Southside Park 9a and Baymeadows
Published May 1, 2011 | 
While trying to locate a suitable but inexpensive venue for my granddaughters birthday party we decided to look at the Jacksonville Parks and Recreational website. They only charge about $25 to $40 dollars to reserve picnic areas for parties and they have lots of parking and most usually bathroom facilities. After all our city parks are our own resource for family fun and should be utilized to their fullest least we lose them to budget cuts. The park we decided upon is a fairly new park off of 9A and Baymeadows and oddly enough is called the 9A/Baymeadows Regional Park.
There several covered picnic tables with barbeque grills and a very nice playground for the kids. The parents can sit in the shade and watch your children run around and enjoy yourselves. There is a path around the lake with several benches facing the water. There is usually a nice breeze blowing to keep you cool during the summer. And, of course, there is public restrooms. The main area is centered around the soccer fields with bleachers and a concession stand. Pack yourself a lunch, grab your sunblock and the kids or even just yourself and go check out the park today!
Castaway Island Preserve
Published April 2, 2010 | My family and I like to ride around the Jacksonville Area to see how much things have changed. Since the gas prices are high we haven’t had a chance to get out as much as we would like to. But last week we decided to visit a couple of the local preserves. One such park is called the Castaway Island Preserve. The park is located almost exactly between the Arlington and Southside Area boundaries on the East part of the Jacksonville Florida area. On San Pablo Road between Atlantic and Beach Boulevard is a small little park or preserve with picnic areas, walking trails, an educational center as well as a floating dock to put in a canoe or kayak. You can also fish from the dock area.
Mostly, the preserve is a place to watch wildlife, birds and have a meal in a quiet and pretty setting. As with most parks in the Jacksonville Florida Area it is free to get in, is open from sunrise to sunset and available all year round. Of course, during the summer months its kind of nice to be near the water and being on the Intercoastal Waterway it is very close to the Atlantic Ocean with is cool breezes. As with any outdoor area in Florida you should take precautions with sunscreen, mosquito repellent and lots of water to keep hydrated. There are no swimming areas in the park though. Check out the city webpage: Castaway Island Preserve Webpage
We took some pictures of the area so that you can see what is in the park.
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Reduce Stress Visit A Park
Published December 8, 2009 | Walking in a natural setting has been proven to reduce stress. And now-a-days we need all the stress reductions ideas that are FREE as we can get. One of those is walking in one of the many parks around town. I was just reading about one that I’m going to check out called the Castaway Island Preserve. It is located on San Pablo Road between Beach Boulevard and Atlantic Boulevard. That is on the eastern portion of the Jacksonville Southside Area but it looks to be worth the drive. Here are the particulars:
Castaway Island Preserve
2885 San Pablo Road South
Jacksonville, FL 32224
“The preserve is along the western shore of the Intracoastal Waterway and is adjacent to an intricate salt
marsh ecosystem. Visitors to the preserve will find themselves surrounded by the natural beauty of northeast
Florida. They may stroll along the park’s nature trails, enjoy a picnic with family and friends at one of several
picnic areas, get up close and personal with marshland wildlife from the wooden boardwalk or take in the breathtaking view from the park’s observation platform overlooking the waterway. Other amenities include a 3,000 square foot education center, floating canoe/kayak launch and information kiosk.”
Amenities offered at this park:
7 Benches
1 Canoe/Kayak Launch
50 Car Parking
4 Grills
10 Picnic Tables
1 Restrooms
0.3 Trails Paved (Miles)
1 Wildlife Observation Posts
Yes Drinking Fountain
Yes Perimeter Site Fencing
Yes Security Lighting
Yes Visitor/Interpretive Center
Another Place You might want to try would be the Forestry Tower Park. It is on the corner of Beach Boulevard and Forest Boulevards:
“Forestry Park offers six acres of fun for families and friends looking for a quiet place to picnic or bring the
children for playtime. Visitors to this neighborhood park may relax on one of its 18 benches or grill up some tasty treats on one of the two grills available for cooking out.
Forestry Tower Park Amenities:
18 benches
1 bike rack
2 grills
1 picnic shelter
7 picnic tables
14 parking spaces for automobiles
1 paved trail (0.5 miles)
3 playscape areas
5 trash receptacles
Southside Athletic League
Published October 1, 2009 | Take me out to the old ball game! Yes, baseball is a spring sport but for most of the Little Leagues in the Jacksonville Florida Area they have a Fall season as well. Granted, the Fall season is shorter and has already started but it is not too late to participate or even to go to some games. You can watch the games for free at any of the parks that are sponsored by each of the leagues. The Southside Youth Athletic League has their own website and it is updated with the game schedule for each of the teams. If you have children who would like to participate with a team sport then visit their website and they will have applications, information on how much and which park they play out of. In Jacksonville, we don’t have much in the way of sports for the elementary school age children. These athletic leagues gives youngsters a start in a team sport. For those without children you can always volunteer or even sponsor a team. Get involved this year and sponsors a child, a team or a league in your area!
Updates to website
Published October 13, 2008 | Good day to you! We have updated the website with some new information regarding the Jacksonville, Florida Southside Area Parks, Schools and Day Care Centers. Each of the pages have been updated with acrobat reader file listings of day care centers, public parks and public schools in the zip codes of 32207, 32216, 32224, 32246 and 32256.
Check out all the pages on this website as we have gathered pictures on each of the subject areas and have added slideshows at the bottom of the pages. For those page that do not have a slideshow yet stay tuned as we are working on it as fast as we can.
If you want to make a comment or suggestion for any additions or improvements to our website please feel free to subscribe to the blog and make them. Please make sure you keep them rated ‘G’ as this is a family website.
To view these pages you can click on the pages on the sidebars, the tabs at the top of the page or just click on the lines below:
Updated pages of Jacksonville Southside Area Day Care Centers
Updated pages of Jacksonville Southside Area Public Parks
Updated pages of Jacksonville Southside Area Public Schools
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