Jacksonville's Northside Information Blog

We took a little day trip over the the Bethesda Park and Lodge. This is the only park in Jacksonville that has actual cabins you can rent and at a very reasonable rate. The Lodge part of the name is not what you think it means. They have about 3 double cabins with screened porches and air conditioning. The “Lodge” part is this large building you can rent out that has kitchen and bathroom facilities as well as air conditioning and heat. There are picnic tables outside of the lodge and a barbeque grill. The park is a sanctioned fish management area that allows fishing as well as small boats and canoes on the pond. They have wooden walks and 3 or 4 covered decks that you can fish from. There are limits to what you can fish and there is sign before the walkway area that tells you what they are. Remember this is a fresh spring pond and has catfish, trout and pan fish in stock. Florida requires anyone over 16 to have a fishing license. To find out what the costs are you can go to the Florida State Fish and Wildlife Commissions website.

Sadly, we didn’t catch anything last week. I guess we got a late start. We did enjoy some peace and quiet for a couple of hours. You can still hear the cars rushing by on I-295 though. If you have the time check out this park with you kids.

We took some pictures while we were there. Hope you enjoy them!
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I know that I keep posting about parks in the Jacksonville Area but that is probably the only FREE thing still available to the general public. And these parks are a resource for us to use to spend time with our family and friends located close to home. The State of Florida has another park on the Northside called the Pope Duval Fish Management Area located at 13500 Beaver Street Jacksonville FL

My family and I ran across this park while we were cruising around on the Northside looking for new places to picnic and go fishing. This 400 acre park is well worth the drive for those who like to do a quiet spot of fishing or just relaxing in the woods. As with any park the best times to go is during the week if you want to stay out of the crowd. There are several little ponds to fish in with picnic tables, Bar B Q grills, and hiking trails with elevated wooden walkways. We didn’t get a chance to explore the whole area as they haven’t grated most of the dirt roads yet and it started to rain while we were there. We have included some pictures below for you to see what the park looks like and some of the things available for you and your family to enjoy.

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If you would like to get away from it all to a nice little place that is not frequented by a lot of people you should take a little ride out to Bryceville on the Northwest side of North Jacksonville. The Cary State Forest has primitive Campsites, a shower room and restroom facilities for campers. There is also a Nature Teaching House if you Boy or Girl Scout Troop want to have a learning session. There are trails throughout the park as well as horseback riding trails. You can see what is available on the State of Florida website here: http://www.fl-dof.com/state_Forests/cary.html#rec We enjoyed our time there and look forward to going once again. There wasn’t anyone else there on the day that we went. It was very quiet. The campsites looked to be well maintained but the Shower Room was in the process of being renovated. Hopefully by now they will have finished fixing them. You can contact them to find out the current prices and status of the park at:
Primary Contact

* Devon McFall, Forester
Cary State Forest
Florida Division of Forestry
7465 Pavilion Drive
Bryceville, Florida 32009
Telephone: 904/ 266-5021 (weekends: 904/ 266-5020)
Email Cary State Forest

Secondary Contact

* Todd Knapp, Resource Administrator
Division of Forestry
7247 Big Oaks Road
Bryceville, Florida 32009
Telephone: 904/ 266-5011

Our family took a ride out there a couple of months ago and took some pictures of the area to share with our readers. Check out our photo gallery below:
[svgallery name="carystatepark"]

The City of Jacksonville is offering a free service to residents to alert them about severe weather coming to your neighborhood. It is free to register and you just fill out the online form. Should there be a weather warning issued for your particular neighbor you will receive a record phone call. If you register with 2 numbers say a land-line and a cellphone then both of them will be called. Now that more and more people are using cellphones and replacing their land-lines with cellphone services it is a great way to stay informed about bad weather coming to your neighborhood. This service is automatic and is computer generated. Some examples include: evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports. For this service to be effective you must make sure you have minutes on your plan! Now there is an argument for keeping a land-line in service. Remember that in the event of an emergency such as extreme bad weather cellphones may not work. Depending on the type of emergency your cellphone service may experience extreme overload, atmospheric interference that causes satellite disruption or a wide variety of things. It is a good idea to have a “REGULAR” phone hooked up to a basic land-line because the old phone service has an independent power source and the wires are underground! Regular phones are powered by the phone company lines not the power in your house or battery power. So go out to Walmarts, Lowes, Home Depot or even the Bellsouth store and get yourself a basic phone for a few bucks to keep in an emergency.

