Sports and Recreation

Spectator Sports

The big game in town is the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars. The team plays at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium (1 Stadium Pl.), which was also the home of Super Bowl XXIX in 2005. The stadium also hosts several high-profile college football games each year; the rivalry between the University of Georgia and the University of Florida plays out here, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the Gator Bowl. The stadium was actually called the Gator Bowl before its retrofitting as an NFL facility in 1994.

Minor-league and college teams also have a substantial presence in Jacksonville [1]; the American Basketball League’s Jacksonville Jam plays at the University of North Florida Arena (1 UNF Dr.) as does the University of North Florida basketball team. A semipro rugby team, the Jacksonville Axemen, also plays on the UNF campus at Hodges Stadium. The Jacksonville Suns are a minor-league outpost of the Florida Marlins; their games are played at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville (301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.).

Fishing and Boating

Captain Jim Hammond (17184 Dorado Circle, 904/757-7550, www.hammondfishing.com [2]) offers everything from surf fishing setups and ecotours to fly- and deep-sea fishing. Hammond has a wide variety of boats and is something of a local fishing celebrity thanks to his weekly fishing show.

Atlantic Watersports (2327 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, 904/270-0020, www.atlantic-watersports.com [3]) rents fishing boats, pontoons, Jet Skis, and bow riders. Amazingly, they’re all available for the same price; rental rates start at $79 for the first hour plus fuel charges.

Golf

Hyde Park Golf Club (6439 Hyde Grove Ave., 904/786-5410 for tee times, $28 Mon.–Fri., $38 Sat.–Sun.) was built in 1925 and designed by the legendary Donald Ross. The single par-72 course is beautifully landscaped and defined by its numerous old-growth trees.

The par-71 course at Bent Creek Golf Course (10440 Tournament Rd., 904/779-0880 for tee times, $39 Mon.–Fri., $49 Sat.–Sun.) is similarly blessed with natural beauty, and has been certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.