I had never been to the Enchanted Christmas Village when it was on the Westside of Jacksonville so…read morethis review is only for the new location in Ponte Vedra. We had bought tickets for 5 of us to go to the Enchanted Christmas Village on the Thursday before Christmas. Tickets are normally $22 however we got them online for a discount. There were four adults and one child who is five. When we arrived we took the drive to the back to the parking area and parked pretty close to the entrance which was nice. Parking was $5. We went to the ticket tables and handed in our vouchers and each received a wrist band. When you enter, you immediately see the large, beautifully lit Christmas tree. It was gorgeous and it has its lights timed to the music playing overhead. Past the tree were booths with vendors and activities. The vendors had an array of items for sale such as Christmas themed ornaments, clothing, house décor, food, honey, hair accessories and toys for kids. The activities which were included in the price were decorating a cookie and decorating a gingerbread house. There was also hot chocolate and really stale popcorn for sale that honestly shouldn't have been given away for free. There is a little path to walk along and it takes you to a photo booth, where you have the option of having your kids photo taken with Santa. There are also a few selfie areas if you just want to take pictures of your family. Next along the path is a live manger with live animals. Once you kept walking, there was a bounce house for kids to go and jump in. The first one was well done with not too many kids inside and the kids seemed to enjoy it. The next bounce house on the path was the opposite, they didn't limit the amount of age of kids inside so some were too big and rough and were hurting the little kids in the packed environment. There was a person on watch but they seemed oblivious. In this area there were also carolers who sang Christmas songs. It was nice. Past this was the entrance for the hay/tractor ride which took you through a path of lights while a guide sang Christmas songs. The ride lasts about five minutes and drops you off just a few feet from when you get on so you can continue your loop around the area. Once we continued on, there wasn't much else. There was a blown up igloo with live music which was honestly really hot inside and very loud with live music. After you left the igloo you came to the back of the area with vendors, where there were a few food trucks set up. There was a pizza food truck, a shaved ice truck, a Mediterranean food truck and a couple stalls that sold hot dogs, pretzels, funnel cakes and other carnival type fare. We walked around the vendors, decorated a cookie then walked out to the front where my nephew had the best time being chased around on the big lawn by his grandpa. Overall I would never spend the full $22 admission to come to the Enchanted Christmas Village but for the 10 dollars it wasn't terrible. I just wish there was a bit more to do and didn't feel like you pay to go to a place to then pay more on photos, food, drinks, and vendors like you are going to a farmers market which is more of what this felt like.

We had plans to be at a concert at the St. Augustine Ampitheater and my husband found out about the…read moreSt. Aug Greek Festival and wanted to drop by. For a $3 entry fee, you could just drop by for a couple hours and feel like you got your money's worth. The festival took place at Francis Field on Castillo Drive and it was a beautiful weekend. Upon entering it was quite obvious this wasn't their first time at this rodeo. I'll definitely have to keep my eyes open for next years festivities. Multiple food & beverage tents. A HUGE kids area. Covered seating with stage. And lots of vendors. We made a beeline for the Kouzina and I opted for a scoop of pastitsio (Greek Lasagna) and mousaka. Both baked dishes were delicious and I could eaten another plate. In the adult beverage tent, they offered Metaxa (Greek brandy) & Ouzo. I opted for the lemonada with Metaxa, while my husband got the ouzo. We sucked those babies down so fast and quickly realized it was a good thing we WEREN'T there all day. The Loukoumades (Greek donut holes) were a nice end to our quick sojourn. Parking is available in the garage ($12) next door, or you can find parking on the streets. If you're going to spend all day around 'old city' St. Aug, $12 isn't a bad deal, but we opted to find a free spot in the surrounding neighborhood.

What an amazing Tribute to all those who have and still are serving our Country…read more So many people where here watching and praising our military. We are so very blessed to be a citizen of the United States where we are free and our country's freedom is still protected by our brave men and women that serves.

This is an awesome event and it's free! I am glad I made it out this year. Since it alternates…read morebetween the beach and base, I recommend checking out both since they are definitely different experiences. Either way, be prepared for crazy traffic at shows completion. Highlight for me: The Blue Angels. I brought those little squishy ear plugs and was happy I did.

