Page 15 - Guest Advantage Magazine - September 2015

HISTORIC
FIRST COAST
Florida’s First Coast is located in the northeast corner of Florida, and is home to over one million people, with Jacksonville “Florida’s River City By-The-Sea” at its hub, and the beaches just minutes away. The modern high-rises of downtown Jacksonville show little evidence that this community was settled before the Pilgrims landed nearly 450 years ago.
This modern community is proud
of its past as it looks to the future.
The Riverwalk’s Northbank expansion provides a mooring area for the cruise ships Jacksonville hopes will make the Riverwalk their home port in the near future. Jacksonville Naval Air Station, home of the original Blue Angels, has been a strong contributor to the local economy for nearly seventy years, and the Mayport Naval Station is fast becoming one of the busiest military ports in the country.
The climate offers year-round sports and recreation. Mild winters with cool spring and fall temperatures enhance warm summers filled with sunshine. The climate is ideal for all indoor and outdoor activities. Spend the day exploring 12,000 years of Jacksonville history at the Museum of Science and History, one of the city’s most popular attractions. Take in a Broadway-style show. The FCCJ Artist Series brings a host of headline productions, or perhaps spend an evening at the symphony. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra season begins each autumn and continues until spring.
Modern metropolis of Jacksonville, a stark contrast to the old history of St. Augustine
Jacksonville & Jacksonville Beach
The Jacksonville Zoological Gardens, home to more than 800 birds, reptiles and mammals are the zoo’s attractions that range from a walk-through aviary to the new Great Apes enclosure. And don’t forget the petting zoo.
Visit Fort Caroline National Memorial, a replica fort that commemorates the French Huguenot colony that was built in 1564 and settled by explorer Rene de Laudonierre. The riverfront park also
features hiking trails. Stroll through the galleries and beautiful riverfront gardens at the Cummer Gallery of Art and Gardens, or enjoy a picnic lunch under the limbs of the Treaty Oak in Jessie Ball DuPont Park.
Friendship Fountain is nearby and the mile-long Southbank Riverwalk is just a few steps away, and offers a fantastic view of the downtown skyline. Also downtown and directly across the St. Johns River
is the Jacksonville Landing, a festival marketplace packed with dozens of small boutiques and restaurants.
Whether you’re a business person, fisherman, golfer, or a family looking
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