The Riverfront Loop Preview

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We love our public parks! The neighborhoods of Avondale and Riverside have 26 public parks and several of them, like this one, are along the St Johns River. This is where the river is at its widest point, as it takes an easterly turn toward downtown as she tumbles slowly to the Atlantic Ocean. Looking at the river and to the right, you will see historic neighbood of Ortega. Beyond that you can see the water towers at Navy Station Jacksonville, NAS Jax. The St Johns Riverkeeper is a lead advocacy group to help protect this precious asset.

John Murray Forbes was an abolitionist from Boston who was riding on a steamboat on the St Johns RIver in 1868, he was admiring the bluff of land on the north bank of the river, Dell's Bluff, so he bought it for $10,000. There are plans to enhance this space with landscaping, signs, benches and more. For now, just admire the beauty of the river, you can see San Marco on the south bank of the river.

During the 1920's, revivals of European architectural styles were common. Among the popular English derivatives, the Tudor Revival style with its distinctive half-timbering was most often used for residences. Jacobethan Revival was another style borrowed from the English, and its monumental appearance made it well suited for educational and ecclesiastical buildings. It was often adapted to residential structures as well, however, and this house is Jacksonville's foremost example of this style. This style shows some of the trappings common with the Tudor Revival style, such as massive polygonal chimneys, a slate roof, leaded glass windows, and Tudor style arches over windows and doors. The most prominent feature of the main facade is the 3 ½-story tower with a crenelated parapet, which contributes to the castle-like quality of this house. TThe dramatic scale and riverfront siting make this one of Jacksonville's most significant mansions. It was built in 1928-1929 at a cost of over $100,000 for Leon Cheek, head of the Cheek-Neal Coffee Company, which later became the Maxwell House Coffee Company. The remnants of Cheek's huge private boat dock can still be seen in the river in front of the house.

Memorial Park is a 5.85-acre public park with a the grand sculpture "Spiritualized Life" by Charles Pillars. This is the third-oldest park in the city, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, it was dedicated on Christmas Day 1924. The park was designed by famed lanscape architects, the Olmstead Brothers. The same Olmstead's who did Central Park in New York, the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and nearly 6,000 public parks around the country.

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida. Come celebrate the holidays with the Cummer on Luminaria with live music and special holiday libations in teh cafe. Be sure to step inside to do some holiday shopping in the Cummer gift shop, an amazing collection of fantastic gift ideas!

This beautiful sculpture honors the memory of US Representitive Tillie Fowler. Created by artist Brower Hatcher in 2009, this was commissioned by Jacksonville's Art in Public Places program. The three orbs represent the energy of Tillie's spirit; Family, Community and Country. There is also Tillie Fowler Park off Roosevelt which is a great place to ride mountain bike trails.

Welcome to the LaVilla Link trailhead. While you are here, you can exit the "Riverwalk and Parks" route and load the "LaVilla Link" Route, or, continue on the detour to the next stop, back to the Northbank Riverwalk.

The LaVilla Link is 1.3 miles long and connects Brooklyn to the S-Line, which is an existing rail trail. The LaVilla Link was not part of the initial master plan draft, it was suggested by neighborhood residents who wanted direct access downtown. This project is a testament to the value of community engagement and bringing residents to the decision-making table.

You are taking a slight detour you around the Riverwalk closures but you are in luck! Welcome to the first completed piece of the Emerald Trail, the LaVilla Link, follow along the trailhead.

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park is a City of Jacksonville public park that honors two of Jacksonville’s most famous residents, James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.

The Johnson brothers wrote “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” often called the Black National Anthem, at their home in the LaVilla neighborhood between 1900 and 1905. At the time, James Weldon worked at – and later would become principal of – Stanton High School just down the street.

The Park is located on the site of the Johnson Brothers’ family home. Both James Weldon and John Rosamond made major contributions to American arts and culture and the civil rights movement during their lifetimes and beyond.

The Park was designed by Walter Hood, a world-renowned landscape architect who is a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” recipient.

The Park stage is constructed of a historic shotgun house, which was a common structure in LaVilla at the turn of the century. Shotgun homes were narrow — 12 feet wide or less — which allowed builders to fit more homes on crowded city streets and gave residents increased airflow throughout the house. It’s said you could fire a shotgun from the front door through the back door.

Welcome to Jacksonville's oldest park and the centerpiece to downtown Jacksonville. Around the park you will find city hall in the historic St James Building, MOCA, the Museum of Contemporart Art, the Downtown Library and murals, several murals to discover! James Weldon Johnson wrote the song "Lift E'vry Voice and Sing" in the year 1900, just blocks away from the park. It is sung and celebrated today as the Black National Anthem. Ride your Art Bike close to City Hall and look in the windows--you'll see a lovely display representing the history of Jacksonville, maps and other fun facts about the area.

Riverfront Plaza is already a hit! The park is multiple parks all in one, starting with the interactive playground and several connecting walkways to take you along the river and to new parts of the park which will open in the months to come. Riverfront Plaza will be home to Jacksonville's Musical Heritage Garden.

