Had the chance to visit for a Jacksonville Chamber event, and experiencing the Arboretum at night…read morewas such a unique treat. The staff and volunteers were incredibly welcoming and did a great job hosting. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and such a great reminder of what a special outdoor space this is for the community. It was the perfect setting for an evening event and a great way to experience the gardens in a different light. If you haven't been yet, definitely check it out and support this local gem!

We visited on the first night of Glowing Gardens and it was magical. I have never seen the gardens…read moreduring the day, but Seeing them lit up at night decorated for Christmas is nothing short of spectacular. Christmas trees and dragon flies, giant decorations and twinkle lights galore.... Santa is holding court in the center of the gardens, right next to lit up swings and see saws for the kids to run around and play. You can make s'mores over an open fire and there are adult beverages for sale as well!!!

I love the nature and the privacy.. you walk upon numerous people on the trail riding bikes or…read morewalking laying out in the sun sometimes I find clothes out there but it's a real big place

This was recommended as a hike to do with children. My opinion is it is mostly for mountain biking…read moreand adults. We tried going the Old Plank Trail and the Waterfall Loop. It was extremely difficult to push a stroller through both trails. There were tree routes, homeless camp debris, and steep drop offs for mountain biking. We never made it to the waterfall because the trails were poorly marked, and we kept going on trails where the brush was hard to go through. There is a bathroom and picnic tables, with maps of the trails, but I would recommend using Alltrails or Strava for guidance.

Ran here with some friends from their apartment and it has beautiful nature and views. The sky is…read morebeautiful here, especially the sunsets. Would love to explore more of the preserve but I think one of the viewpoints was closed off. Would come back here for a run or walk again with friends!

Nice paved trail the whole time. Peaceful. Not too much scenery but still nice. Pretty clean. 2nd…read moretime here.

Absolutely gorgeous bike trail! I'm not usually a big fan of road biking--after allJacksonville…read moredrivers... but the Baldwin Rail Trail is the perfect place for a peaceful, scenic ride. The views through the farmland are truly relaxing, and there's plenty of parking to make getting started a breeze. Everyone we encountered on the trail was courteous, making it an enjoyable experience from start to finish. The added bonus? Benches and bathrooms along the path! I can't wait to come back for another ride.

This was a nice paved trail that was easy to walk with my son's stroller and our dog. There was a…read morecrossing on a busy road where we had to stop to wait for traffic to go past or wait for someone to stop for us to cross. There were lots of people bicycling, walking, and walking dogs and strollers. There was one farm where there was goats, sheep, dogs, chickens, and ducks. We only walked for an hour, but the trail goes 14 miles on paved, well maintained trail. The gravel parking lot had a lot of cars compared to the number of people I saw on the trail. There is a dual bathroom on the other side of the parking lot and maps of the trail near the trailhead start.

Easy walk to boneyard beach with portable toilets and picnic tables - we had a problem with the…read morecashless pay app. But the beach is unique and worth the trip.

This was very different to see, there's a long trial (8-10 min walk) that leads you to the beach…read more It's long and full of these deserted trees. Overall nice place to visit & see.

Alejandro Garces Camp Tomahawk Park is a small but very cool park located at the end of a quiet…read moreside street on the southside of Jacksonville, Florida. It has a small but pleasant nature walk, a kayak launch, a children's playground, an open field, adequate parking, and more. There is a private residence on the grounds, so please be mindful of that. All in all, Alejandro Garces Camp Tomahawk Park is a wonderful park and a great place in particular for the residents of this quiet side street. We need parks like this in our communities. This is a wonderful place to come in respite. I would definitely recommend a visit here, especially if you are in the neighborhood or anywhere in the general area. I will give it five stars as an overall rating. Go check it out for yourself, I am confident that you will not be disappointed.

I had an unusual experience here only the second time I have been I am new to the area. I brought…read moremy kids to the playground and a strange woman struck up a conversation and would not leave us alone asking me all sorts of questions and often repeating herself. She continued on by playing with my children but did not have a child with her. A boyfriend was standing and waiting outside of the vehicle just smoking cigarettes. It gave me an uneasy feeling that either she was on drugs or they were involved in trafficking. I have since not gone back. It is a nice park otherwise and it's unfortunate some people have to ruin a good thing. I would just be mindful when you come here with your kids.

Jennings State Forest is a gem in NE FL. I ventured out with a group yesterday to do the Dunn's…read moreFarm trail. I've also hiked much of the Pioneer Trail. The trails are well maintained and well marked with blazes. The trails take you through a wealth of biological diversity from pine forests to uplands that hug Black Creek and other smaller creeks. I haven't camped so can't speak to the campgrounds but the camp sites are well marked. Cost to visit is $2 pass that can be purchased online. The parking lot does not have good reception so better to purchase in advance. Parts of the trail is shaded but a lot of it is in the sun so be aware if visiting during the hotter months.

This was a stroller friendly trail. It was sandy, dirt, and gravel paths. You do have to pay a $2…read morefee to get in, and they only accept visa, MasterCard, and discover. The trail was partly shaded with lots of sunny parts. When you get to the pioneer trail and the waterfalls trails, it does start to get bumpy with roots, and there are stairs, which we turned the stroller around at because it would have been too hard to push a stroller down the stairs. There were cars in the parking lot but we didn't run into anyone until we came back and finished. There were benches and trail markers along the way, and there was plenty of signage to guide you. Overall, it was a nice quiet trail with lots of options.

I love the trails here. Plenty of different distance options. First time I went I missed the 4…read moremile turn and did 6 by accident. Oops! It is all dirt trail. Some of the cut thrus are more worn than others. Some are a little bumpy to say the least. It's quite clean and well cared for. Bring some binocs and your Merlin bird app for some excellent birding to make the experience even better!

This was a really nice park and we will be back. After leaving a run down regional park we came…read morehere with our puppy to try a trail briefly. The trail was wide and peaceful.

Great trails and a super playground for kiddos! Very wooded and close to the river so sometimes…read moreparts of the trails are muddy and mosquitoes can be active but it's a great park. Also has a dog park; a side for bigs and a side for littles.

I've probably visited this park more than any other in Jacksonville. One of my favorite things to…read moredo is to bring my binoculars and walk the short trail to the observation tower. There is no shortage of things to do. The City recently redid the playground space and restrooms. My most recent visit included a tour of the nature center, which I hadn't ever visited when it was open. There have a wonderful selection of exhibits and small reptiles. The staff was so generous and informative.

This will always be my go-to beach! The amount of shells and shark teeth you can find here is…read morehonestly overwhelming so bring a bucket! Definitely be prepared to walk! There are also stairs that will make you think twice about bringing a heavy load, so I definitely recommend packing light. But it's absolutely worth it! I believe they accept credit/debit now, but I'd still recommend bringing at least $5 just in case the machine is down. Also, make sure you take a picture of your tag number before heading to the ticket machine, it'll make things a lot easier! I also see plenty of people bring their dogs to the beach, just make sure they're leashed.

We wanted to walk on a quiet beach along the drive from St Augustine back up to Jacksonville. We…read morestopped at the North Beach of the Guana River Preserve. There is a parking lot on the west side of the road (the fee is $3.00, and there is a crosswalk over to the beach on the east side). This is the location where Ponce de Leon supposedly first identified Florida as a land mass and not just an island. There were a few people out on the beach, walking or looking for shells. It was a sunny day in January, with temps in the high 50's. I loved that it was not crowded or commercial. There are no services other than a parking lot and two (well-maintained porta potties). It was exactly what I wanted.