The Jacksonville Landing

Initially, I was a bit surprised when I saw the reviews for The Landing. Yet again, Unilocalers couldn’t have gotten it more right.
I’ve been here a few times. Primarily, for the Young the Giant concert on Memorial Day. Holy hell, this place was a total zoo. Underage kids filled the scene. I’m 25 and I felt more like a dad than anything else.
There was no security. Literally, none. Kids were rushing the stage without consequence. I’m not one to be concerned for my safety often, but for a concert precautions must be taken.
As far as shops and restaurants are concerned, I don’t see a reason for me to ever return. This place might be an institution, but it needs a full overhaul. «Meh,» my sentiments exactly.

Although I like the location of this venue, it seems it’s time for a serious refresh. The place is very dated. The live entertainment, which is a nice idea, tends the be less-​than-​great. It would help if they could carry a tune. I went to the plaza area two nights and saw tons of drunks and druggies.

Not what we expected! Many of the shops are closed, very dirty… Restaurants did not look appealing… Homeless all around the area… Would not venture back to this place again!

In town on business, the cabdriver and a couple of other people recommended this area. They must have memories from long ago when the place was clean and inviting, perhaps. No more. I was talking to my wife on the phone as I was walking Tour to this area from my hotel and she wondered how safe it was. I did too. And this was broad daylight. I’m not a sissy but I did take a pen out of my pocket to use as an emergency makeshift weapon in case one of the vagrants took too much of a liking to my DSLR camera.
After exiting the indoor area of the Landing, on the spur of the moment I took the water taxi on the river. I was the only passenger. The guy directing things told me about a couple of nice restaurants on the other side of the river. I chose one, BB’s Bar and I had one of the best steaks I’ve ever had in my life. From what little I have seen of downtown Jacksonville, as is the case in many cities, part of it is thriving and part of it is dying. The Jacksonville Landing falls in the latter category, I’m afraid. I will avoid this area in the future.

This place is pretty dirty.
All the stores were closed.
The bathrooms were old and gross.
Nice setting on the river.
A lot of places to get drinks.
There was a. I e Christmas concert when we were there. Unless you are going for a specific reason like that, stay away.

The landing could use a major renovation with newer shops and restaurants. Its in a great location.

Sitting out by the river on a hazy Saturday. You’ll never know who you will strike up a conversation with. Here you will find restaurants, clubs and retail dealers. There planned events being held here every week so pick up a calendar. This is a great place to have a drink and people watch. This is one of Jacksonville’s gems !

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and the light irony of the Christmas tree kicks this season off right. Tons of Christmas caroling and egg nog, dancing and music and Christmas lights. Children are happy and the parents are children again. At the landing hooters line was crazy long but the bar across the walk was open and the drinks was to over price. Other than that he event was fun and full of Christmas spirit. Family event

Like many other reviewers I found this place to be a sad shadow of it’s former self. Without the restaurants that probably cater to the surrounding office buildings I doubt it will still be open. It has such potential but now it is just sort of sad and depressing to walk around. Sadly I don’t know how they could revitalize it, it’s not the easiest place to get too, free parking is not really an option and unless you want something to eat (or drink) there is not much reason to go there. I did enjoy watching the river and thought the water taxi was a great idea. It is certainly a nice area to stroll along on a cool day and being able to sit outside and enjoy a meal is also a great option.

Located on the banks of St. John’s, this landmark aptly provides an open air venue to organize small scale events like concerts with local and upcoming artists. This cresent shaped landmark, not sure if it qualifies as landmark, when viewed from the other side of the river or the bridge looked nice with great promise but it all fizzled after spending few minutes on the venue.
The place looked old and not so clean and had few good restaurants. The food court looked alright but it was closed at 9 pm on Saturday night. One thing was for sure, there were lot of stalls and stores to get the booze, so not everything was missed by me while watching some Reggae band.
There few restaurants with outdoor seating area facing the venue, so you can sit there and enjoy the event going on here. There seem to be a decent seafood restaurant very close to the pavilion and a bar with pool table. I guess there is a river boat ride available from here, which if true, will have to try next time… must be nice on clear summer nights.
Few weeks ago I saw some proposed plan to reconstruct this venue in the firstcoastnews website and this place rightly needs one, otherwise, this place will just be one of those places that is good for far but far from good and visitors will continue to mock this site like some of the reviews here on Unilocal

Went on a Tues, didn’t know what time place closed. Found out after paying $ 5 for parking place, closes in 1 hr. Literally all the stores were closed, place looked run down n DEAD! Should have read reviews first. Unless there is a really good event going on or it’s renovated, we will not be back anytime soon.

I found something in Jacksonville that stinks worse than the Jags! The Landing has lots of potential but falls flat. It was pretty dead, with J’villes not-​so-​hottest people mulling around. Jam out to horrible live music, eat at some of America’s most generic restaurants, and stroll through the half-​empty shopping center! Don’t miss J’ville’s best bums either!
In all fairness, this tourist district could be cool if they cleaned it up. The stench of the river didn’t help and the lack of decent restaurants isn’t helping! There was a food truck festival and that was cool. It wasn’t Portland, but the five or six trucks were pretty decent!
Have you been to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor? Yeah, it’s not like that! It’s not nearly as big or cool, but at least there weren’t any riots, or any looting, so hey, not a total loss! If you’re bored and you’re already downtown in the area and you’re drunk, check it out! You can buy beer and walk around with it!

