What a perfect day for porchfest! Tons of people came out to enjoy the gorgeous weather, listen to…read moremusic, shop at the booths, and have some great locally made food! The set list was well organized and included all kinds of different music. Loved the map illustrating the food/ bathrooms/ and stages. Super family friendly and dog friendly event- and it's FREE!

Oh my goodness! What a perfect day. Great music,awesome crowds and delicious laughs libations…read more It's been a minute since I have attended a Porch Fest in Springfield. Now I am sad that I have missed a few years. My day was filled with Reggae, Blue Grass and Funk. My heart is full. Thanks for a perfect day!

I came here for a performance of the Nutcracker. We come to the Florida Ballet's performance every…read moreyear. I love the fact that you never have to fight for parking. Since school is out for the winter break, you can find garage covered parking or outside parking. Both parking options require a short walk to the performing arts center. When we arrived we were able to take our annual picture inside with the six foot tall nutcrackers, then headed to our seats. I'm pretty sure every seat here offers you a decent view of the stage. This year we sat one row away from the stage. I will say for me and this was our own doing, that was a bit too close and my neck was starting to bother me. The location is beautiful, the seats are comfortable, and the acoustics are great.

What an asset Jax has with a state university here! Tonight they had as a part of the Presidential…read moreLecture Series, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. the creator of PBS's Finding Your Roots public tv series. UNF and Jax World Affair Council provided this experience free to the public (as long as you sign up in advance). The Fine Art auditorium was very nice where the lecture was held; acoustics were wonderful too. It was a miserable weather night to be out but hundreds of people came out in support of this program! Yeah JAX!

Credit to Jacksonville as we have a really fantastic zoo…read more Nicely laid out, well-staffed, clean, clearly marked trails, broken up with kids play areas, hosting a good range of animals from around the world. The new manatee habitat is gorgeous, and allows people to enjoy these gorgeous mermaid potatoes while they're treated and rehabilitated. The weather is the only negative, so plan accordingly with sunscreen, fans. hats, rain ponchos, money for the Kona Ice and Dippin' Dot vendors and so on.

I really hate leaving this negative review because I genuinely appreciate the role zoos play in…read moreconservation and education. That's why I was so disappointed by this visit. I hadn't been to the Jacksonville Zoo in years, so I was excited to see all the renovations. While the grounds look nicer, it also felt like there were far fewer animals than I remember. I was not able to find a several favorites, including the gorillas, cheetahs, and Florida panthers, and quite a few exhibits felt empty. I know animal collections change over time, but it just didn't feel like there was nearly as much to see. I was also disappointed to hear the koi fish had been transferred to another zoo since they were always one of my favorite stops. For me, the biggest issue was the value. Ticket prices have gone up, but I left feeling like I paid more to see less. The highlight of our visit was the people. The volunteers in the jaguar and rhino areas were incredibly knowledgeable and made those exhibits so much more interesting, and a staff member from a bird enclosure remembered us when we ran into them later in the day at the stingray exhibit. Those interactions honestly saved the experience. I have so many great memories of visiting this zoo growing up, which is probably why this visit was so disappointing. I really hope they continue adding to the animal collection because I'd love to have a reason to come back.

While many foodies took time out of their day to clean out their refrigerator for national Clean…read moreOut Your Refrigerator Day, I had my own interpretation of cleaning out the refrigerator. Don't ask why did I decide to clean out my refrigerator before attending the fair. My goal was to relive a moment of my childhood by eat everything in sight at the fair. Things didn't go as planned. Once we got there I realized I was no longer that kid who could eat all of the fair favorites and hop on every single ride. All it took was one delicious Pineapple Drink from Island Delights to fill me up. Not to mention, I received a refill with the purchase of the pineapple drink. Man oh man.... the state fairs are not like the old days. They're now modernized with the addition of local food trucks.

This year will be our last traditional visit. It's sad but time to say goodbye to this…read moreexperience. I've been coming to this fair since I was in middle school and it's been the background to a lot of great memories and smells. However, this year I felt like the fair had reached its tipping point and myself and my niece will need to visit other fairs or find new traditions. It's really expensive, which isn't new. $10.00 entrance fee, $20.00 all you can ride bracelet, $5.00 parking. So for 2 people to enter and be able to experience rides it's $65.00 off the top. This year 4 rides weren't in use when we visited. Some of the other rides were unclean and the attendants did not inspire confidence. Fair food is gross but comforting and actually difficult to mess up but they messed up the funnel cake. I mean ... what??? Of course we all know you are paying way too much for any food you buy but it's part of the experience. It was part of the experience, until this year. The other patrons who attended seemed a little rough. People screaming at each other, skipping line, and lots of rough housing. Rides looked like they might not meet inspection or broken. Questionable food safety with food preps not washing hands and grimy prep conditions. Poor quality music entertainment. All in all it's just not worth it anymore.

