Newspaper Page Text
PACE 6B
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008
Features
JAGUAR EXHIBIT
The Range of the Jaguar is an exciting exhibit recreating a neo-tropical rainforest on nearly four
acres of zoo grounds.
JACKSONVILLE LANDING
Jacksonville Landing offers a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment options.
Outdoors, culture and the arts — Jacksonville has it all
OCEAN ONE RESORT AND SPA
Ocean One Resort and Spa is the newest accommodation
option on the beach. This resort offers spa services, fine dining,
and exceptional hospitality.
BY SHERRY LEWIS
Watching the dolphins off in the
distance, listening to the sound of the
waves coming ashore, and strolling
along for miles on a beautiful beach
are wonderful ways to pass the days
away on the coast. When you add
museums, Broadway theatre and the
zoo—-Jacksonville, Florida, stands out
as a very unique place to visit. It affords
the opportunity to blend the outdoors
with culture and the arts.
On a recent trip to Jacksonville, I
was almost breathless when I arrived
at the newest resort on the beach-
-One Ocean Resort and Spa. The
landscape and resort decor compli
mented the tranquility found only at the
ocean. The room, the view, and every
thing in between was wonderful, but
what truly set this resort apart was the
personalized service I received from
my docent, Debra Nearbin. She
attended to my every need. I highly rec
ommend Ocean One Resort and Spa as
the headquarters for your Jacksonville
vacation. For more information, visit
www.oneoceanresort.com
Also located in this area, where
Adantic Beach and Neptune Beach
come together, there is plenty of venues
for live music, quaint shops and more. I
wandered the Town Center, steps from
the ocean, for a taste of local flavor.
There are restaurants to satisfy every
appetite. Here you’ll also find Pete’s
Bar, where noted author and frequent
visitor, John Grisham, found inspira
tion for his 2000 best-seller, “The
Brethem.’’
Jacksonville is a city surrounded by
water with a stretch of the Adantic coast
line and the St. John’s River making its
way through town. The Jacksonville
Beach Fishing Pier offers ample access
to fishing. The 1,300 foot pier features
a 20-foot wooden deck and it is a great
spot to watch fishermen reel in their
latest catches. Besides all the great fish
ing, the pier also provides a great view
of Jacksonville. Hours of operation are
6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission to fish is
$4 or $1 to take a scenic stroll along
the pier. Children under 6 are admitted
free. The pier includes a concession
area, bait shop and restrooms. Visit
www.jacksonvillebeach.org for more
information.
After checking out the pier, I head
ed further south on the beach to the
Sea Walk Pavilion, located along the
oceanfront and home to festivals and
events throughout the year. Also, on 1st
Street, I found the American Red Cross
Lifeguard Station—the oldest volun
teer lifeguard corp in the country.
I also recommend the Beaches
Museum and History Center located
nearby. From pre-Columbian times
through wars, land booms and depres
sion, the beaches of Northeast Florida
boast a colorful past. The history
of Jacksonville’s beaches, from salty
Mayport to luxurious Ponte Vedra,
are brought to life through pictures,
first-hand accounts and artifacts at the
Beaches Museum & History Center.
For more information, visit www.
bm-hc.com
Be sure to make time to head into
the city and check out the Museum
of Contemporary Art. MOCA
Jacksonville is the largest modem
and contemporary art museum in the
Southeast. The permanent collection
consists of more than 700 works in
a wide range of media, representing
prominent national and international
artists of the 20th and 21st century.
It houses changing exhibition galler
ies, a children’s interactive center, edu
cation studios, MOCA Theatre, Cafe
Nola, Museum Shop and a light-filled
Atrium Gallery.
When I visited the featured exhibi
tion was Paper Cuts: Contemporary
Works on Paper. Los Angeles artist
Chris Natrop used cut paper to trans
form the gallery into free-form patterns
featuring nature and landscape. The
paper cuts along with the shadows
from the lighting make this an awe
some sight.
Another collection that caught
my eye was Memphis Wood who is
deemed “Jacksonville’s First Lady of
the Arts.” I learned that she was a
Georgia native, bom in Dacula, and
that she received her master’s degree at
the University of Georgia. Wood made
an astonishing contribution to art and
art education in Jacksonville, teaching
and influencing many of Jacksonville’s
most successful artists. In her honor,
MOCA Jacksonville offers the annual
Memphis Wood Excellence in Teaching
Award for outstanding contributions to
arts in education.
After leaving MOCA, I strolled along
Hemming Plaza Market which has a
great history of its own. During the
Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, resi
dents piled furniture and other belong
ings in the park, hoping to escape the
wrath of the fires. In the 1960s, the
Civil Rights straggle played out at the
plaza as the era of segregation was
brought to an end in Northeast Florida.
I made my way to the waterfront,
the home of Jacksonville Landing. I
strolled along the Northbank Riverwalk
to see the Times-Union Center for
the Performing Arts, home of the
Jacksonville Symphony and numerous
theatrical productions.
My next stop was Jacksonville
Landing, which offers a variety of
shopping, dining, and entertainment
options. For more information, visit
www.jacksonvillelanding.com
That is where I hopped on the S.S.
