BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm heading to the USA for two and a bit weeks for work, ... destination Jacksonville, FL.

It's my first visit to the US and as usual I'm excited by the prospects of being somewhere new and different, and experiencing a different culture...

I searched this forum for Jacksonville and all that I found was the following gems:

Jacksonville, FL. Stay away from here!

and

Worst Large Cities in the World

I'm happy to take those words with a grain of salt, but further googling seems to show that a lot of people think Jacksonville is somewhat on the boring side.

Please say it ain't so....

Are there any locals on this forum that can stand up for their town and suggest some things to see and do?

One of the weekends I'll be there, will be Superbowl weekend..... I'm keen to watch, would it be worth watching in a sports bar? Or should I try and get myself invited to a workmates place for a house party of some kind??

On the flipside if Jacksonville really doesn't have too much to offer I'm open to suggestions on weekends away... Looks like there are plenty of flights to New York that are reasonably priced. What about the Carribbean islands are any of those doable in a weekend trip? I've love to see Havana but for some reason I'm thinking you can't fly direct to Cuba from the US (and it's also probably not a good thing to do when traveling on a work Visa ;p)

Love to hear some thoughts.
Wook

^^ Sorry wookie.... Jacksonville is gross. Industrial, spread out, hard to get around, not pretty, not great nightlife or culture. I think if you HAVE to find a way to have fun there, you could, you know, just go out to eat and find a bar to hang out in by the riverfront. Not exactly high adventure... I guess a SuperBowl houseparty might be a new experience for you.

You're close-ish to St. Augustine from there, which is a historic Florida town and pretty. You could drive to St. Aug and spend a weekend there. Or yes fly to NYC or Miami.

quote:

Originally posted by wookiebreath:
One of the weekends I'll be there, will be Superbowl weekend..... I'm keen to watch, would it be worth watching in a sports bar? Or should I try and get myself invited to a workmates place for a house party of some kind??

Never a problem catching the Super Bowl in a sports bar. Except for the fact that none of the teams in the game come from Florida. So there is a slight potential the crowd at a bar might be dead. But, then again it is the Big Game. But, then again, the two Florida teams (Tampa Bay & Miami) both sucked horribly this season....

Nevertheless, a bar should offer some great specials, and the chance to catch the game in nice HD quality. I would talk with your work chums and see what they're doing. It's always better to watch American football with some buddies.

Now, I've never been to Jacksonville, so I can't say anything positive or negative about the place; but you don't seem too far from Daytona Beach. I would take a bus out there if possible. St. Augustine is a great suggestion too. Other destinations will require a bit of travelling, which might not be worth it considering this is a business trip, not one for pleasure.

As for flying to NY. Are you sure you really want to do that? Are you really going to have the right amount of time? I'm all for spontaneity, but take into consideration all the BS that comes with flying, especially in this post-9/11 world. It's not like you're taking a bus two towns over. Then once you get into NY, you'll have to get on a train and go from Queens or New Jersey (the areas where the airports are) and then head into Manhattan (where the sites are).

Since you only have a little over than two weeks--and since you're on a business trip--save the trip to New York for another time.

But hey...if you have a nice expense account, and a really cool boss...then go for it!

quote:

Originally posted by christina-in-brooklyn:
^^ Sorry wookie.... Jacksonville is gross. Industrial, spread out, hard to get around, not pretty, not great nightlife or culture.

What a pretty picture you paint Christina.... dang what a shame... that however is pretty much what I was expecting.

quote:

Originally posted by christina-in-brooklyn:
I think if you HAVE to find a way to have fun there, you could, you know, just go out to eat and find a bar to hang out in by the riverfront. Not exactly high adventure... I guess a SuperBowl houseparty might be a new experience for you.

Yep well both those options will be on the cards... since this is my first trip to the states... I'm keen to find an old style diner and have some apple pie? Or don't they exist any more?

quote:

Originally posted by christina-in-brooklyn:
You're close-ish to St. Augustine from there, which is a historic Florida town and pretty. You could drive to St. Aug and spend a weekend there.

Hey that is a good suggestion I'll do a bit of googling on that one for more info....

quote:

Originally posted by MLISS4816:

Daytona Beach. I would take a bus out there if possible.

Sounds like an option worth checking out.

quote:

Originally posted by MLISS4816:
considering this is a business trip, not one for pleasure.

Well I consider weekdays for business and weekends are my own to do with what I want

quote:

Originally posted by MLISS4816:
As for flying to NY. Are you sure you really want to do that? Are you really going to have the right amount of time? I'm all for spontaneity, but take into consideration all the BS that comes with flying, especially in this post-9/11 world. It's not like you're taking a bus two towns over. Then once you get into NY, you'll have to get on a train and go from Queens or New Jersey (the areas where the airports are) and then head into Manhattan (where the sites are).

You have raised a good point here... I have checked the flights and the actual flying times are reasonable.... I could fly out of Jacksonville on a Friday and be back on Sunday afternoon. I'll check out the transfer time to Manhattan to work out whether it's worth the hassle.... thanks for that info...

As for the hassle of flying... I guess I'll get a bit more of an idea of exactly how painful that is by the time I reach Jacksonville... as the trip from home to Jacksonville is over 4 legs and will take 30+ hours!

Still this may be my only chance to see one of the great cities of the world (at least in the next couple of years)...

Gainesville is only 60 miles away. That's where the University of Florida is located. It's a big party town with 40,000+ students and lots of bars/clubs.

Jacksonville is kind of boring. I've only been there to fly out of the airport, to visit a friend, and to visit my GF's family.

The friend, a college buddy, also confirmed that the city doesn't have much of a nightlife.

There are some nice museums, gardens and golf courses in Jax.