I moved to Jacksonville recently from California and I am always on the lookout for new places to…read morecheck out. There is a building I pass every day near my home which caught my eye right away. Its stone façade and bright yellow sign flanked by two Medieval Knights, with the words "The Arena" across it in large block lettering stood out in comparison to its neighbors, a church and a discount furniture store. I quickly put on my detective cap and began scouring the internet for any explanation or reviews but information was sparse. I eventually found the website... The Arena | Jacksonville's Premiere Concert Venue... "The Arena is definitely one of Jacksonville's premiere and edgiest night scenes. With four stages, and full audio-surround sound, you will be blown away..." I ear marked it as a place to check out in the future. As Halloween grew closer The Arena began to look more and more like an off-beat community haunted attraction. A giant, ominous, clown face appeared over the door along with some additional lights and carnival décor. A new sign was added, "Carnevil". Of course I got back on the internet and found, "Welcome to Carnevil! The darkest and final act of the circus empire..." From the description it sounded pretty scary, I don't really do scary, but it was Halloween and we had no other plans and it was FREE. Now let me tell you, the free thing immediately set off some red flags, nothing is free but curiosity got the best of us. We invited some friends, put on our costumes and headed to the Arena but it was completely full and they sent us away with priority tickets for the next showing. Sunday night just my fiancé and I went back. Like I said, I don't really do scary well and as I stood in line my heart was racing. They announce that we are about to go in and once we are inside we will not be allowed to leave until the end. Honestly, we were half convinced that this place lures unsuspecting people in and keeps them forever... how else does a "Premiere Concert Venue" have almost no internet presence and NO reviews? The whole experience started off great. Creepy ghosts shambled through the lines, small groups were let into the theatre at a time, entering through a miniature haunted maze with all the scares and screams as a professional haunted house. There were plenty of scares for the audience while we waited for the show to start. The play had a great campy/spooky community theatre feel complete with frightening clowns, quality makeup, sound and lighting effects. Over and over I kept thinking, "How is this free?" and then it started... "drugs", "sex", "rebelling against authority"... "sin". Suddenly I realized I was at church. A preacher dressed as a cop stood center stage asking the audience to raise their hands, come up and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to avoid a hell worse than the clown camp we just witnessed. I want to be clear... I do not have a problem with this being a church function; I appreciate the local church for pulling together a great community event... I do have a problem with being completely ambushed. Nowhere on TheArenaJax.com does it mention its affiliation with Victory Church. To solicit itself as one of the country's premier, edgy music venue, "showcasing a spectrum of internationally renowned artists" is more than slightly misleading. I have to say, I felt a bit violated to be lured into what appeared to be a fun community theatre, told I could not leave until it was over and then force fed a religious message while adults in scary masks and makeup stood blocking the exit. Here is the TL;DR: The production quality is great for a free event. I really enjoyed the first hour and a half of my experience. I would even encourage people to check out one of their events but be advised... this is a religious venue affiliated with its neighboring church. You will be held inside the building and asked to approach the stage to accept their message.

I have seen the Carnevil show twice now and I absolutely love it. Yes, it wasn't for the faint of…read moreheart, but it was awesome nonetheless. I am not one to like scary things but after seeing the show I had to see it again. The storyline and characters are well-made and very nice people. They put all they had into making this show work and after the show you get to meet them and get to know them personally. The theatrics of it were stunning and very luring and the sound effects blew me away. I loved how well the actors dressed up and scared people. They'd pop out of the dark, they sang along to hit songs from Slipknot and they made it a very good memorable experience. Along with the thrills they made some funny remarks during the show which made it more enjoyable and fun. If they were able to keep the show going on for more days I would go to all of them. For free it was worth it- if I had to pay, it would've been totally worth it. At the end of the show there was a part where a character made a statement about being "lost" and how he was able to come to terms with himself. Yes, they help people to believe but even if you aren't into Christianity or religion at all it didn't matter. They wanted people to remember the show and to tell everyone else back home about it. They wanted to inspire people to not be afraid and to become more than what people think of you. They don't force any part of religion on anyone and they don't force people into a prayer at all. They merely want to help people and for the people who were just there for the show, they got to see how much hard work and dedication the actors put into this to make it fun and memorable and thrilling. I absolutely loved it and would go to many more shows for the rest of my life for the experience. Amazing job well done.

It's my favorite festival of the year. I love the Blues and was so thankful that the weather…read morecooperated. Friday night Smoke Stack did not disappoint! My schedule unfortunately did not allow for Saturday or Sunday attendance. Two things: If you never been to Springin the Blues - GO If you never have experienced Smoke Stack - you must

2026 festival had only one stage. Instead of the usual 2. They really need to bring back the…read moresecond stage it lessened the experience for sure.

I really enjoyed Noctoberfest! The space was great, food & beverages were plentiful and the crowd…read morewas ready for ein grossartige zeit! The beverage tents were divided into 4 cities: Kiel, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. Each tent offered different options, but all had at least one unique German brew. This was a welcome change from other Oktoberfest knockoffs here in Jax. There was a VIP section with comfortable chairs - close to the stage and a special section with tail-Gate style party huts! What really set this event apart was the music. Two days of fun! Headliners were good, local bands were lots of fun! Only drawback was parking - but I'm sure they'll get that figured out before next year

My friends and I had so much fun at Noctoberfest in Nocatee. I purchased my ticket online for…read more$32.50. I pulled up the ticket from my phone at check-in then received a passport and a plastic beer mug. There were so many food trucks as well as four beer tents. Each beer tent represented different cities in Germany such as Berlin and Munich with beer from each region. We started with Berlin and worked our way around to the other tents. Each beer tent stamped the passport when you purchased a beer and once we had four stamps we went back to the entrance gate and received a free Noctoberfest t-shirt. Pretty cool! Beer was $7, each. Not bad for festival pricing. There was a ferris wheel and a nice size Kid Zone in the back corner. The entertainment was great! We ate at the kabob food truck. I had a steak kabob and shared fries. The kebab meat had a little more fat than I like but was still tasty. The fries were delicious! I would absolutely attend this event again!

This is my 3rd year in a row going to Colors of the Wild at the Jacksonville Zoo. It was amazing…read morethe first year but keeps getting better! There are so many cool animal "lanterns" and just lights everywhere. I am glad they extend it until February because December is always busy. I will go every year they have it!