BEACHES!, Jacksonville

Operated by the City of Jacksonville, Huguenot Park is located on Fort George Island and fronts both the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the St. Johns River opposite Mayport N.A.S. Free of development, Huguenot's beach boasts a backdrop of some of the highest dunes in Jacksonville and a chain of rocky jetties that stretch out to sea marking the entrance to the river's busy shipping channel. Visitors should be advised that water activities are better enjoyed at one of Jacksonville's other beaches as, due to Huguenot's location, the shape and size of its sandy stretches can vary drastically with the tides and the strong currents where the St. Johns meets the Atlantic can be too treacherous for swimmers. Beachgoers do, however, get an awesome view of the gigantic military ships in port across the river.

Aside from a couple of isolated spots in Amelia Island, where parking on the sand is permitted, Huguenot Park is the only one of Jacksonville's beaches where automobiles are allowed to drive on the sand. For me, that alone makes Huguenot Park less appealling than the city's other beaches; however, many people prefer it for this same reason. Regardless of your opinion, you have to admit that the towering dunes, rocky jetties and skyscraping military ships certainly make Huguenot unique.

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The sun is high and hot most days. That draws the crowds to the ocean side. Three main beaches of JAX are Atlantic beach, Neptune beach, and Jacksonville beach; all next to each other. Along the beaches are high rise condos for occupancy of locals mostly. The public beach area stretches about 5-6 miles.

Outdoors at its best without mountains or a boat. Camping, beautiful beaches, cheap entry, bike trails, fishing, hiking trails, childrens water park, canoeing, swiming, the beach, surfing, life guards, fun fun fun!!!

If you're looking for people to meet or hang out with, the beach is the most happening place to be. During the summer it's filled with people, motorcycles and fast and furious cars. There's not much family fun on the beach unless you had further down to Ponte Vedra Beach. Jax beach, atlantic beach, and neptune beach are the same beach just off different streets. There's hotels and resturants. The hotels are a bit costly around $99 a night and up.

Jacksonville's own Malibu, exclusive Ponte Vedra Beach boasts the gargantuan oceanfront mansions of millionaires, a trio of world-class resorts including the five diamond rated Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, and shopping villages filled with high-end boutiques.

Driving down swanky Ponte Vedra Blvd, those of us "still working on our first million" (yeah, right) can make ourselves sick admiring one showy oceanfront mansion after another. The road even cuts right through the center of the grounds of two luxury oceanfront spa resorts. (Just be very wary of the slow, slow speed limit).

One thing you probably won't see along this stretch are public accesses. By law, public accesses are required, however, they have become obscured by shrubbery and other creative deterrents. This is because like in many other exclusive seaside strands around the country, private wealth seems to come at odds with public right-of-way, making Ponte Vedra a prime local battleground for access issues. So, how can you see what these grand homes look like from the beach side?

One fantastic public access lies at the southern end of Ponte Vedra Blvd. in what the locals call Mickler's Landing. Here, ample parking and facilities are provided, allowing beachcombers to enjoy both a priceless ocean view and a multi-million dollar backdrop.

In contrast to the soft white powder that characterizes much of Jacksonville's shoreline, the sand at Mickler's Landing is coarser and more pinkish in color due to the increased presence of coquina (ground up shells). Mickler's Landing is also known as one of the best spots in the state for finding sharks' teeth.

Here is a map of the different beaches that line Jacksonville's shoreline, including those on Amelia Island, just north of the city, and on Anastasia Island, to the south by St. Augustine. Each of the beaches listed has its own unique identity and distinctive feel. Enjoy!

Just north of Atlantic Beach and south of Mayport N.A.S., Hanna Park is a beautifully preserved oceanfront park operated by the City of Jacksonville. In addition to its wide, white sand beach with lush green dunes, Hanna Park boasts acres of coastal woodland recreation areas including freshwater lakes (with paddleboat rentals), numerous hiking and biking trails, ample picnic areas, a children's water play area and camping facilities. Locally, the park is famous for its great mountain biking trails and for "The Poles," Jacksonville's storied surfing spot.

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Atlantic Beach & Neptune Beach

Just across the Intracoastal Waterway from Jacksonville sits a long barrier island containing a string of funky, laid-back and cosmopolitan beach comunities known collectively as Jacksonville's Beaches. Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach, with their shared Town Center, are my idea of the perfect beach mix.

The setting of John Grisham's novel, The Bretheren, Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are anchored by a lively, beautifully landscaped Town Center full of funky, trendy and casual restaurants, coffeehouses, boutiques, galleries, gift shops and nightspots. Atlantic Blvd., which runs west all the way to historic San Marco Square just south of Downtown Jacksonville, serves as the official dividing line through the middle of Town Center before ending in a landscaped, brick circle at the sand's edge. Hip and happening yet quaint and homey, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and their shared Town Center provide a picture-perfect, quintessential beach town setting enjoyed by families, surfers, yuppies and the wealthy set alike.

Stretching north from Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach boasts impressive beach houses reflecting a mix of New England, Caribbean and imaginative architectural styles. Stretching south from Town Center, Neptune Beach is lined with pastel colored beach houses that are a little more modest in size and style. Both communities share the same stretch of soft, wide, sandy beaches backed by dunes covered with sea oats. Pockets of shell deposits and calm, shallow tidal pools are also common along the shoreline here.

Hang ten toes in the surf, or pamper them in a spa

For those who happen to find themselves wealthy, the Atlantic Beach side of Town Center is anchored by One Ocean, a posh oceanfront resort and spa with its own swanky oceanfront restaurant. If you visited Atlantic Beach in years gone by you may remember the Sea Turtle Hotel which used to be in its place. The long-time landmark was sold, completely remodeled and upgraded to become One Ocean.

A few blocks inland on the Neptune Beach side of Atlantic Blvd. at Seminole Rd., is another local icon, Aqua East. Aqua East is a two-story surf shop that also offers wave runner and boat rentals, in addition to the usual surf shop fare. It is easily recognizable by all the large surf gear poster advertisements plastered in its windows. Aqua East is one of the largest of several Jacksonville area surf shops that cater to a vibrant local surf culture. While Jacksonville's Beaches are not as acclaimed for their waves as East Coast hot spots like New Smyrna Beach, the Space Coast, and Sebastian Inlet, they are home to sponsored professionals who compete in international tournaments. Several blocks into Atlantic Beach on Seminole Rd. is the beautiful Howell Park, which offers a myriad of nature trails that traverse over creeks and through tree hammocks.