An excuse for the mayor to have an out door party. Just beer and sprits every where along with pot…read moresmoking foul mouth language music. Not for the elderly young children especially the handicap I was step on pushed ran into even with my white cane out. No police any where but walking down to the river. If you enjoy a big drunk feast you are at home. Been packed in for an hour to watch a small amount of boats since 6:30 poor planning

This is great event!! I've been 2 times and enjoyed myself very much both times! It does get packed…read morebut nothing horrible cause you can watch from either side of the river and it's very spread out! I would recommend getting there a little early to find a spot, pack snacks and drinks! Real drinks too! Then sit back and enjoy the boats cruising by! Crystal invited us to watch this year from a huge boat, a naval museum! That was awesome cause it's front row watching and not crowded! 2 thumbs up! Great free event!

I can't believe it's been a month since I have been to St Augustine for Nights of Lights for Xmas…read more This really is a masterpiece and a beautiful finale of all Things Christmas in florida. The whole town is decked out in lights and it made me so happy. Miss it a lot and know we always come back but being here at this time is definitely the happiest feeling.

Okay, parking is easy if you are coming in just for this. The trolleys board quickly and even long…read morelines get on board in no time at all. Otherwise, going in circles around town wasn't exactly what I expected. Sure, St. Augustine is nice during the holidays. Trying to spot the elves on the ride gives us something to do (and grab a photo of one if you want that cup of hot cider at the end of the ride), and sometimes the people near you on the trolley are better than the tour itself. What it comes down to, however, is it worth it? Maybe once. I'll say that, but otherwise, I'll pass -- or pay enough money to get the Grinch himself to do the tour next time.

This was the first time I went to the event and our first trip to Jekyll Island. Less than 1.5 hr…read moredrive from JAX, this was an easy day trip. Festival admission is free, but there is a daily parking fee for the island, which was $15 on the day of the festival, $5 more than on a non-event day. The festival is held in their historic district. The roads are blocked off. I love that it's set up this way. It's way less chaotic, and visitors don't have to deal with trying to avoid both vehicles and crowds. Vistors staying off-island can park at designated spots at the airport and take the shuttle to the festival. We brought our bikes and parked our vehicle at Great Dunes Beach, which was less than a two miles bike ride to the festival. The festival was incredibly well organized and clean. There was a hand washing station and both porta potties and restrooms are located throughout the festival. There were ample tables and chairs set up. Lots of shaded areas. If you wanted to eat picnic style, bring a blanket. There was plenty of lawn space. Lots of food vendors and other options even if you're not a shrimp and grits fan. We were there on a Sat between 11 am - 3 pm. It's less busy in the morning, but the vendors we visited were very efficient, so even if the lines were long, they moved quickly. We thought the food prices were reasonable for the portions. For beverages, you should walk around first since a can of pop/water can range from $2-$5. Same with the beer. There were two main places selling beer for $7/ticket. But if you want a Budlight, you can get one at the Snack Shop of $4. There are live music, tons of festival merchandise, and local crafts & food for purchase from the Artist Market vendors. There are also permanent shops such as Cotton & Copper & Doc's Snack Shop located on the festival grounds. If you've never been, it's definitely worth checking out and not too bad of a drive from JAX.

Once a year for 3 days Jekyll Island has their Shrimp and Grits Festival! Artist, food/alcohol…read morevendors, non-profit and tourism information set up along the inter-coastal. There are bands set up in 3 locations and they estimate 45,000 people come. It cost $12 to drive on the island and then parking is just a school bus ride away from a parking lot. We brought our bikes so we found parking and biked in; our preferred mode. We bought shrimp/grits from Jekyll Island Club resort, said to be best of show for $12 but they had all kinds of food-pizza, burgers, hotdogs, Latin Fusion, ice cream, cookies, funnel cakes etc. we then biked down to beach and saw some cool kites.. Something good they have done here is build a large walking/biking path at the ocean to get people out and about!

This was my third time attending the Jacksonville Caribbean Festival hosted at Metropolitan Park…read more This year was extremely hot, so my friend and I didn't arrive until about 5 PM. The music has always been fabulous, and this year did not disappoint. We watched several musicians (and met one) while dancing the night away. I was pleasantly surprised to see the band shell moved to a shady area in the park this year. In prior years, it was on the other side where there was no escaping the sun. You can bring your own chair or blanket. After a little dancing, I relaxed in the grass on a beach towel. We purchased a few alcoholic beverages and drank lots of water to stay hydrated. If you like island music, I highly recommend you check out next year's festival. There is a parade earlier in the day and food vendors.