The ongoing revival of downtown Jacksonville has led to a new appreciation for the area after years of neglect.
But some residents still haven’t warmed up to the idea of hanging out downtown. Many don’t even know why anyone would do so. After all, it’s often portrayed as an empty wasteland – and who wants to hang out in an empty wasteland?
In reality, though, downtown Jax isn’t that bad. It’s actually pretty nice, and it’s getting increasingly nicer as development projects wrap up and new tenants arrive.
Obviously downtown is far from perfect. There’s a lot of work left to be done, and it’s still fighting reputation issues and lots of ground-floor vacancies. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth checking out – and more importantly, it means the area needs as much of the community’s support as it can get.
So if you’re still in need of some persuasion, here are a few great qualities of the city’s downtown area that just don’t get enough love.
Downtown Jax houses some of the city’s best restaurants. Locally-based upscale dining establishments Cowford Chophouse, Orsay, and Bellwether are joined by national chains Ruth’s Chris, MLG, and Morton’s The Steakhouse.
It also has a huge array of lunch options for the downtown working crowd. The Happy Grilled Cheese, Spliff’s Gastropub, Super Food + Brew, and Burrito Gallery are just a few of the varied options found downtown.
Not impressed by any of the brick-and-mortars? Not to worry, The Court Urban Food Park has a rotating collection of food trucks each weekday, and Hemming Park usually hosts at least one truck a day as well.