At 6:30 pm Thursday, August 3, join The Jaxson team for an evening walking tour of Jacksonville’s Downtown Southbank and the scenic Riverwalk.
The Southbank has played a deceptively integral place in the growth of Jacksonville. Populated longer than the Northbank, the Southbank community first sprung up around a ferry landing established by the British colonial government in the 1760s as part of the King’s Road between St. Augustine and Savannah. The current landscape dominated by 20th- and 21st-century skyscrapers belies a unique history and sites to see.
Riverplace Tower and the DoubleTree Hotel are two of the most visible buildings on the Southbank Riverwalk.
Home to slave plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries, after the Civil War the south bank of the river developed into what became the independent town of South Jacksonville. Supported by railroads and shipyards, South Jacksonville was annexed by Jacksonville in 1932 and the Southbank was ultimately redeveloped as part of Downtown with offices, residential towers and hotels. Today, the Southbank features amenities like the Museum of Science and History, the 250-year-old Treaty Oak and the Southbank Riverwalk, which offers the best skyline views anywhere in Jacksonville.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on Eventbrite here. Kids 12 and under are free. The Southbank night tour will cover the area’s long history, recent developments and future plans, and starts and ends in front of MOSH. Free parking is available behind he museum. The tour is suitable for most travelers. For more information contact Bill Delaney at wdelaney@moderncities.com.