Firstly a big British hello to my fellow Jaguars fans from the other side of the pond.
I'm planning a trip for British Jaguars fans to come visit Jacksonville and see a regular season game next season. For many of us this will be our first time in America and/or Jacksonville and we are really excited and looking forward to it. As we don't know the shedule yet I can't say for certain but are looking to come visit mid-November to mid-December time and was hoping you might have some advise/pointers for us?
We will probably be flying into Orlando and one question we have is what is the best way of getting from Orlando Airport to Jacksonville? We probably will be staying in the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront (a good choice?)
Any good places to eat? Will we need a car to come tailgate with you guys pregame?
Thanks in advance, all advise welcome. Hope to see many of you in London for the Cowboys game.
Full "details" of the planned trip here:
http://forum.nfluk.com/showthread.php?t=100509
Cheerio!
May I be the first to welcome you here. It is a true pleasure to have you.
On that note, I have no advice for travel arrangements. My apologies.
I hope you have a great time, but take my advice and don't come in September unless you're a native Filipino. It is h o t.
Welcome,
BaronSamedi1980
.
There is amtrak train service between Orlando and Jacksonville for about $40-70 per passenger one-way. You could probably get to the train from the airport via
Super Shuttle.
That hotel is pretty good and there are some good dining options a short distance from it. (the team used to house players there during training camp I think)
Such as: Ruth Chris Steak House - The Charthouse (seafood) - B.B.'s - Bistro Aix - European Street (great spot for a pint and a sandwich)
A few of those may be walking distance - the others a short cab ride from hotel. They are all on the same side of the river as the hotel - if you cross the bridge into "downtown" there are other options.
As a Brit who visited before, I actually stayed at the beach. Plenty of fun drinking to be had after the game.
Welcome, I hope you have a great time here in Jax. I am currently in Germany working with the US Army and I had the pleasure of going to the London game. Although the outcome of the game was expected I had fun anyway touring London and the pep rally. I personally would just rent a car and drive from Orlando is about 2 1/2 hr ride. Places to visit = the Jacksonville Landing,, Friendship Fountain, a few clubs on Bay Street, San Marco, St. Johns Town Square, the beach but need a car as it is a good distance from the city.
The weather is more pleasant Oct, Nov, Dec,, Sept games can be brutal b/c of the Florida heat. I am sure others will post suggestions as well. Enjoy Go Jags!!!
TacoLu. The trip is a failure without eating there once. The scallop taco. The carnitas. The carne royale. The ten dollar taco. And gobs of tequila. Yes please.
I am not a big fan of the Landing. If you're gonna be downtown, some of the bars on Bay St are cool, but I prefer Riverside if you're gonna be staying near that area.
Jax has a great microbrew scene. Intuition Ale Works. Green Room. Engine 15. Bold City. I heard one called Aardwolf (or something like that) is opening in San Marco. If you like beer, those places are cool. Hopefully Kickback's will be done with construction by next year and their walk in cooler can house those 61 missing kegs from their selection. That place rules. Just download the app before you go if you've never been. It's a lot to take in.
Biscotti's is one of my favorite brunch spots in town. That's the problem with Jax. It is massive in size. Everything is so far away.
Oh. And public transportation in this city is a joke. Renting a car would probably be the best bet if that is an option.
Quote:Oh. And public transportation in this city is a joke. Renting a car would probably be the best bet if that is an option.
Definitely. Coming from Europe it is shocking.
^^ Very true, its why I suggest renting a car(one with a GPS maybe a good idea as well)
Glad you will be making the trip! Biscottis Restaurant is great, as is Marker 32 if you are out near the beach. Definitely rent a car, public transportation truly is a joke here and the city is REALLY spread out and will require a little travel to and from places. Also, someone above mentioned the microbreweries. Definitely check those out.
Welcome, and if you choose to rent a car, (which may be the best option), do a little research on driving in America. We do it backward. We are on the right side of traffic, and very few roundabouts. As an American who has driven in many European countries, it takes some getting used to, doing it differently. I prefer public transportation when over there, but you won't have those luxuries here. It's just not the same. Consider staying closer to the ocean rather than downtown. Your experience here will be much more pleasant.
PS: watch out for the light poles.
Awesome! Glad to have you. The timeframe you picked is a great time to see a game here. October can still be a little warm (80's F) but November is great! December can be a little unpredictable, especially late in December - could be sunny 70's or 40's with wind blowing rain sideways.
I wouldn't reccommend the train. Public transportation in Jax is not the general mode of transportation, everyone drives, so those using busses and trains are generally those that don't have a lot of other options. Plus, driving will allow you much more freedom to take in Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. You run out of things to do pretty quickly downtown. It's primarily a working city. Most live outside the city in the suburbs or near the beaches. St. Augustine is a great little town with a lot of history and great beaches about 40 min south of Jax.
Cheers!
Welcome to Duval my friend. Before you leave. As it was stated earlier. You have to hit up TacoLu. If you like fishing I'd give that a go as well. Plenty of good spots to be explored around here. Visit the Zoo. It's respectable. The Alligator farm is awesome as well. Honestly, just visit St. Augustine in general. It's the oldest estbalished city of our country. And it's awesome.
Quote:PS: watch out for the light poles.
They tend to jump behind Mustangs.
I'd stay at the beach, hit San Marco, Riverside, and Downtown...especially if it's a night game.
I think you have the right idea by staying at the Plaza. If you have the extra coins, yes stay at the Beach, but that's a good distance from the stadium and if its a night game how comfortable you feel driving at night in a new city/country. When I went to the London game I stayed as close as I could afford to Wembley and took transit into the core. You wont have that option here. Hopefully you will meet someone and they'll show you around,
Quote:Firstly a big British hello to my fellow Jaguars fans from the other side of the pond.
I'm planning a trip for British Jaguars fans to come visit Jacksonville and see a regular season game next season. For many of us this will be our first time in America and/or Jacksonville and we are really excited and looking forward to it. As we don't know the shedule yet I can't say for certain but are looking to come visit mid-November to mid-December time and was hoping you might have some advise/pointers for us?
We will probably be flying into Orlando and one question we have is what is the best way of getting from Orlando Airport to Jacksonville? We probably will be staying in the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront (a good choice?)
Any good places to eat? Will we need a car to come tailgate with you guys pregame?
Thanks in advance, all advise welcome. Hope to see many of you in London for the Cowboys game.
Full "details" of the planned trip here:
http://forum.nfluk.com/showthread.php?t=100509
Cheerio!
Try google maps.
https://maps.google.com/
Thank you for the warm welcome and the good advice.
Things I have learned:
1. Get a car, with a GPS. Do not rely on public transport. Be prepared for traveling some distance and the city is spread out.
2. Spend a day visiting the beach.
3. TacoLu looks great, thanks for telling me about this, got to try some Mexican food. Seems like a must visit.
4. I love that the is somewhere called "European Street" in Jacksonville, seems like somewhere a group of British Jaguars fans should visit.
5. Check out "The Landing", Bay Street, San Marco and St. Johns Town Square.
6. Spend a day visiting St. Augustine.
7. Do the trip in the cooler months November/December (which was our plan so glad to have that confirmed).
8. Eat at Biscottis & Ruth Chris Steak House at least once.
Other questions:
I know Brits have a poor reputation for tipping (it's not something we are used to doing) however I want to get this right so what is the local custom for tipping?
Are any US fans planning to visit London for the Cowboys game? If so do you have any quetions I can help with?
I will be attending the Cowboy game, but I don't need any help since I was at the 49er game. I just hope they play better this time
. London is an amazing city. I hope others here can go as well.