Best Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend

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(Last Updated On: November 13, 2023)

Here are the best things to do in Jacksonville this weekend. Whether you are exploring on your own or with kids, you will love these things to do in Jacksonville Florida. While we were hosted on our weekend getaway, all opinions are our own.

Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend

Best Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend

If you live in Jacksonville or are planning a weekend getaway to the fourth largest metropolitan area in Florida, I am sure you are looking for some fun things to do in Jacksonville this weekend. While there is 22 miles of gorgeous beaches, there are lots more things to explore in Jacksonville.  Jacksonville is about 3 hours from Tampa and only 45 minutes from St. Augustine, making it an fun weekend getaway or day trip.

Top Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend

Things To Do In Jacksonville Autobahn Go Karting

Autobahn Indoor Speedway
We had a blast at the Autobahn Speedway. There was something for all of us to do, and we even tried something new, AXE THROWING! Since Steven is driving now he was really excited to test his speed with European-style indoor go-karting at Autobahn Indoor Speedway. Change your speed at the Grand Prix style tracks with the electric Italian pro style go-karts reaching speeds up to 50 MPH. I will openly admit that I did not even get close to 50 MPH, but Steven did! He rocked that track! Since Sadie is 12, she did the other track where the go-karts don’t quite go 50 MPH but they went plenty fast for her. In fact, I may have been better on that one 😉

Things To Do In Jacksonville Axe Throwing

So, let me tell you about axe throwing! Have you done this before? You have to be 13 to test your skills at throwing, so Sadie missed out on this part, but she was perfectly happy playing the arcade games and earning tickets to cash in for some prizes. You are in a fenced area, so the risk of getting hit pretty slim (yes, this is something I worried about) and you do get a personal coach to not only teach you how to throw safely, but will teach you different ways to throw the axe once you master one way. Steve and Steven actually got to the point where they could throw doubles! I am happy to announce that I did get several bullseyes!

Things To Do In Jacksonville Axe Throwing at Autobahn

Autobahn Indoor Speedway Address: 6601 Executive Park Ct N, Jacksonville, FL 32216

Things To Do In Jacksonville at Strings Sports Brewery

Strings Sports Brewery
Actually, this brewery can actually be in the Places To Eat in Jacksonville section and the Things To Do in Jacksonville section. We drove by Strings Sports Brewery on our Jax Ride tour (more on that next) and we couldn’t wait to go back and check it out. Once you walk in, you will notice the high ceilings, fun decor and all the things that there is to do for families.

Things To Do In Jacksonville at Strings

I schooled the kids in basketball, they beat me in darts and they have a huge Connect 4 and Jenga game outside. And there is no extra fee to play the games! They also have a delicious menu that will handle any appetite you work up while testing your gaming skills. Strings Sports Brewery is also one of the 20 breweries on the Jax Ale Trail. So before you try out on of their in-house brews make sure to ask for your passport and get a stamp!

Places To Eat In Jacksonville Strings

Strings Sports Brewery Address: 1850 N Main St N, Jacksonville, FL 32206

Things To Do In Jacksonville Jax Rides Tour

Jax Rides Bike Tour
Whether you are a Jax local or visiting the area, I beat you haven’t taken a tour like this before. Talk about a fun way to explore the city, plus we learned so much about the history and what is new in Jacksonville. I seriously couldn’t think of a better way to tour Jacksonville than on our Jax Ride tour. It is a non-traditional way to tour a city, Jax Rides will show you Jacksonville’s historical architecture, outdoor building art, and facts about the city’s beginning and development to now. It’s a fun ride on fat tire electric bikes. Now, when I read that we were riding “bikes” I thought of a pedal bike, can you imagine how stoked we were when we realized it was fat-tire electric bikes?! We were biker gang ready in minutes and then after our test ride we were off to explore the city.

Best Things To Do In Jacksonville Jax Rides

We saw everything from the historic district of Springfield, to beautiful murals in the Phoenix district, to river, to downtown. This was definitely a highlight of our trip to Jacksonville. I think every city needs to have tours like this!

