In addition to the spots recommended below, check the listings in the "Shorelines" and "Go" sections of Friday's Florida Times-Union (www.jacksonville.com) and FolioWeekly (www.folioweekly.com), the free local alternative paper available all over town. Another source is www.jaxevents.com.
The Performing Arts
Jacksonville has plenty of seats for concerts, touring Broadway shows, dance companies, and big-name performers at the 73,000-seat Alltel Stadium, at East Duval and Haines streets (tel. 904/630-3900); the 16,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, 300 A. Phillip Randolph Blvd. (tel. 904/630-3900 for information, or 904/353-3309 for tickets); the 4,400-seat Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, 300 Water St., between Hogan and Pearl streets (tel. 904/630-3900); and the revitalized Ritz Theatre (tel. 904/632-5555). Call or check the sources above for what's playing.
The Bar Scene
You will find several libation options downtown at Jacksonville Landing, including, if you must, a lively waterfront Hooters (tel. 904/356-5400), plus free outdoor rock, blues, country, and jazz concerts every Friday and Saturday night, except during winter. There's also live music on weekends across the river at the River City Brewing Company.
Out at Town Center, at the ocean end of Atlantic Boulevard, one of several popular spots is Ragtime Tavern & Taproom, where local groups play live jazz and blues Wednesday through Sunday nights. On weekends, especially, the place is really jumping and the crowd is young, but it's lively rather than rowdy. Across the street is the Sun Dog Diner, 207 Atlantic Blvd. (tel. 904/241-8221), with nightly acoustic music and decent diner food. If these don't fit your mood, walk around Town Center until you find something you like.
Freebird Live, 200 N. 1st St. (tel. 904/246-2473; www.freebirdlive.com), is a two-story homage to native Jacksonville band Lynyrd Skynyrd, run by late lead singer Ronnie Van Zant's widow and daughter, and featuring live music 6 nights a week. Music fans of a different genre shouldn't miss Stella's Piano Café, 1521 Margaret St. (tel. 904/353-2900), a restaurant housed in an old Victorian home with a second-floor piano bar.
