In honor of Pride Month, join the St. Johns Riverkeeper’s Steph Morse and The Jaxson’s Mike Field for a guided bike tour of sights and scenes from Jacksonville’s long and colorful LGBTQ history at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 24 (NOTE: The event has been rescheduled from the original date of June 17.)

Jacksonville has a robust LGBTQ history. The earliest substantial historical records of two-spirits, a modern conventional term for Native American people of a third or nonbinary gender, come from the Timucua people of the St. Johns River in the 16th century. In the early 20th century, LGBTQ musicians and performers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith helped turn LaVilla into a hotbed of music and culture. Since at least the 1950s many notable bars, clubs and hangouts have served LGBTQ Jaxsons. Hear stories of legendary nightclub College Station, the LGBTQ “Holy Ground” of Willowbranch Park, and many more from the annals of Jacksonville’s storied but often overlooked LGBTQ history.

The tour will begin and end at Willow Branch Library, 2875 Park St, Jacksonville, FL 32205. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through Eventbrite for the tour starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 17. Kids 12 and under are free. Attendees must bring their own bikes. If you need to rent a bike, ZenCog Bicycle Company is offering special pricing for rentals for the tour at only $25 – call them at (904) 619-0496. If e-bikes are more your speed, Tucker Cycles and Art Bikes Jax are offering special event pricing to rent their signature Art Bikes. Click here to rent an electric Art Bike and a ticket for the tour for $60 total ($20 for the tour; $40 for the e-bike). Both shops are located within a 6 minute bike ride of the tour’s starting point at Willow Branch Library.

Article by Bill Delaney. Contact Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com.