Marine Water Taxi and traveled across
the St. Johns River for lunch right on
the waterfront. I highly recommend a
local favorite, the River City Brewing
Company. They offer a wide vari
ety of food to please any appetite.
Appetizers include a variety of shrimp
and crab dishes, fried gator tail, and
fresh bruschetta. For my entree, I had
seared cod topped with lump crab meat,
fresh asparagus and garlic mashed
potatoes. I finished off my meal and
found that the dessert choices were too
good to miss. I finally decided on the
apple cobbler alamode: the perfect way
to end lunch. It was a mouthwatering
meal, and when you add the riverfront
ambience, you can’t go wrong.
After lunch, I stepped into the
Museum of Science and History
(MOSH), a local favorite known for
educating First Coast residents and
visitors alike on the topics of physical
science, history, astronomy, and natural
science through exciting and educa
tional exhibits, events and programs.
Check them out on the web at www.
themosh.org.
FORT GEORGE ISLAND
While in the area, I also visited
Kingsley Plantation on Fort George
Island. It is the oldest remaining planta
tion house in Florida. At this National
Park, check out the remarkably pre
served slave quarters, bam, plantation
house, kitchen house and interpretive
garden located on the waterfront. Be
sure and talk to the park rangers to
learn the rich history of the area and the
plantation’s past.
Then I stopped by the historic Ribault
Club. This historic landmark also
serves as a gateway to the Timucuan
Trail, with interpretive displays and an
Eastern National book store, orienting
visitors to Fort George Island’s rich his
tory stretching back to its exploration in
the 16th century by French sea captain
Jean Ribault, the club’s namesake. The
comprehensive museum, complete with
video and interactive displays, details
the island’s ecology, history and geog
raphy. The Ribault Club is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and
is a true step back in time. Visit www.
theribaultclub.com to learn more.
JACKSONVILLE ZOO
AND GARDENS
Next, I escaped to the wild side at
the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for
the only walking safari in Northeast
Florida. Don’t miss the Range of the
Jaguar, an exciting exhibit recreating a
neo-tropical rainforest on nearly four
acres of zoo grounds. While you’re
there, enjoy lunch at the Palm Plaza
Cafe, where you can gaze through
three enormous windows looking
directly into the jaguar exhibit. The
Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens features
over 1,400 rare and exotic animals and
over 1,000 unique plant species. Don’t
miss new features like the Play Park,
the expansive botanical gardens and the
new giraffe overlook. Check them out
at www.jaxzoo.org
THEATRE IN JACKSONVILLE
The Alhambra Dinner Theatre is a
must when you visit the area. I consider
it to be a gem at the beach. I was swept
away by the performance of The Sound
of Music. The cast was a group of well-
seasoned professionals and I highly
recommend your taking time to visit.
The theatre has been a local favorite
for over 35 years. With a family-friend
ly performance schedule, the Alhambra
delights audiences of all ages with
every season. Before the show, I dined
on a full buffet with a variety of dishes
including chef carved roast beef and
ham, seafood Newberg, an array of
vegetables and desserts. Visit www.
alhambraddinnertheatre.com for more
information.
So when you are ready to get away
from it all, the Jacksonville area will
surely be a hit. This destination has it
all. There’s plenty of sand and surf,
with culture and the arts as well. To
start planning your Jacksonville vaca
tion, log onto www.visitjacksonville.
com.
Now Open in Downtown Commerce!
The State Street Boutique
Contemporary Women's Apparel and Accessories
Our winter sweater line is arriving this week!
Reductions on all late summer/fall dresses!
We are located at: 39 State Street in Downtown Commerce
Next door to Cherished Treasures
(706) 336-6520
Closed on Sundays
FORTSON
Well Drilling & Environmental Services, Inc.
Residential & Commercial Services
• 6” Drilled Wells
• Water Filtration and Purification
• Water Conditioning Systems
Irrigation Systems • Monitoring Wells
• Remediation Wells
Customer Satisfaction Is Important To Us.
We Invite You To Check Us Out.
PHONE 795-2717 FAX 795-3713
Located 5 Miles North Of Danielsville On Hwy. 281
Danielsville, Georgia
We Buy All
Gold & Silver
Nee ( / /
Including:
• Class Rings • Wedding Bands
► • Coins • Broken Jewelry
>rJ • Dental Gold
XfainC'Soif/e
770-532-2592
1020 Jesse Jewell Pkwy. • Gainesville, GA
Mon. -Thurs. 10-6:30 • Fri. - Sat. 10-7
Town of Homer
NOTICE OF PUBLIC
HEARINGS
The Town of Homer Mayor and Council will
have a public hearing, Tuesday, August 26,
2008 at 6:00 P.M. at Town Hall. This hearing
will be to consider the Community Agenda
portion of the comprehensive plan and the
Solid Waste Management Plan.
The Mayor and Council will have a called
meeting immediately following the public
hearing to consider action on the Community
Agenda portion of the comprehensive plan.
All citizens are encouraged to attend.
WJJC LIVE
\ 1270 AM /
WEBSTREAMING
\wjjc\
7:00A — 7:ooP
) 50 YEARS f
/ COMMERCE, GEORGIA J
Listen to all your favorites
over the Internet
Beginning
September 5, 2008
www.WJJC.net
706-335-1270