Click on the link to sign-up for this free service: https://login.coderedweb.com/codereddataentry/Default.aspx?groupid=EAn7CUhsxLfCqympNrd82g%3d%3d

We have finally updated the Retirement Communities page with a listing of the Nursing Homes located in the Jacksonville Northside area. If you are considering a nursing home for your self or a loved one you can check out the nursing homes in your area by first checking their ratings with the State of Florida and Agency For Healthcare Administration who regulates Nursing homes and reports their status in a report that is available on the web at: http://ahcaxnet.fdhc.state.fl.us/nhcguide/ViewFacilityData.aspx?Region=04

When considering a Nursing Home make sure you check them out online, visit their facilities and ask lots of questions. If, for any reason, the facility will not allow you to turn then you will need to consider some other facility. If you would like a complete listing of all the Nursing Homes in the Jacksonville area we have compiled a listing and put it in an acrobat reader format. You can download it and print it out from here: http://jacksonvillesnorthside.info/wordpress/downloadfiles/jacksonvilleareanursinghomes.pdf

CHEERS and have a safe and happy holiday!

Two of the Art Museums on the Northside has free days for families to visit. The Cummer Museum on Riverside Avenue has free Tuesday nights from 4pm to 9pm. Roam through the exhibits and enjoy the arts on display.

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens
829 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida 32204
Telephone: (904) 356-6857
Fax: (904) 353-4101
FREE Tuesdays
4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sponsored by THE PLAYERS

The Riverside Arts Market on Saturday is ending soon!
Every Saturday through December 19, 2009
10:00AM – 4:00PM

Jacksonville introduces a high-energy free weekly art, food and farmer’s market experience. The Riverside Arts Market (RAM) has food vendors, fresh bread, fresh local produce, plants, flowers, and all forms of art available for purchase. Live entertainment is available on the River Stage. RAM provides a reliable marketplace for artists to sell their work as well as enjoyable family entertainment on the St. Johns River.
The market is located under the canopy of the Fuller Warren Bridge, I-95 at Riverside Avenue on the Northbank Riverwalk and is an easy 15 minute walk from downtown.

Free Admission.

For more information, visit www.riversideartsmarket.com.
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Finally, the Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the same building as the Main Library Downtown. They have free visit days on Sundays.

333 North Laura Street
Jacksonville, FL, 32202 USA
Phone: (904) 366-6911
Fax: (904) 366-6901
Free Wednesday evenings for Artwalk (5-9pm)
Sundays – FREE for families. Children under the age of 18 and accompanying adults are free.

The Jacksonville Northside Area Police Athletic League is co-sponsoring a event tomorrow. There is to be a motorcycle ride for the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Athletic League. To participate or sponsor a rider go to the website link below and purchase tickets. The event goes rain or shine. So if you want to sponsor a rider or have sponsors to ride you can drop in at one the locations below or go online and purchase them.

Light The City Charity Motorcycle Ride
When: Friday, October 2, 2009
Check In: 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Begins: Ride Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Adamec of Jacksonville

Ride Starts at Adamec of Jacksonville
8909 Baymeadows Road

Check in between 4:30 and 6:30.
Ride leaves at 7:00pm

Tickets are required for admittance.
Helmets are required / no Flashers.

Event is rain or shine & non refundable.

For more information please contact:
Robbie Freitas at 904-251-5934.

Tickets Available at:
FOP 5530 Beach Blvd Jacksonville, FL (904)398-7010

Also at the following Adamec locations:
8909 Baymeadows Road – (904)493-1931
1520 Wells Road – (904)215-1931
10399 Atlantic Blvd – (904)641-3735

The Jacksonville Police Athletic League mission states: In an effort to reduce juvenile crime and instill positive values, character and leadership skills, PAL provides safe activities for the youth of Jacksonville. Our athletic and educational programs emphasize positive interaction with law enforcement officers and other adult role models.

