Stay in Jacksonville

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Jacksonville could be arguably titled the sporting capital of Florida. In a city and state dedicated to outdoors activities, football is undoubtedly the biggest spectator sport, but this is also the land of tennis, golf and greyhound racing, . The brand new World Golf Village with the World Golf Hall of Fame is just 25 miles to the south of Jacksonville and is home of the ‘fifth major’ – the PGA Tournament Players Championships.

Although located in Florida, Jacksonville is not usually considered one of its prime tourist destinations. This may be due to the fact that people seek sun and surf in Florida, and what you get in Jacksonville is the largest city in the US (geographically speaking). However, Jacksonville does have its share of beaches (east of downtown, including Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach) and is therefore a good place to combine the amenity of a big city with the sunburn from a nearby beach or the divots from the seemingly hundreds of golf courses that have been developed in its vicinity.

Other attractions in Jacksonville include Jacksonville Landing, a marketplace on the north bank of St. Johns River, which contains lots of retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. The south bank features Riverwalk, a boardwalk full of shops, restaurants, and hotels; the Friendship Fountain; the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History; and the Alexander Brest Planetarium. The Jacksonville Maritime Museum is also worth visiting and is situated on both sides of the St. Johns River.

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Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is located just 15 minutes north of downtown. Transportation from the airport to downtown Jacksonville is provided by the JTA in the means of a downtown to airport shuttle service. The shuttle runs Monday-Friday and stops at or near downtown hotels and major businesses. Amtrak is located at 3570 Clifford Lane. The Greyhound Station is located at 10 N. Pearl Street.

For a typically sprawling large Floridian city, Jacksonville hasn’t got a bad public transport system. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) offers bus service throughout the city and provides an automated overhead rail service to the downtown area called the Skyway Express. This 4km long light rail system takes passengers between the Omni Hotel and the Convention Center for only 25 cents! A recent expansion takes the skyway train across the river to destinations in the downtown area.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

ALLTEL STADIUM

Ticket information through NFL

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars are the most successful expansion franchise in the history of the code. Since entering the League in 1995, the Jaguars have been to the playoffs four times and played in the AFC Championship game twice. The Jaguars won 49 games in their first five seasons, including an NFL-best record of 14-2 in 1999. Winners of the two AFC Central Division championships, the Jaguars have the highest winning percentage of the 31 teams in the NFL, as well as the best home and road records over the past three seasons. That impressive record aside, the Jaguars are yet to win a Championship.

Alltel Stadium, formerly the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, hosts the Jags and is located on the banks of the St Johns River at One Alltel Stadium Place, Jacksonville. Opened in 1995, the Stadium has a capacity of 73,000. It replaced the old college football favourite, the Gator Bowl (Georgia v Florida), and was quickly dubbed as one of the most impressive stadiums in the country. 

The JTA offers shuttle service on gameday from downtown and suburban locations. Shuttle services begin three hours prior to kick-off and end one hour after the game.

Late March – US PGA Players Championship, TPC (Stadium course) at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Ticket and Event information through www.pgatour.com

JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY

Ticket information through JU Dolphins

The JU Dolphins are located at 2800 University Boulevard North, Jacksonville, which is some 6km east of downtown across the St Johns River. The Dolphins have teams in most sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball. The football team plays out of Milne Field on the campus’ north side, with a capacity of about 5,000. The basketball teams play out of Swisher Gymnasium, which is also located on campus.

From downtown Jacksonville, take the JTA Bus Route AR 1, which gets you to the campus.