Riverwalk area Jacksonville

[SFNC cruising]

Interested in staying a couple nights along the riverwalk before cruising. Anyone have any info or recent stays in that area. We are looking at the Omni but dont know the area or what is available. Thanks

[ramidon1]

Well, hopefully you will get a response from someone that has been there very recently but for me its been about 2 years. At that time, it was an awful area. I haven't returned to that part of JAX even though my son lives there & we visit quite frequently. We almost always now stay over near the beaches...Neptune, Atlantic & Jacksonville Beach. My favorite hotel over that way is One Ocean Resort....right on the beach but very walkable to great restaurants, shops, bars, etc. I just really like the area & the hotel is very nice. If their rates are too high, we typically end up at the beach front Courtyard Marriott or the Fairfield Inn directly across the street. Not as walkable as One Ocean but great beach access & really just a very brief car ride to the restaurants & shops I mentioned. I think there is a Hampton Inn there too...

 

Sometimes we stay down @ Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra....very nice area; great golf resort with a beach club accessible by their shuttle.

 

Unless someone can confirm the Riverwalk area has been revitalized, I'd recommend looking elsewhere....

[mspink98]

Sadly, the downtown/Riverwalk area is grossly underutilized. It has so much potential, and there's just nothing going on. There seem to be some plans afoot to hopefully change that, but quite frankly I'll believe it when I see it.

 

The beach hotel suggestions above are great, or you could rent a car (or take a shuttle, I hear good things about this company) and head down to St. Augustine for a couple of days. If you stay in the historic district, you wouldn't need a car once you get there. It's an easy drive down 95 if you do decide to get a car. Probably an hour and 15 minutes or so from the airport, depending on traffic. The beaches below are a half hour to 45 minutes away, depending on which one and traffic, which can be a factor at the beach, especially in the summer.

[SFNC cruising]

Not exactly what I wanted to hear but thanks for the info. Jacksonville is just a beautiful sight as you drive over the bridges and look down on the river that I ASSUMED the river walk and that area would be great. Omni is typically a nice place to stay but unless I hear a more positive experience we will look to spend our time somewhere else. Jacksonville was just a two night stop on the way to Miami. Thanks for the replies.

[mspink98]

I'd definitely recommend St. Augustine. Didn't realize you weren't sailing from Jax.

 

It's a shame about the downtown/Riverwalk area, and I hope our fearless leaders realize that soon and work to improve it.