Their motto is: filling playgrounds. not prisons…for more than 35 years.

Check out their websites and their programs online at: www.jaxpal.com

For those who have children or would like to volunteer to help children you should look into the Boy and Girl Scouts of America organization. This is a great way for your children to learn about our environment, volunteerism and to have fun while doing. The Boys and Girls Councils of North Florida have lots of information on how to join and look forward to having your child become a boy or girl scout. The adults can also volunteer to help teach their children new skills that will serve them well as adults. For those who don’t have children or their children are grown it is a great opportunity to share you life learning skills with those who need it the most. Each fall the Boys and Girls Scouts starts their drive for new recruits. It is not too late just call your local council and they will be happy to help. There is a small yearly fee for each child and there will be uniform costs but each troop has various rules and some can help with some of the costs. So CALL TODAY!

FOR those who are already in a local troop and want to send me your link I will be happy to post it here. Just send me a message at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesnorthside.info or become a subscriber and post a comment to this blog.

Here is some general information about each group and their contact information:

National Website:

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/ For Girl Scouts

http://scouting.org/for Boy Scouts

LOCAL INFORMATION:

Boy Scouts of America
North Florida Council
521 Edgewood Ave S
Jacksonville, FL 32205
904.388.0591
800.232.0845 Toll Free
904.387.4148 Fax
jana.metzger@scouting.org
http://www.nfcscouting.org

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.
Jacksonville Service Center
1000 Shearer Street
Jacksonville, FL 32205-6055
(904) 388-4653
(800) 347-2688 – Local Toll Free Phone
Fax: (904) 384-1542
Email: info@girlscouts-gateway.org
Web Site: http://www.girlscouts-gateway.org
http://www.facebook.com/gsgcfl ON FACEBOOK

Youth Programs

BOYS
Tiger Cubs is a year-round family- and home-centered program that encourages the ethical decision-making skills for first-grade (or 7-year-old) boys. These boys participate in the program with their adult partners. The program emphasizes shared leadership, learning about the community, and family understanding.

Cub Scouts is a year-round family- and home-centered program that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys in the second through fifth grade (or who are 8, 9, and 10 years old). Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Boy Scouts is a year-round program that develops ethical decision-making skills for young men ages 11 to 18. Activities emphasize responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities.

GIRLS
* Girl Scout Daisy, grades K-1
Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of five to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. Girl Scout Daisies can also earn Learning Petals and receive participation patches.

* Girl Scout Brownie, grades 2-3
Girl Scouts Brownies work together in groups, earn Girl Scout Brownie Try-Its, and explore their community. Friendship, fun, and age-appropriate activities begin at the Girl Scout Brownie meeting and move out to the community and wider world.

* Girl Scout Junior, grades 4-5
Girl Scout Juniors earn badges and discover what girl power is all about through new activities and by learning to take charge of their own plans. They gain self-confidence as they explore the world in partnership with their troop/group leaders.

* Girl Scout Cadette, grades 6-8; * Girl Scout Senior, grades 9-10; * Girl Scout Ambassador, grades 11-12

Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors participate in Girl Scouting in many ways. Under the guidance of a trained adult advisor, girls mix and match activities and resources to suit their needs while giving back to their communities. They connect with each other and build self-esteem and confidence in their skills as they work on a range of projects and gain life experiences.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Venturing is a year round program for young adults, men and women, between the ages of 14 (having completed the eighth grade) and 20. Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults.

Learning For Life Consists of Three Different Programs. For more information on any of the Learning For Life Programs, contact Ben Butler at 904.388.0591, or benjamin.butler@scouting.org.

Exploring is a worksite-based program for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years old. Exploring units have a focus on a career field, such as law enforcement, fire/rescue, health, law, aviation, engineering, or the like, and are sponsored by a government or business entity.

Character Education is a series of school-based programs designed to support schools and educational organizations in helping youth with character education, life skills, building self-esteem, and developing ethical decision-making skills.

Classroom Scouting is a school based program conducted in partnership with the Girl Scouts. The program is for children with physical, emotional and mental exceptionalities.

