Atlantic Beach

Along the A1A Ocean Islands Trail Jacksonville’s Beaches | Mayport | Broward House | Kingsley Plantation | Big Talbot | Downtown Fernandina Marlin & Barrel Distillery in Fernandina | The Pétanque Courts of Fernandina | American Beach: Under the Blue Bottle Tree with Marsha Dean Phelts | Amelia Island Culinary Academy | Amelia Island Downtown Tasting Tour | The First Coast’s Only AAA Five Diamond Restaurant: Salt at Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island   Every place has a story, stitched together with humble beginnings and historic figures to create a living narrative. In very few places can you travel along a timeline of a region’s history as it unfolds before you. The …

#EATUPJAX is a monthly column featuring restaurant openings, closings, new locations and other food news in the local Jacksonville food scene brought to you by   on the is now closed. If you still have gift cards or turkey orders, they will be honored at ’s restaurant, Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen.  Craving some vegan and gluten-free? This November, coming to 311 West Ashley Street near the Duval County courthouse in , is Grenville Kitchen. They’ll be serving pastries, soups, salads, and Caribbean-inspired cuisine. The most intriguing of their selections: the voxtail, a vegan version of an oxtail.  The super-swanky Downtown eatery, , …

Artists, merchants and property owners in can add a little color to the city and give it a new sense of place. A public art grant is available to encourage businesses along the commercial strip leading to to incorporate their own vision and help redefine the sagging Mayport corridor. Word Revolt Art Gallery located on Mayport Road is the first recipient of the city’s public art grant program adopted last year. Owners Theresa and Todd Rykaczewski will lead installation of a new outdoor mural on the south facing wall of The Shoppes of A1A North with a painting party Nov. …

Long-time Italian chef and restaurant owner Jerry Moran recently did a good deed for a dying man. His New York-style cheesecake has many fans, and when a customer learned that a terminal man in asked for NY cheesecake, they asked Moran if he could help. Moran hand-delivered the cheesecake to the hospital. His restaurant, , was located Downtown for many years but made the move to on Edgewood Avenue, a couple of years ago. The owners of  in are making use of the space next door, which used to be Pure Barre, by converting into a secondary restaurant space, this …

#EATUPJAX: Local Food News From the Folks at   is open at the Markets at Town Center, which is just south of the . The grocery chain, based out of Phoenix, provides shoppers with an organic and healthsome selection. This is their first in the Jacksonville area, but there are plans to open up a second on Beach Boulevard.  We’ve had quite a spate of specialty grocers opening in the Jacksonville area, places like Sprouts, something that the owners of  cites as the reason they’ll be closing all three of their locations. opened the first Native Sun here in Jacksonville …

Physical Therapy Takes on New Meaning with Adaptive Kayak Launches Hanna Park is one of three recreational sites in Jacksonville with a new adaptive kayak launch to serve the disabled community. As part of the City of Jacksonville’s Adaptive Recreation Program, the Disabled Services Division and Brooks Rehabilitation have partnered to provide individuals with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy the waterways. Alice Krauss manages the Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program at Brooks Rehabilitation Center where she works with patients as an Occupational Therapist. The recreation program offers individuals with disabilities the chance to participate in sports at , compete against …

The expression “Life’s a beach” looks at the bright side of things, putting a sunny spin on a phrase that when substituting its more vulgar counterpart means the exact opposite, or at the very least a female dog. “A day at the beach” also serves as a unit of measurement to describe a pleasurable situation, but in an idiomatic sense denotes less than desirable circumstances, as in ‘she was no day at the beach’. What does a day at the beach mean to you? For some, it’s as simple and stretching out on a towel or lounge chair, turning the …

Jacksonville’s growing art scene isn’t only taking place downtown. While Art Walks and exhibition openings ‘across the ditch’ may often steal the limelight, there is an up and coming art scene at the beaches that is on the verge of erupting in the best way and all of us are invited to take part.  Speaking as an native, I remember taking pottery classes in during high school and attending figure drawing meetups in at this adorable artists’ co-op on the corner near Lynch’s. These creative collectives fueled me as a young artist and provided an environment for learning, growing, bonding, …