Best Things To Do In Jacksonville this weekend Jax Rides

Sadie was too young to drive the bike herself, but they had two-seater bikes so she could ride with me or Steve. She switched at various stops depending on who she thought was driving faster.

Things To Do In Jacksonville Sweet Pete's

Sweet Pete’s Candy Shop
Sweet Pete’s is much more than just a candy shop. It’s a candytopia of everything you could possibly imagine…and it’s beautiful inside. At this candy shop you can not only get every sweet treat imaginable, from candy to chocolate to ice cream, but you can also watch the artists at work. You can watch the candy makers make these delicious sweets and be sure to check out all the different rooms! There are lots of sweet photo opportunities and places for the kids to have fun. And if you get hungry for something other than candies, there is an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant attached, the 10 Six Grille.

Sweet Pete’s Candy Shop Address: 400 N. Hogan Street Jacksonville, FL 32202

Things To Do In Jacksonville this weekend at Riverside Art Market

Riverside Arts Market
Produced by Riverside Avondale Preservation, Inc., the Riverside Arts Market is a weekly market hosted on Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., rain or shine. RAM features a variety of small businesses from farmers to artists to makers and bakers. Live music, too! After walking around and getting your local produce, eats, and treats be sure to walk along the river. I could sit and watch that view all day.

Things To Do In Jacksonville Riverside Art Market

Riverside Arts Market is located under the Fuller Warren Bridge: 715 Riverside, Jacksonville, FL 32204  We thought it was so cool it was located under a bridge!  Such an great use of space and it provides shade.

Things To Do In Jacksonville Visit Murals

Five Points
After leaving the Riverside Market we walked to Five Points. I found some fun murals, lots of shops, unique restaurants and the Riverside Park.

Things To Do In Jacksonville at Five Points

Five Points is nestled in a little corner of the Riverside area, an older, character-filled section of Jacksonville. We loved the vintage flavor of this area.

Things To Do In Jacksonville Beach

Beaches Town Center
You don’t want to leave Jacksonville without walking the beach. We explored the Beaches Town Center where after our walk on the beach we did some window shopping and checked out all the fun places to eat. Beaches Town Center is in the heart of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach, where Atlantic Boulevard meets the ocean, twelve miles east from downtown Jacksonville, this inviting, pedestrian friendly area offers many boutiques, fitness centers, restaurants and two oceanfront hotels in close proximity.

Beaches Town Center Address: 0 Atlantic Blvd, Neptune Beach, FL 32266

The Brumos Collection
The Brumos Collection just recently opened in Jacksonville. We are huge car fans, so we were excited to hear about this! It is a stunning new 35,000 square-foot interactive museum dedicated to the technology, innovation and historical significance behind some of the world’s finest automobiles. The new facility will be home to more than three dozen rare, historically acclaimed race and collector cars.

From the moment guests enter the grounds, carefully crafted design details honor auto racing history. The guard rails along the roadways are reminiscent of the guard rails you would have found racing along the tracks of a bygone era; a board track walkway leads to the building entrance, and the surrounding brickwork pays tribute to the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway “Brickyard.”

The Brumos Collection Address: 5159 San Pablo Road South Jacksonville, FL
The Brumos Collection is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Zero Latency

Zero Latency, one of the world’s leading free-roam virtual reality (VR) entertainment providers, has an amazing VR arena right in Jacksonville.

From navigating zombie-ridden post-apocalyptic worlds to exploring the farthest reaches of outer space, Zero Latency offers a diverse range of immersive games. It is not just a place for VR enthusiasts, but a great source of unique entertainment for adults in the city.

Fun Things To Do In Jacksonville with kids

Best Places To Eat In Jacksonville

Maple Street Biscuit Company in San Marco
With its creation and formation in Jacksonville Florida, Maple Street has become an iconic local breakfast place for the community. The name speaks for itself – you can enjoy all your favorite warm breakfast meals and feel right at home with your family. I got a killer biscuit sandwich with chicken, goat cheese and pepper jelly. YUM. The kids both got sandwiches too and Steve enjoyed the traditionla biscuits and gravy. Be sure to try the fresh squeezed orange juice while you are there.