JOIN TODAY!
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The most important resource that we could have for ourselves and our children is our public libraries. They offer free access to books, movies, music, research materials and lots of different events such as storytime for tots, how-to seminars, free movie nights, and much, much more. The also have free internet service, wireless internet for those with laptops, conference rooms and study rooms. On their website you have access to online research database, ebooks, and library to library lending. All this and much more for just the price of signing an application and showing your id. This will get you a library card to use at ANY of the branch libraries and online website. You can renew your checkout items online or even reserve new selections on the web as well!

Main Library
(904) 630-2665
303 N Laura St 32202
– Center for Adult Learning
– Talking Books
– Conference Center
Hours:
• Mon – Thu: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Fri & Sat: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Main Library

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Bradham*Brooks Northwest Branch
(904) 765-5402
1755 Edgewood Ave W 32208
Hours:
• Mon – Thu: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fri & Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: CLOSED

Bradham Brooks Library

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Brentwood Branch
(904) 630-0924
3725 Pearl St 32206
Hours:
• Mon: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tue: 12 noon – 8 p.m.
• Wed – Fri: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sat & Sun: CLOSED

Brentwood Library

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Brown Eastside Branch
(904) 630-5466
1390 Harrison St 32206
Hours:
• Mon: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tue: 12 noon – 8 p.m.
• Wed – Fri: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sat & Sun: CLOSED

Brown Eastside Library

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Dallas Graham Branch
(904) 630-0922
2304 N Myrtle Ave 32209
Hours:
• Mon – Tue: 12 noon – 8 p.m.
• Wed – Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: CLOSED

Dallas Graham Library

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Highlands Regional
(904) 757-7702
1826 Dunn Ave 32218
Hours:
Hours:
• Mon – Thu: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fri & Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. *

Highlands Library

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Murray Hill Branch
(904) 384-2665
918 Edgewood Avenue S 32205
Hours:
• Mon & Tue: 12 noon – 9 p.m.
• Wed – Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: CLOSED

Murray Hill Library

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Westbrook Branch
(904) 384-7424
2809 Commonwealth Ave 32254
Hours:
• Mon: 12 noon – 8 p.m.
• Tue – Fri: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sat & Sun: CLOSED

Westbrook Library

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Willowbranch Branch
(904) 381-8490
2875 Park St 32205
Hours:
• Mon & Tue: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Wed – Thu: 12 noon – 9 p.m.
• Fri – Sat: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sun: CLOSED

WillowBranch Library

The Northside of Jacksonville, Florida is a large and varied area. There are some things to love, some things to hate and quite a few things we just lived with. Whenever I get fed up with things in my life I take a ride to the Northside. Mainly, I ride down Hecksher Drive. That road generally has less traffic, depending on the day and time I go down it, there is always something new to see and the old and familiar stuff is there as well. Riding along the St. Johns River and it’s tributaries and then finally the ocean. There has been a lot of new houses being built along a road that really can’t support new housing. There is a lot of wildlife there and marshlands that need to be protected. And there are lots of places to pull over and look out on the water and try to center yourself or just to chill. Many of my family go to the parks in this area for fishing, some to catch shrimp, ride their boats, camping, have a picnic, swim in the river and/or ocean, and get boiled peanuts. Just remember that boiled peanuts are almost always better at the beach.

My daughter has a season pass to the Jacksonville Zoo. My grand daughter loves the animals and the zoo has become a really nice place to spend a morning or a day. They look at the animals, ride the little train, play in the water area and pet the animals in the petting zoo part. We have posted quite a few pictures of the zoo on the Parks & recreation Page. Check it out. The price is not bad and they do have educational programs for kids and adults.

There are other parts to the Northside such as Downtown, Springfield, Riverside, Oceanway and other neighborhoods that we will get to in time. Downtown and Riverside has quite a few blogs about them already and Springfield is enjoying a revitalization right now with quite a few of the old 2 and 3 story homes being renovated. Oceanway is way on the Northside of Jacksonville and has always been a very rural area until recently. That area is being turned into suburbia with a lot of new neighborhoods being built on the farm land when the the old farmers retire or dying off.

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Photos From Driving Around the Northside:

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