Jacksonville is home to 22 miles of beautiful white sand beaches. Find out everything you need to know about going to the beach during your trip to Jacksonville. These aren't your grandparents' beaches. Come surf, kayak, paddle board, swim, dive, sail, fish, and explore Jacksonville's unique coastal shorelines.
The city's main beaches are Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach, Mayport Beach and Atlantic Beach. They're public and pet-friendly, as well as home to surf shops, fresh seafood restaurants, quaint beach boutiques, and parks like Hanna Park and Dutton Island Preserve. On the city's north side, the pristine barrier islands offer unmissable beaches such as Blackrock Beach, Boneyard Beach, Little Talbot Island and Huguenot Park. All of them can be accessed by taking a short ferry ride from the beaches or driving along the picturesque Heckscher Drive from the city center.
Jacksonville also has a very active diving scene, with more than 30 offshore reefs off our Atlantic coast. Try some of these unique water sports, such as kayaking and diving in Jacksonville. Jacksonville Beach also has a safe, wide and sandy beach. When I went, the pier was full of groups of people fishing (including some families).This northernmost park on the Atlantic coast of Amelia Island has a beautiful coastline.
This beach is the perfect place to search for seashells and shark teeth. Once you've sunbathed and bathed, try some of the other activities the park has to offer. Hike or bike along the miles of nature trails: choose between a six-mile off-road trail or a 3.3-mile trail paved. You can also dunk a line on the half-mile fishing pier or nearby piers.
There are showers, bathrooms and a picnic area. This beach is a historic and cultural landmark. Abraham Lincoln Lewis, co-founder and president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, founded American Beach in 1935, when there were few beaches in the area that blacks could enjoy. In the 1940s and 1950s, blacks came from all over the South to vacation in American Beach.
Located on Amelia Island, approximately eight kilometers south of Fernandina Beach, this historic site is a stop on Florida's Black Heritage Trail. This 200-acre park offers beach and nature lovers a little bit of everything. In addition to being a good place to swim or relax, the beach is ideal for fishing for shells and observing the wildlife. Fishing is popular along the mile-long George Crady Bridge state fishing pier, which spans the Nassau Strait, and you can even take a horseback ride along the beach from a nearby stable.
This natural park has a unique beach of its kind, with black outcrops similar to rocks and fallen trees that have been whitened and worn out over time. The picnic area has a panoramic view of the Nassau Strait from a cliff. It's not a deep beach for swimming, but you can get in the water to freshen up. You can enjoy other activities such as hiking on nature trails, fishing, canoeing and boating.
Little Talbot Island is one of the underdeveloped beaches in the Jacksonville area of northeastern Florida. The 2,500-acre island has plenty of space for biking, hiking, fishing and canoeing. To top it all off, the park has more than eight kilometers of wide sandy beaches with high dunes to enjoy. Spend hours exploring maritime forests, dunes and marshes.
The big waves, perfect for surfing, rest here all year round, and the beach is easily accessible, with plenty of parking, dune walks, and baths. There is also a camp with all the facilities just half a mile from the beach, if you want to extend your communion with nature. This 449-acre city-managed park is surrounded by the ocean, the cove and the river. It is located on Fort George Island, just across the St.
The beach is long and wide, and offers the perfect environment for wildlife. The park is popular with families, as the area along the cove is quiet and shallow. Waterfront campsites, a birdwatching area and incredible views of some of North Florida's remaining natural areas await you. The park also has a launch area for jet skis and small boats, picnic shelters, restrooms and showers. The park is designated as a site of the Great Florida Birding Trail.
This 450-acre park is located south of the historic town of Mayport and features 1.5 miles of sandy beach. Swim, sail, fish or surf in the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic. As an added gift, the park features a 60-acre freshwater lake that's ideal for kayaking and boating. There are picnic tables and grills by the lake, and nature trails wind around the lake and criss-cross the park.
There's a quarter-acre water park with colorful fountains that will delight your children (open from Memorial Day to Labor Day). The park also has a full-service campground and there are showers, bathrooms and discounts available. The two tranquil coastal towns offer miles of golden sandy beaches that are perfect for swimming, surfing or relaxing. Beach access is available at most ends of the eastern streets.
Parking is limited, but paid parking is available in Atlantic Beach. There are showers at some access points. Spanning about 60 blocks along the Atlantic Ocean, it's the busiest of all the beaches in the Jacksonville area. The beach of more than four miles is wide and is bordered by small soft dunes. There are beach walks at most ends of the streets, however, not all of them have bathrooms and showers.
Offshore boat racing, beach volleyball, fishing, surfing and sunbathing are just a few of the delights that await you. The 1,300-foot Jacksonville Pier is a good place to watch locals dine; the mile-long waterfront is a good place to walk or people watch, and the Sea Walk Pavilion is home to many concerts and events. From the rustic, pristine beaches of the Jacksonville area to bustling harbours with piers and walkways, this area has a rich history. But I decided to visit Jacksonville Beach, Florida (or Jax Beach, as many locals told me) for a spring trip.
While there were plenty of options for alternatives to milk at the coffee shop I frequented during my trip to Jacksonville Beach, I don't think the city offered the same dietary variety. Then, head to nearby Kathryn Abbey's Hanna Park to enjoy the beach and explore what many consider to be Jacksonville's favorite biking and hiking trails. To be honest, Jacksonville Beach was pretty easy to get around on foot to get most of what I needed during my stay, so I didn't have to drive to many places. In Jacksonville Beach, I really enjoyed spending time at Oceanfront Park, which also offers beautiful ocean views.
As someone who spends quite a bit of time exploring Santa Monica, the Southern California city seems to have a much younger population than Jacksonville Beach. Located 17 miles from downtown Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach offers visitors a beach vacation ideal for the whole family with outdoor activities, a variety of hotels for all budgets, and if nightlife is your thing, we have plenty of that, too. For more expert getaways or to watch local surfers work out, head to Huguenot Park or look for “the sticks” at Hanna Park or the Jacksonville Beach fishing pier. With a strong surf culture and a wide range of paddling experiences, Jacksonville has some of the best water sports in Florida.
Adventure Landing Jacksonville Beach, a water park, also offers mini golf, go-karts, batting cages and a game room. Bring your flip flops and pack your sunscreen, Jacksonville has 22 miles of wide, uncrowded white-sand beaches that offer visitors majestic sunrises and star-filled nights. I signed up for a surf lesson at the Thompson surf school in Jacksonville Beach and didn't even need a wetsuit (something common for surfers in cold weather) waters of Southern California).