The Jacksonville landing was a pretty cool place to visit and hang out as they had a nice square to kick it & chill with many chairs and tables in the area to just sit and relax. There is also a very beautiful backdrop of the water and the bridges and when we went there that night we watched a live band playing which made the place rock!
great for a date night on those Saturday nights as there are many cool restaurants and dessert places around the area to fill your belly and spark up conversations! nice clean area as well!

We came down on Sunday to get out of the house and take in some sun. We sat on a bench up top talked and people watched. With it being Sunday a lot of places were closed yet it was peaceful and we enjoyed the calmness and watched the sunset.

So much potential and a great location, but it may be a while before we see this place hopping again. I think, for the most part, The Landing has seen its heyday. I’ve been coming here since my days in college for the FL/​GA games and 10 years ago when Twisted Martini first opened. The shops and businesses need revamping and it’s such a shame, because The Landing is prime real-​estate with the gorgeous views of the river. And now that the ferry no longer runs and unless there’s some huge event downtown, there’s nothing that really draws me here on a regular basis.

I kinda enjoyed this place, although it was pretty empty. There weren’t many stores open but hey, it’s a perfect view of St. Johns River. We simply had Mimosas and enjoyed the view. I would go back maybe to catch a live band or the lighting of this years Christmas tree…
Only major issue is that it seems to be a large amount of homeless people hanging around but they didn’t bother us. But!!!

I’m closer to «I’m a fan» than «A-​ok» on this one. The Jacksonville Landing is the de facto focal point of downtown Jacksonville and is its face to the St. John’s River.
The Bank of America is the city’s tallest tower and the historic Florida Theatre is one cool place, but it’s not as if you can «hang out» at these places. The Jacksonville Landing is indeed ideal for hanging out. You can also go to the Landing to shop, eat, or just take in the surroundings, thought that doesn’t pump money into the shops, the Landing, the city, and the state coffers. The views back to downtown over the top of the Landing’s buildings and across the river, with its bridges, are very nice.
The Jacksonville Landing was the right thing to do. Miami has Bayfront, Oakland has Jack London Square, Baltimore has the Inner Harbor, and Seattle has Pike Place Market. These have been bigger successes. Why the Landing has some vacancies or isn’t as touted is not within my purview. I don’t fully know the economic base, demographics, and other factors affecting Jacksonville’s downtown core. However, as others have said, the Landing is an agreeable spot, right on the river and about a block away from the fare-​free Skyway.
Also, kudos to The Jacksonville Landing for having a resourceful information/​tourist office located within. Each time I’ve gone there, the employees have been cordial, welcoming, and had all sorts of information at their fingertips. Lastly, the placement of the food court upstairs, and with views over the St. John’s River, make for a space that breathes very well and provides a good atmosphere in which to have lunch or a snack.

As a lot of other people have said, the Landing used to be a lot more when I was a kid. I remember a lot more shops and just more. It seems that something is finally happening Downtown and there are many more options for food and entertainment. The lack of those things in the past may have been what made the Landing seem better than it was? Who knows.
There are a couple of pretty good restaurants here (I recommend sticking with Fionn MacCools or the sushi restaurant) with great views of the river. Things get crazy here a few times a year (FL/​GA, the Christmas tree lighting, 4^th of July, etc) but most of the time it’s pretty laidback. The Landing gives a few nice options if you’re going to see a show at the TU Center and don’t want to have to move your car or walk blocks and blocks.
Other people have pretty much covered the basics. Parking can be a pain (if it’s a busy day, I usually just give in and pay), the selection isn’t great, and it can be really empty (depending on when you visit) but if you’re downtown, it’s not the worst you can do.

I know The Landing isn’t what it use to be, gets bad reviews, and gets talked about poorly by both locals and tourists. But, it still holds a special place in my heart because when I moved here in the late 90s, my friends and I use to come here all the time. Very fond memories. Yes, many of the shops or gone, and many of the shops still here are boring, but I still have a good time every time I come here.
I do agree that The Landing needs a facelift and needs some new shops and restaurants to move in. I really hope that happens one day and The Landing can be a hoppin’ place again.
I love the Christmas Tree Lighting every year. Granted, it’s no tree like the one in NYC at Rockerfeller Center, but it’s still pretty darn huge! It’s absolutely beautiful. They always have concerts going on here and other activities for families. This is also a great place for the 4^th of July Fireworks.
Hooters is still here and it’s my favourite one in Jax because it is located here. We like to come and sit outside the restaurant and have lunch or dinner and look out over the water at the beautiful view.
There are still things to do here, so don’t give up on The Landing just yet! =)

Disclosure: This is from the perspective of a tourist with low expectations at 10pm on a weekday.
We found it really easy to find parking at that time on the street. However, I could totally see it being difficult at other times.
The area is picture perfect at night. You can take photos of the amazing Jacksonville skyline, in front of pretty Christmas lights, by the fountain, or in front of some sailboats.
The food selection did seem kind of sparse, but our group just grabbed a few drinks and sat out by the water. That was a plus by the way. You can sit anywhere outside in the landing on a beautiful night even if you have alcohol out.