For the art lover, check out the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens (cummer.org) which is home to almost 5,000 works of art, including collections of precious early Meissen porcelain and Japanese woodblock prints. In addition, Cummer offers two acres of gardens to stroll through. The Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville (mocajacksonville.org) offers a look at modern works such as modern photography and contemporary sculptures. For classical music fans, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (jaxsymphony.org) seasons runs from September to May each year. Theater goers will appreciate the Alhambra Theater & Dining (alhambrajax.com), where you can see Broadway and original shows while enjoying an upscale meal.
The Jacksonville Beach offers 4.1 miles of sand along the Atlantic Ocean for swimming, surfing or just laying out. One smaller beach, Hugeuenot Memorial Park, is a popular spot for surfing and kiteboarding, as the waves are considered ideal in this area. For those looking to enjoy nature, Abby Hanna Park offers 15 miles of trails for hiking or mountain biking. Head to Big Talbot Island, a nature preserve, to take in the sites and sounds of Florida's wildlife as well as 5 miles of pristine beach.
Football fans headed to Jacksonville in the fall can take in a game, either professional or collegiate, as the city is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars (jaguars.com), an NFL team. It is also home to the annual college football classic, the Gator Bowl. Golf enthusiasts can tee off at one of the many championship golf courses in the area, many designed by professional golfers such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. There are also local and minor league sports to check out, including baseball and rugby. If you've got skateboarding skills you can visit Kona Skatepark, home to many skateboarding competitions.
The Jacksonville Jazz Festival (jaxjazzfest.com) is a yearly event held in the spring that draws in thousands of jazz lovers for a weekend to hear and see popular jazz musicians from around the world. Independence Day is celebrated all weekend in July during the annual Fourth of July celebration in downtown Jacksonville, which includes performances from local and national musical artists, children's areas, and movies, concluding with a fireworks display over the St. John's River. The boats in the St. John's River are decked out in lights each year at the end of November for the annual Jacksonville lights parade, which concludes in the city's famous waterfall fireworks display.
