Urban gay clubs in jacksonville fl

According to the sloganeers at the local chamber of commerce, Jacksonville is "where Florida begins. For gay travelers en route to the State's more traditional destinations -- Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Key West and even Tampa -- Jacksonville has been little more than a weigh station along the road, a place to fill up one tank and empty club.

But inJacksonville received a welcome shred of recognition when it was included in a list of burgeoning gay meccas. Its 80, acres of parkland, beautiful gay, interesting museums and business opportunities were credited with attracting a healthy population of gay residents and visitors. It's no Key West, to be sure; in fact, locals would probably agree it more closely resembles South Georgia than South Florida in its physical and political landscapes.

Jacksonville's small-town feel tends to belie its size -- in fact, it's the largest city, in terms of landmass, in the continental United States. The key to navigating Jacksonville, like any big city, is knowing where to look for culture, sophistication and fun. In and around the downtown area, jacksonville several gay-friendly neighborhoods -- including Riverside, San Marco and Springfield -- happen also to be the most historic, the most culturally significant and the most pedestrian-friendly areas of the city.

These neighborhoods are where you'll find museums, galleries, gay bars and the best restaurants. Getting here Jacksonville International Airport is located on the outskirts of the city, about a dozen miles north of downtown. Shuttles and taxis are available, but renting a car is probably your best bet. Getting around Jacksonville is spread out, and public transportation, covered by the JTAis a bit thin where you need it.

The Skyway monorail is free, operating between 8 stations north and south of the St John's River, 6am-9pm weekdays and for weekend special events. Individually, the city's gay-friendly neighborhoods are pedestrian friendly, but connectivity can be a pain. Definitely rent a car. Taxis are available on-call, but you'll wind up spending as much on fares -- if you want to head from downtown to the beach or vice versa -- as you would on a rental car, which is always at your disposal.

Neighborhoods Jacksonville is enormous, but there are plenty of areas that are worth ignoring. The historic neighborhoods in and around downtown Jacksonville tend to be the most gay-friendly, diverse and culturally compelling. Full of gorgeous oak-canopied public spaces, adorable Craftsman-style bungalows, riverfront mansions and a number of distinct shopping districts, Riverside and Avondale have the highest concentration of Prairie School-style homes outside the Midwest.

Incidentally, Riverside also has Jacksonville's highest concentration of gay bars.

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San Marco: An upscale riverfront community, San Marco is slightly less gay-centric than Riverside or Avondale, but it's got plenty of quaint, if pricey, shops and some of the best restaurants in the entire city. It's also home to Club Jacksonvillethe city's only gay bathhouse. Springfield: Jacksonville's first and oldest subdivision, Springfield deteriorated during the '70s and '80s when the upper and middle classes fled to the suburbs.

It's been revitalized in recent years thanks to handy investors -- many gay -- who have purchased a number of the area's massive Victorian homes for a song and restored them to their former glory. The neighborhood is, by and large, still improving and remains a little rough around the edges -- particularly its eastern and northern edges.

In focus Back to nature. Guana Tolomato Reservea 73,acre aquatic preserve, is home to Ponte Vedra Beachone of the area's most popular gay beaches. Letting it all hang out With 1, miles of coastline -- more than two dozen in the Jacksonville area alone -- no one visits Florida without going to the beach.