Friendship Fountain is back! After 3 years of renovation, the fountain resumed delighting people with dancing water and magical lights in February of 2024. When the park opened in 1965, the Fountain of Friendship was the world’s largest and tallest fountain, capable of spraying 17,000 gallons of water a minute to a height of 120 feet. Accentuated by colored lights at night, it soon became a popular tourist destination and local recreation site. The Museum of Science and History is closing as it prepares to move to a new location on the other side of the river. Friendship Fountain has a brand new playground and has all kinds of events including live music, yoga and light shows. Click Here to see whats happening in the park! The park provides a wonderful view of downtown Jacksonville and access to the Southbank Riverwalk that opened in 1985. There are nightly light shows at the fountain every half hour starting at 7 PM

Mirrored River is part of the City of Jacksonville and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s Art in Public Places Program (APP) that seeks to add public art to the city’s new construction projects. As the Southbank Riverwalk undergoes renovation, integrating public art into the redesign will, according to the Art in Public Places Committee (APPC), “bring…vibrancy and increased walkability to Downtown Jacksonville.”

RiversEdge Park is an incredible multi-use park with more than 4 acres of space to discover and enjoy. From the massive central park playground, to the winding boardwalk through the tidal marshes to the interactive games and an cozy riverfront seating, this park is a crown jewel for the city of Jacksonville. The park is a partnership with RiversEdge Development, the new heart and soul of downtown Jacksonville. Enjoy this park! Ride through along the Riverwalk to the end then go on the boardwalk which will wind you through the tidal marsh, then get back on the Riverwalk and ride to the next destination, the mural under the Main Street Bridge (the blue bridge). The construction you see across the river, next to the stadium is the Four Seasons Hotel, as you can see, things are really moving along!

The sUP opened in April of 2023 connecting the Southbank of the St Johns River with the Northbank to Five Points and Riverside. This is an incredible piece of infrastructure that was over 10 years in the making, the Shared use Path is amost a mile long as it spans across the St Johns River. There are several pull-outs at the top of the bridge where you can pause for photos and scan the river for dolphin. Ride up and over the sUP and take a hard right on the other side, follow the path to Children's Way and follow the directions to RiversEdge. There is a very nice bike lane on the left side of the road after you cross San Marco Blvd.

Lucius T. Smith, a real estate developer, was the first owner of this house. Although its architect is unknown, the overall design was obviously influenced by Klutho's George W. Clark Residence at 2059 Riverside Avenue (built in 1911 and now demolished). Smith's house originally had a red brick first story, like the garage in the rear, which further emphasized the horizontal flow of the exterior. In 1946 the house was converted to an osteopathic hospital, and a highly unsympathetic addition was added to cover much of the front of the house. Thirty years later it was dramatically restored to become a residence again, but the brick of the lower story could not be salvaged. The identity of the architect of this house has never been officially documented.

Celebrating 100 years, this park exists because of William Elijah Boone, a prominent Jacksonville businessman and a great-nephew of the legendary Daniel Boone. In the 1920s, Boone donated much of this land to the City of Jacksonville with a powerful condition: it must remain a public park forever. Not sold. Not developed. Just open, shared space for the community. That promise still holds today and this memorial honors his donation to future generations. This is Boone Park South, head north and cross Hershel street into Boone Park North. Here you will discover the old Girl Scouts cabin, public tennis courts and another newly renovated playground. Enjoy the lush canopy of trees or follow Fishweir Creek as the natural border for the park. If you are lucky, you may spot a river oetter!

Since the beginning local volunteers have worked to create the Park you see today. Prior to the 1990s, other than the tennis center on Park Street, the park was largely undeveloped, only occasionally mowed, and dark at night. Many older residents recall climbing trees, catching frogs, and enjoying this ‘wild’ place. In the 1990s, several neighbors, spearheaded by local architect Richard Skinner, started a decade-long series of improvements of Boone Park and the Shoppes of Avondale. Access to the park was enhanced with an asphalt pathway, ornamental lighting, benches, and a playground on the St. Johns Ave end. The design focused on maintaining the ‘wildness’ of the park by avoiding a more formal design, like Memorial Park or Riverside Park.

In recent years, the Clontz Family Foundation helped fund and design a new innovative playground at the St Johns Ave end. Other recent improvements include installation of pickle ball courts, a very new playground at the Park Street end, and planting of trees and pollinator gardens.

Boone Park North is where history, community service, and quiet persistence all meet beneath the trees. This building is the Girl Scout House, built in the 1930s and still in use today. For generations, it has been a place of learning, leadership, and civic engagement — a reminder that Boone Park has always been about more than recreation. It’s about people investing in one another.

This area is also closely tied to Jacksonville’s tennis history. The courts and clubhouse once hosted major public tournaments and brought regional attention to Boone Park as a civic destination — not just a neighborhood green space. Now you can play tennis or pickle ball with an assortment of leagues available to join.

What makes this place special isn’t any single feature. It’s the continuity. Nearly a century after its creation, Boone Park is still doing what it was meant to do: offering room to breathe, gather, learn, and move at a human pace.

That continuity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s sustained by volunteers, advocates, and neighbors who show up — pruning, planting, organizing, and speaking up when the park needs care.

Tucker Cycles is the world-wide headquarters of Art Bikes Jax! The world's only Art Bikes! Holt Tucker is Jacksonville's most sought-after bike mechanic and helps to keep our Art Bikes fleet in top shape. Come in for bikes, accessories, service and awesome Tucker Cycles merch! You can also pick up historic Jacksonville merch!