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Most Gainesville residents view Jax as the home of the annual Florida/Georgia debauchery and not much else. But beyond the world’s largest tailgating party, there is more to the city than meets the eye. Being the largest city in the U.S. by land area, Jacksonville natives tend to joke that you can experience any part of the city in just a 30 minute drive.
Your Friday afternoon lecture is extending far beyond your mental focus and you are looking for a quick escape. Grab your friends and make the hour and a half trip over to the River City for a weekend of (hopefully) a little less debauchery than you usually experience in the 904.
Expected time of arrival: Friday, 6 p.m.
Friday Dinner
You have been in the car for a little over an hour and a half. You need some dinner and maybe a drink…or two. Head over to Atlantic Beach to start your night.
Poe’s Tavern
Prepare your taste buds for the best burger you have ever experienced. Poe’s Tavern is a place that specializes in the most kickass burgers and plentiful booze all inspired by the great Edgar Allan Poe. First timers: ask about the burger of the day. It is usually some sort of messed up awesomeness. Start your meal out with the chips and queso dip (before you delve into the white, creamy goodness stir the pico around in the dip) and order a few drinks. The burgers are ground in-house which makes the meat juicy and fresh. Burger combinations offer off the wall choices such as a burger with a crab cake atop it, one smothered with guacamole or even one drenched in Edgar’s drunken chili and an egg. If you’re starving: go for the Rue Morgue. It is a burger sitting on a bed of fries, topped with chili, queso and an egg. The only regrets will lie in your waistline.
Beach and Booze
You’ve successfully filled your stomach with enough sustenance to soak the mass quantities of alcohol you’re about to consume. Now is time to start the beach bar crawl. The beach bars are probably the most popular location for twenty-somethings to get plastered, so you’re always in for a good time.
Ritz
Start out at the Ritz, because that is where most people go. The Ritz has a really social atmosphere so it’s a great place to meet new people. Try the Grand Slam, which is a shot that tastes like breakfast food. After you have stayed your welcome at the Ritz, you can stop outside and get a Ritzdog which is a hotdog that, when combined with copious amounts of alcohol, tastes like it was created by Jesus himself.
Shim Sham
If you feel like forgetting literally everything you have done that night (which we don’t highly advise considering the rest of the weekend we have lined up for you), Shim Sham has a shot called the Jeffery which is on fire…literally. This shot is guaranteed to make you forget your night. Without a doubt, it happens every time. Shim Sham is frequently called Shit Sham because that’s just about what a stop at Shim Sham looks like.
The Pier
The Pier’s top floor plays throwback dance music from the ’90s and ’00s. That’s all you need to know. Get groovy over at The Pier. They also have a dancefloor downstairs that plays current music for those who don’t like bathing themselves in millennial nostalgia. But really, who doesn’t?
Lynch’s Irish Pub
End your night at Lynch’s because at this point in the night you won’t mind that it smells a bit too much like smoke there. On Friday’s, Lynch’s has live music to accompany your madness. If you make it here, enjoy a cold one and some live tunes.
Drunken Munchies
Shack Maui
After you get blitzed, soak it all up with Jacksonville’s newest late night food spot. Skip out on post-beach bars Pita Pit (give your Midtown drunken buddy a rest), and hit up Shack Maui. Uber over and grab a late night bite. The prices are low, they are open late and the food is Maui inspired. Sober up a bit and enjoy.
Saturday Morning
After a night of beach bar fun, it is time to live like the hipsters a bit. Head over to Riverside and embrace the fact that nearly everyone there is slightly pretentious. The area borders the St. Johns River, the food is good and the thrifting is plentiful.
Maple Street Biscuit Co.
Not exactly a Jacksonville local anymore, but a Jacksonville staple. Maple Street is opening a Gainesville location soon. Much like Metro Diner, Maple Street has a special place in nearly everyone from Jacksonville’s heart. Their chicken biscuits are really just that good. Before the delectable bits of southern comfort invade the 352, head to the Edgewood location before you begin your day.