Best Places To Eat in Jacksonville

Maple Street Biscuit Company Address: 2004 San Marco Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Top Places To Eat in Jacksonville

The Bearded Pig
The Bearded Pig is a Southern BBQ Joint and Beer Garden located on the Southbank of the St. Johns River in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville. The restaurant takes pride in Southern cooking traditions and is known for some of the best BBQ in town. This place gets busy and now I know why. The food is incredible. They don’t take reservations, seating is first come-first-serve and you order at the register. I will say that they have their system down because the staff is not only friendly, but quick. I had my first order of Poutine here and I fell in love. Sadie got the ribs, which were HUGE and Steven got the pulled pork sandwich. We loved every single bite.

Best Places To Eat in Jacksonville Florida

The Bearded Pig Address: 1224 Kings Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32207

Where to eat in Jacksonville

North Beach Fish Camp
Located at the Beaches Town Center, North Beach Fish Camp is another favorite among locals. Their menu consists of a variety of options such as seafood, salad, meat options. Since we were at the beach, we all went with seafood options. We started our meal with the gator tail appetizer. Now, we make this at home, and have for years, so it’s very rare that we will order it out since we are pretty darn good at it. However, all four of us agreed that we officially needed to step up our game, the gator tail at North Beach Fish Camp is tender, delicious and had the perfect amount of spice. Steve and I had the nightly special which was flounder served on a bed of sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. The flounder literally melted in your mouth. Incredible. My son had the shrimp and grits and he said it was as good as Disney’s. Which is a huge compliment coming from him. My daughter had the cod and while the serving was huge, she managed to eat every single bite.

Places To Eat In Jacksonville North Beach Fish Camp

North Beach Fish Camp Address: 100 1st St, Neptune Beach, FL 32266

Things To Do In Jacksonville Riverside Park

Five Points
I know I mentioned above that Five Points had quite a few unique restaurants so I wanted to point out a few that we saw on our adventures.

places to Eat in Jacksonville The Bread and Board
  • Safe Harbor at Riverside
    Safe Harbor at Riverside Address: 1521 Margaret St, Jacksonville, FL 32204
  • Black Sheep Restaurant
    Black Sheep Restaurant Address: 1534 Oak St. Jacksonville, FL 32204
  • Hawkers Asian Bistro
    Hawkers Asian Bistro Address: 1001 Park St. Jacksonville, FL 32204
  • Bread & Board
    Bread & Board Address: 1030 Oak St, Jacksonville, FL 32204
    I highly recommend the homemade desserts here, we had a peanut butter fudge brownie that we still dream about!

1748 Bake House
Locally owned and operated organic bake shop with great treats and yummy coffee. I had the french toast and the rest of my crew had the homemade pastries. We also took home chicken pot pies with us because they looked amazing. And they were. 1748 Bake House is actually really close to the Strings, so after breakfast head to Strings and play some hoops and work up an appetite again. That’s what we did!

1748 Bake House Address: 1748 Main St N, Jacksonville, FL 32206

Places To Stay In Jacksonville

Omni Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel

Omni Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel centrally located, has beautiful rooms, great nice amenities; a bar with happy hour and local brews on tap, a restaurant, and a pool. Steve and I enjoyed a bottle of wine at the J Bar our first night there, the staff was very friendly and the wine list had nice selection.

Places To Stay In Jacksonville Omni Hotel

Omni Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel Address: 245 Water St, Jacksonville, FL 32202

If you are looking for more fun activities and events in Jacksonville this weekend, be sure to add these Free Things To Do in Jacksonville to your itinerary and be sure to check out Visit Jacksonville online.

Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend

You can also download the Visit JAX! app, it will not only help you plan your visit to Jacksonville but will keep you up to date on all the fun things to do this weekend in Jacksonville.

Best Things To Do In Jacksonville This Weekend | Here are the best things to do in Jacksonville this weekend. Whether you are exploring on your own or with kids, you will love these things to do in Jacksonville Florida.

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