The Old City is the perfect spot to celebrate the nation’s birthday. There is always a lot going on in St Augustine, and the city is always well worth a visit. Take a stroll in the historic downtown district, enjoy the many quaint shops and restaurants and the atmosphere, before heading to the waterfront for [...]

Ice Skating & Family Activities all weekend

Make a family day of fun for the Fourth of July, and start already on Friday with lots of activities for the family. Come to the Veterans Memorial arena between noon and 9 p.m for arts, crafts and interactive games including: Rock Climbing Wall, Dance Dance Revolution, Inflatable Twister, [...]

Visit St Johns Town Center Farmers Market for fresh vegetables, plants, organic food and much more. This is one of Jacksonville’s newest farmers market. It takes place on Fridays from 3 pm to 8 pm.
Click here for the calendar entry for St Johns Town Center Farmers Market

Stars & Stripes Freedom Festival – Fernandina, Amelia Island, FL
What better way to celebrate America’s independence than the Stars and Stripes Festival in Fernandina, Florida? The festival takes place in Amelia Island’s Central Park and begins with a patriotic parade down Centre Street at 7:00 p.m. in the historic district; followed by a barrage of [...]

Start your 4th of July celebration early this year with fireworks on Thursday July 2nd. The fireworks show is schedule to start after dark.
You can actually turn Thursday into a full-fledged Independence Day extravaganza at the World Golf Village by combining the fireworks show with dinner and a BIG movie. Enjoy an All-American buffet [...]

If you like beer, and want to learn more about beers and brewing, come to the 2009 Jacksonville Craft and Import Beer Festival. Here you have the opportunity to sample over 30 different breweries with over 200 beers to taste. There’s also great food to go along with your beverages. Local restaurants are serving up [...]

When you’re visiting St. Augustine, don’t miss the free concerts on Thursday nights. It’s the best way to enjoy a beautiful summer evening.
For the 19th year, St. Augustine continues with the free Concerts in the Plaza series. This popular event is said to be “the best way to spend a Thursday night in the Old [...]

During the summer you can take your whole gang to the cinema for selected free screenings at Regal Cinema. Regal Entertainment Group has a nine week long Free Family Festival going on at selected theatres, now for the 19th year.
Participated theatres show G and PG rated movies for free on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at [...]

The British royal family has a long history and tradition. Part of the tradition is embodied in the British Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels have been kept at the Tower of London since 1303. The Crown Jewels are kept in a part of the Tower known as Jewel House, where armed guards defend them.
While the [...]

English raiders attack St. Augustine, Florida.
On Saturday, June 6, English pirates lead by Sir Francis Drake will once again decende on St. Augustine in an authentic re-creation of Drake’s Raid of 1586.
On June 7, 1586, Drake’s 23 ships and 2,000 Englishmen attacked the city with cannons from Anastasia Island. The next day, they stormed through [...]

The City of Jacksonville invites you to “Make A Scene Downtown” on Thursday, June 4 at a street festival on Bay Street (between Newnan and Ocean streets) featuring Happy Hour at the Ivy Ultra Bar beginning at 5:30 p.m. Entertainment by the George Aspinall Band and AIA, the official Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show will [...]

Visit downtown Jacksonville for the monthly art walk on Wednesday June 3th, 2009. This event takes place the first Wednesday of the month from 5 pm – 9 pm, rain or shine.
Several venues downtown serve as galleries during the art walk event. Start your self-guided tour at  Art Walk Headquarters with Fogle Fine Art’s exhibition [...]

Each year, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival invites internationally acclaimed talent and the finest musicians from the Southeast to Amelia Island, Florida. Performances are held at a variety of venues in Fernandina Beach during a two week period from May 21 – June 14, 2009.
The Festival includes a wide range of musical tastes, including: [...]

Here in the south it’s hot, and as you know, not all plants do well in our climate, especially plants in containers. Now you can get tips and tricks about what plants can do well so that you can let your inspiration flourish for your container garden.
The first Summer Garden Tour of 2009 will [...]

Starting on Saturday May 23rd, the World Golf Hall of Fame is offering a special rate for residents from Florida and Georgia to the special “Bob Hope: Shanks for the Memory” exhibit.
Florida and Georgia residents pay only $10 admission through Sunday, October 4. With a ticket you can visit the World Golf Hall of [...]

This year the Jazz Festival offers free performances from renowned artists Roberta Flack, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Chris Botti, Boney James, Stanley Clarke Trio, Jazz Attack, Joe Sample & Patti Austin, Jimmy Cobb, Guitars & Saxes, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Latin Jazz All Stars, Mindi Abair, Dr. John & the Lower 911, Bill Frisell’s 858 [...]

This year’s festival is highlighting the Right Whale. Every year the festival chooses a focal point, last year it was the gopher tortoise and the year before the painted bunting.
There are only about 350 Northern Right Whales left, which is why the festival is highlighting them this time around.
There are lots of different activities during [...]

Jacksonville Film Festival kicks off again on Thursday May 14th with reception and the opening movie at the Florida Theatre. The opening film was actually completely shot in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra and is the acclaimed “Like Dandelion Dust” with Mira Sorvino and Cole Hauser.
The movie is based on the Karen Kingsbury’s best-selling novel
Like Dandelion [...]

Jacksonville Green Expo takes place twice a year. We visited the recent expo at Prime Osborne Center. There was so many vendor booths to visit with lots of interesting new technologies, sustainable products and ideas about green living. Coastal Companion was one of the proud sponsors for the Jacksonville Green Expo.
Take a look at this [...]

As you know, it’s nothing but golf – golf – golf – this week and as part of the upcoming PLAYERS Championship, THE PLAYERS Downtown Experience returns for the third time to Downtown Jacksonville on Tuesday, May 5, through Sunday, May 10.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, May 5, you can visit the beautiful Cummer Museum of Art and [...]

Enjoy the nice weather with a free movie under the stars. This time it’s the funny family-friendly flick “Beetlejuice” from 1988 with Michael Keaton. This movie was directed by Tim Burton.
Bring your own picnic blankets or chair to Treaty Oak Park for a night out with the family. Create your own dinner and a movie [...]

Come downtown for the 2009 Jacksonville Jazz Festival on May 21-24, 2009. The event will feature renowned jazz performances in the heart of downtown Jacksonville on Laura Street. The whole downtown area will turn into a colorful, vibrant street festival. Besides music, you can enjoy the Heart Art Show & Sale, Wine Down Tasting Experience, [...]

We had a great time at the Butterfly Festival. There was so much to see, so many cute animals, and some not so cute, and a whole bunch of kids joined the fun.
Take a look at this little video from the Butterfly Festival to see what the excitement at Tree Hill Nature Center was all [...]

We can never resist a fun event on the beach – and a sand castle competition draws a crowd all day long.
Take a look at some of the fun and creative creations that we found on Jacksonville Beach during the opening of the beaches weekend.