Riverside Arts Market
The Riverside Arts Market has a host of vendors every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that offer local food, handmade art pieces and live performances. The market lines the river and most people bring their dogs, so really, what more could you want?
Sweet Theory Baking Co.
For that midday snack, grab something (you likely won’t be disappointed with any choice) from Sweet Theory. This is one of the hidden secrets among Jax locals. The menu changes daily and once the bakery is sold out of their delectable bits of heaven, they are closed for the day. Get there early and let your taste buds enjoy. Sweet Theory also offers plenty of gluten free and vegan options.
Bold Bean Coffee
If you need a mini pick-me-up instead of coating your arteries with sugar, head over to Bold Bean and grab a coffee. Not a coffee person? Their hot chocolate is the perfect blend of chocolatey sweetness. They also sell a variety of teas.
Five Points
Walk off your donuts at the historic Five Points and experience all the shops and historic value you can find. Bump around 5 Points Antiques for some quick thrifting or head over to Deep Search for a bit of record shopping. If you’re in the market from vintage clothing gems, walk over a few streets to That Poor Girl Vintage. It is a single door in a strip of shops, so be careful not to miss it.
Hawkers
After all of that walking and shopping, head over to Riverside’s most popular Asian food stop. Hawkers is by far one of the best bits of Asian food that you will experience in Jacksonville. It is a local favorite, so prepare for a wait. The food comes out as soon as it is ready, regardless of the status of the rest of your party’s food so that everything is piping hot when it gets to your mouth. I recommend sharing with your group so that you can experience a variety of Hawker’s finest dishes.
Saturday Night
After walking around Riverside, be sure to hit up a few of their bars. The scene is equally as hipster as the rest of the area, so snap on some suspenders and if you have a tat, be sure to flaunt it.
The Loft
Start at The Loft. It is the equivalent of the Ritz, but for the Riverside bars. This is where most people go, especially those who want to escape the Beach bar scene for a night. There will be mass amounts of people wanting to be cool for a night. Just embrace it.
Rogue
Next, hit up Rogue. Legend has it, if you don’t get a picture of yourself in the bathtub they have there, then you never really went to Rogue at all.
Dahlia’s Pour House
Beer lovers, unite. Dahlia’s is a pour house so all they do is beer. If you like beer, go here. Simple enough.
Drunchies
Kickbacks Gastropub
Yes friends, we have reached that point in the night again. The Drunchies have set in once again. Do not fret. Kickbacks, a gastropub with the coolest menu, is here for your late night needs. You can live like a kid again on the “throwback” part of their menu and get a PB&J. I recommend their house mac ‘n’ cheese, though.
Sunday Funday
Zeta Brewing
Brunch at Zeta is essential. Nurse your hipster hangover with more alcohol, am i rite? A Zeta Brunch day is so popular that they recently changed their hours to open at 9 a.m. so I suggest you get there early. If you aren’t there before 11 you will have to experience the dreaded wait. Once you get in, try their beermosa, which is exactly what it sounds like: Zeta brewed beer and OJ.
Lemon Bar
After Zeta, Lemon Bar is the place to be on a beach day. A beach-side bar is really all there is to it. Try the Lemon Bar Freeze, their signature drink.
Atlantic Beach
Time to rest your soul at Atlantic beach. You can walk right over to the beach after Lemon Bar and soak in the sun for a while before heading back to Gainesville. Drink lots of water and enjoy your view as your body attempts to recover from the weekend you just had.
After you have successfully sobered up and soaked up the sun, head back to Hogtown. The drive is just under two hours so you can get back and still have time to finish that quiz that you totally forgot was due on Canvas at 11:59.
Not feelin’ Jax? Check out our Weekend Getaway Guides for Tampa, Miami, Tallahassee, Boca Raton, St. Petersburg and St. Augustine.
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