A goal to see ALL the Jacksonville area beaches.
Jacksonville is famous for its beaches, and I wanted to explore all of them!
At the top of the coastal map is Atlantic Beach. It’s not quite as inaccessible as Ponte Vedra’s beach, but parking is still a challenge because it’s all residential. I parked outside someone’s house, hoped I wouldn’t get towed, and enjoyed the waves for a little bit. Lesson learned on Atlantic Beach: don’t put your beach towel on wet sand.
Neptune Beach has the coolest name, but was definitely my least favorite. With tons of eateries and shopping near the beach, it’s crowded and parking seemed extremely limited. The beach, in contrast, was wide open to the point of being bleak.
I took this picture from the top of a hotel overlooking Jacksonville Beach. This sunset was amazing after all the rain we’d been having! This beach is more open, jazzy, and accessible. Come one, come all. Plenty of parking, sand, shopping, eating, and bulk lodging options in the beach’s high rises.
And, at the southern end of the beach strip, my favorite beach: Mickler’s Landing in Ponte Vedra. It’s smaller, brighter, cleaner than any other beach I went to while I was here. There are more shells and the water is clearer. 25 minutes’ drive is a bit far, but it was worth the drive every time.
Goodbye, beaches… I’ll know where you are, if I ever want to return.
~ The Dauntless Princess ~