot of items were extremely affordable compared to other antique malls. Definitely hit this place up!

Bobbyk Boutique

Neighborhood: Springfield

Parking: Street Parking

I was really excited to visit this boutique in the Springfield neighborhood. Lots of cute clothes, accessories, and gifts for all. Sadly their sizing options weren’t my friend so I left empty handed.

THINGS TO DO IN JACKSONVILLE

Riverside Arts Market

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

If you happen to be in Jacksonville on the weekend you might want to go check out the Riverside arts market. It’s located under 95 which is kind of great because the sun is completely blocked out so you don’t get super hot while you peruse the market. There was Yoga by the water, lots of food options, and several rows of local makers. It’s a great way to see a lot of who represents the city in one place!

Wildcrafters

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

Wildcrafters is a booze free lounge and bar. they serve non-alcoholic drinks and you can add kava or CBD. Honestly I love the idea, but both of our drinks had very little flavor to them. I got the $9 “realness” expecting it to hit me with some tropical flavors seeing as it had hibiscus and coconut, but it was actually quite flavorless other then a strong mint taste from the garnish. The drinks also took a really long time to be made and the place was not that busy. The space was cool and inviting, and they had outdoor seating, so if you abstain from alcohol it might be the place for you and maybe you will get a better drink than I did!

The Riverwalk

With a river running right through the heart of Jacksonville, note there is more than one Riverwalk. There is a Southbank riverwalk, and that is not the one we did. That one is probably a bit easier to find honestly. We did the North Riverwalk noted as Riverwalk Brooklyn on maps. We found parking on Jackson street next to the YMCA and walked the water onto the colorful bridge that overlooks the Acosta Bridge. If you have the chance and the weather is cooperating definitely take a stroll on the Riverwalk. It’s just a nice way to get some steps in a while in between eating.

Keg & Coin

Neighborhood: Riverside

Parking: Street Parking

If you like arcades Keg and Coin is a small but fun spot to check out. All games are pay to play and include a mixture of pinball, classic arcade games, skee ball, and multi-player arcade games. The bar offers several on draft beers and other beverages.

Jacksonville Contemporary Art Museum

Neighborhood: Downtown

Best parking: Street or garage on

I always try to visit the local art museums in different cities, and while the Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art isn’t huge, it had some great exhibits and at $8 admission (there are a lot of potential discounts as well) it is a peaceful and mindful hour or so of your time.

Now through June you will be greeted by the amazing Letters of Love exhibit by Chiharu Shiota.

Murals

I didn’t mural hunt like I usually do, especially since so many beautiful murals were in the downtown area and it’s not really cost-effective to pull over and pay for parking just to snap a quick photo. However, it should be noted Jacksonville does have a decent amount of public art, and there are several local bloggers who have created mural guides you an use when you go. Here are a few in the neighborhoods I captured.

Grow Mural: Artists: Kate Willink and Brenna Martin. Location: 955 Edgewood Ave South, Jacksonville, FL 32205

San Marco Mural: Location: 1718 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville FL, 32207

Jellyfish mural: Alley on Post Street behind Solazo Taqueria

Bill Murray “Murray Hill” Mural: Artist: Jason Tetlak Location: Corner of Edgewood and Plymouth

Not a mural - but the Murray Hill Theatre exterior is beautiful