For those interested in coming to the Gator Bowl:
- First Jacksonville is the largest city in the US area wise so be careful booking places to stay. The airport is small but easy to fly in and out of. From NJ the drive is as easy as can be.
- when deciding where to stay look at a map. The St. John’s river runs south to north and splits Jacksonville in half. Downtown it makes a 90 degree turn East. For this trip there really is no reason to be north or west of the river. West is red neck other than Avondale and Riverside which have some great restaurants that you may want to check out. North has nothing particularly interesting unless you have a desire to be in Amelia Island.
- the pep rally is in Jax Beach and there is a reason. You will find a number of hotels, fun bars and restaurants at the beach from Atlantic Beach to Jax Beach and farther down to Ponte Vedra. Up in Atlantic beach you will find the 40 plus crowd and in Jax Beach you’ll find the under 40 crowd. The area at the end of Atlantic Blvd where it hits the ocean is where most of the Atlantic Beach action is. Where Beach Blvd hits the ocean is where the pep rally is and where a bunch of younger bars etc are. Ponte Vedra has a bunch of nice restaurants but from somebody that lived there for 30 years you had much more fun on evenings when you wound up getting a night cap in Ponte Vedra rather than starting there.
- there are plenty of smaller hotels along the beach as well as the Ponte Vedra inn and Sawgrass Marriott resorts.
- St Augustine is a great place to visit as well as go for dinner. It’s 20 minutes south and absolutely beautiful for Christmas. You better have a reservation and get there early or the traffic is hell. If you have kids the alligator farm, Ripley’s etc are all fun.
- there is more golf than you can imagine. Just name your price point. The world golf hall of fame is at the world golf village. It’s worth seeing if you really want to but not a must do.
- downtown is a place I’d consider if you are making a quick trip. Enough to keep you busy for one night but not more. Plenty of big hotels.
- stay away from Mayport
- restaurants - get reservations as early as possible if going somewhere nice. It’s a pain in the **** down here.
- there is plenty of parking so plan on tailgating prior to the game. At the stadium there is a brewery nearby that is open for Jags games as an option.
- inside the stadium - club seats are between the 30’s I believe in lower deck. Indoor clubs are nice. On the south end zone is the bud zone which is a great place to watch the game and hang out at a bar atmosphere.
- if you are a NASCAR crazy, Daytona is 90 mins. The track and tour are fun.
- if you have kids the zoo is good. Disney is a long but doable day trip.
- the weather was 85 a few days ago and 60 today. It’s the dry season so rain is not a huge concern. Likely it will be nice.
- leave any questions and the locals can chime in.
- First Jacksonville is the largest city in the US area wise so be careful booking places to stay. The airport is small but easy to fly in and out of. From NJ the drive is as easy as can be.
- when deciding where to stay look at a map. The St. John’s river runs south to north and splits Jacksonville in half. Downtown it makes a 90 degree turn East. For this trip there really is no reason to be north or west of the river. West is red neck other than Avondale and Riverside which have some great restaurants that you may want to check out. North has nothing particularly interesting unless you have a desire to be in Amelia Island.
- the pep rally is in Jax Beach and there is a reason. You will find a number of hotels, fun bars and restaurants at the beach from Atlantic Beach to Jax Beach and farther down to Ponte Vedra. Up in Atlantic beach you will find the 40 plus crowd and in Jax Beach you’ll find the under 40 crowd. The area at the end of Atlantic Blvd where it hits the ocean is where most of the Atlantic Beach action is. Where Beach Blvd hits the ocean is where the pep rally is and where a bunch of younger bars etc are. Ponte Vedra has a bunch of nice restaurants but from somebody that lived there for 30 years you had much more fun on evenings when you wound up getting a night cap in Ponte Vedra rather than starting there.
- there are plenty of smaller hotels along the beach as well as the Ponte Vedra inn and Sawgrass Marriott resorts.
- St Augustine is a great place to visit as well as go for dinner. It’s 20 minutes south and absolutely beautiful for Christmas. You better have a reservation and get there early or the traffic is hell. If you have kids the alligator farm, Ripley’s etc are all fun.
- there is more golf than you can imagine. Just name your price point. The world golf hall of fame is at the world golf village. It’s worth seeing if you really want to but not a must do.
- downtown is a place I’d consider if you are making a quick trip. Enough to keep you busy for one night but not more. Plenty of big hotels.
- stay away from Mayport
- restaurants - get reservations as early as possible if going somewhere nice. It’s a pain in the **** down here.
- there is plenty of parking so plan on tailgating prior to the game. At the stadium there is a brewery nearby that is open for Jags games as an option.
- inside the stadium - club seats are between the 30’s I believe in lower deck. Indoor clubs are nice. On the south end zone is the bud zone which is a great place to watch the game and hang out at a bar atmosphere.
- if you are a NASCAR crazy, Daytona is 90 mins. The track and tour are fun.
- if you have kids the zoo is good. Disney is a long but doable day trip.
- the weather was 85 a few days ago and 60 today. It’s the dry season so rain is not a huge concern. Likely it will be nice.
- leave any questions and the locals can chime in.
