Travel & Tourism

Bakers throughout the community will come together this month to celebrate a Jacksonville holiday tradition. The 17th Annual will showcase edible holiday creations in support of the educational programs and archives of the . Visitors will enjoy nearly 50 handmade gingerbread creations beginning December 4th at the Old St. Andrews event venue in the .  The Gingerbread Extravaganza is funded in part by a grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Forever Event Fund. The Gingerbread Extravaganza was founded and hosted by the South Jacksonville Rotary from 2003 to 2010. The Jacksonville Historical Society became the host of the event in …

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow For over a century (129 years), Jacobs Jewelers has served as the keeper of the past. The iconic clock has measured many moments in the city’s history from its post at the corner of Laura and Adams streets in Downtown Jacksonville. Since 1890, the timeless beacon has kept watch over families dressed in their holiday best as they strolled the downtown streets, gazing at the windows dressed for the season. Children pressed their noses against the glass in wonder, small girls in patent leather shoes picked out their Christmas toys from store windows while their folks …

With family fun, thrilling rides, live music and champion livestock, it’s fair to say the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair rocks. A colorful new contest added this year could spell a free day at the fair for lucky winners. The opens Nov 7, and continues through Nov 17 at the located in the Sports Complex adjacent to TIAA Bank Field. VIP tickets are available for performance by Uncle Kracker, Eli Young Band, Blanco Brown and Blue Oyster Cult. Free seating is available for all shows with the price of an admission ticket. JaxFairRocks features painted rocks hidden in plain sight across …

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. …

The rivalry between the and the has a long, storied past. Since 1915, the has been one that not only fans of the two schools look forward to, but, in most years, it’s a marquee matchup that often decides the fate of the Southeastern Conference Championship game, held later in the season. This year the game will take place on Saturday, November 2. See below for game day details. As a Millennial, I have a unique experience when it comes to how I view this series. I’ve been told the stories of the “Fourth and Dumb” and “Run, Lindsay, run!” …

A Look at the Geico Skytypers Team It’s a skyward display of epic proportions as the 2019 Sea & Sky Spectacular returns to . The free, three-day event offers breathtaking demonstrations from many of the premiere flying teams including the . With the bringing the sleek, fast-flying maneuvers that make them a crowd favorite, the Geico Skytypers Team demonstration features WWII-era aircraft and combat tactics and maneuvers taught to the pilots that flew in WWII and the Korean War.  The Geico Skytypers will perform their 18-minute low-level precision flying demonstration utilizing six WWII-era SNJs on October 26-27 with a unique …

Fun and frights on the First Coast The weather is cooling, store shelves are filled with candy and plastic skeletons, and horror movies make up about half of what’s on TV at any given moment. Yes, my fellow Jacksonvillians, Halloween is officially upon us! Next to Christmas, this is the biggest holiday of the year, and Jacksonville knows how to celebrate it. If you find yourself bored at any point this month, well, that’s on you, because in addition to the hundreds of events and happenings that usually take place in our fair city, this month is loaded with fall …

Now in its 29th year, ’s has long been chock-full of terrors that will have the most hardened soul quaking in their combat boots. This year is no exception. With a whopping 10 terrifying haunted houses, HHN29 is a horror-lover’s nightmare come true.  The 80s have made a massive comeback over the last couple years and they’re alive and well at Halloween Horror Nights. Most of the houses fit solidly into the theme while a few require you to sort of squint to see the connection. In any case, it’s always a blast to step into the “decade that just …

It’s been a big year at . There is electricity in the air that doesn’t happen very often. In fact, it only comes around every 100 years. The iconic cultural institution will mark its centennial anniversary in 2020 and the buzz leading up to this significant milestone is electric. “We’re very excited to actually get to the year. We’ve been talking about this for two or three years. We’ve put together a really great season and that was our first step. We’re also putting together an event in March to celebrate as well as launching our endowment campaign for the …

It started with a few local pickers gathering in Dave Griffin’s Waycross backyard. Two years later, the collection of musicians evolved into an annual celebration of the life and music of Gram Parsons. By 2001, the event drew a bigger crowd than Griffin could comfortably accommodate. “My home has always been a welcome haven for music,” he says, “but after the ’01 tribute, I woke up the next morning to find dirty footprints in my bathtub and thought maybe it’s time for a change.” Today, the 22nd Annual is held September 26-28 at the Okefenokee Fairgrounds in Waycross, where Parsons …