J Magazine Winter 2018

Riverside, San Marco and Springfield, but
until Downtown has more options, we won’t
be wholly satisfied with what’s between the
Southbank and State Street.
That said, there are gems Downtown, and
if you are looking to spend the day, or a few
days there, here’s what we recommend for
families.
time for toddlers. I normally go when my
husband can go with us, so we can split
up and let the older kids check out books
that interest them while the little kids hang
out in the kids section and listen to the
stories. The library also has a makerspace
that offers all kinds of activities and classes
from virtual reality to guitar lessons. There
are calendars online for all of the events
that are happening for kids of all ages.
the Northbank Riverwalk is the Cummer
Museum of Art and Gardens. On Tuesday
evenings, admission is free. It’s great because
it is a nice place to get the kids out of the
house. The older kids really like to walk
around and look at the art while the younger
kids enjoy spending hours playing in the
kids’ area.
The two older kids have gone to the
Cummer summer camp for the last several
years and love to share with us all they
learned about the different pieces on exhibit
as we walk through. All the kids enjoy
walking though the garden on the river.
We were so excited this month to see the
gardens were reopened from the hurricane
damage that kept them closed for so long.
The kids can run around, smell the
flowers (the 2-year-old’s favorite part) or
grab a “create” box and draw. You can get a
coffee or drink or have dinner at the cafe as
well. It really is a great weeknight stop for our
whole family.
Chamblin’s Uptown
One thing our three older kids enjoy
doing Downtown is hitting Chamblin’s
Uptown for breakfast or a snack before
book shopping. Chamblin’s is by far the
best book store in town, and I’ll go out on a
limb and say maybe in Florida. You could
literally spend hours wandering the store.
If your kids are older and are at the point
of reading chapter books, then I highly
suggest going. The books are mostly used
and super affordable. The cafe is great and
has options for vegetarians or vegans.
Downtown Library
If you haven’t gotten your fill of reading
material, or you want something that is
a little friendlier to younger children, the
Main Library location is on the block next
to Chamblin’s. If you’ve never been, this
location is huge. They have a great story
Hemming Park
Across the street from the library is
Hemming Park. We think the park itself is
better suited for smaller kids. They have a
kids’ zone in the park with giant Legos and
foam building blocks. It’s pretty cool, and
our young kids would have played there all
morning on our last visit. There are also food
trucks daily at the park, so I can grab a coffee
while the older kids read a book and the
younger kids play in the kids’ zone. As cool as
my kids think the kids’ zone is, I would love
if it were a playground with equipment that
would keep them engaged longer, and that
could be a destination for other families to
bring their children to play together.
Cummer Museum
Just outside of Downtown at the end of
The Museum of
Science & History
The Museum of Science and History
(MOSH) is a great place for us because it
has something to offer all of the kids. The
2-year-old loves the toddler area and the
small exhibit of live reptiles and birds. The
older kids look forward to whatever traveling
exhibit is currently set up, and never get tired
of the “walk through Jacksonville history”
exhibit. I love the variety of planetarium
shows as well. They offer a daily show for
toddlers, but I occasionally sneak out with
the older kids to see one of the shows that
are geared towards older audiences.
On our most recent visit, the temporary
exhibit was a superhero-themed setup
called “Hall of Heroes.” A model of an old
bat car and Dr. Who’s Tardis were huge hits
with our kids. There were a ton of interactive
stations that managed to engage all four kids,
and we ended up spending about an hour in
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J MAGAZINE | WINTER 2018-19