Kickstart your day at Adventure Landing and Shipwreck Island Water Park, where you’ll find a go-kart track, miniature golfing, laser tag, video game arcade and even batting cages for you and your friends to spend the day in a different way and forge some exciting memories in the process. The beach also contains a number of parks on its grounds. The Huguenot park is set around a three acre lake stocked with fish, where you can cast your line from the quarter mile long pier and wait for your catch while admiring views of the great Atlantic Ocean. There are also onsite tennis and basketball courts, as well as a playground. The Paws Dog Park is a pooch friendly park with facilities to let your dog run free and play to its heart’s content with its furry friends. The latest addition to the park collection is the Cradle Creek Preserve, 43 acres of land criss crossed with nature trails and elevated boardwalks, and filled with tons of interesting flora and fauna. Pause at the observation deck where you can gaze at the views of the Pablo Creek Estuary, or even rent a canoe and get out onto the water.

The local community theatre has showings of drama, comedy and musical performances that you can book in advance for an indoor way to enjoy the day. Of course, the beach itself with its pure blue waters, white sandy shores and some of the best waves in the region, draws hundreds of surfers and professional beach loungers everyday. Everybody who visits hopes to catch a glimpse of the dolphin pods frolicking in the waters just beyond the surf line. The ideal hangout spot to paddle in the waters, go for a cycle, do some yoga on the beach and watch the sunset, Jacksonville meets your every need and then some.