By Claire Grunewald, Marketing and Events Intern
I applied to be the Downtown Vision Inc. Marketing and Events Intern with absolutely no desire to spend my summer in Downtown Jacksonville. Flash forward months later, I am writing this farewell to Downtown realizing I have grown to like this bustling city and everything about it. It’s possible that I will even miss this city, not the traffic though. This summer, I loved discovering all that Downtown has to offer. There are so many great spots that make this city special. Considering that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing DVI blogs (see past six blogs), my final project as an intern is recapping everything I discovered and enjoyed about #DTJax in one last blog.
Spots you need to check out.
I learned a lot inside the DVI office this summer. However, I also learned where all the best spots are outside of the office. These are some spots that I believe everyone needs to experience.
If you’re a book lover like me, you need to visit Chamblin’s. It has every book you could ever need and a great cafe if you get hungry from your book search.
The Bread & Board Provisions is one of the coolest spots in the city. It provides tasty snacks, floral arrangements and local produce! This is definitely a spot to check out.
Downtown has a variety of great museums and art galleries. One of my favorite museums is the Cummer. It is the largest fine arts museum in Northeast Florida and has beautiful gardens as well.
The Riverside Arts Market is the perfect opportunity to buy and sell local goods. There is art, produce, jewelry and so much more at this community-wide event. It is a great way to get fully immersed into #DTJax culture and support local businesses!
It’s the little things.
Along with the restaurants, museums and shops in Downtown, there is so much that makes this city special.
The confused residents banging on the DVI door looking for an optometrist (spoiler alert: you cannot get your eyes checked here).
All of the vibrant murals decorating the buildings.
The Downtown Ambassadors who will always offer a “good morning” or friendly wave.
The never-ending live music; Jax River Jams, Jazz Fest, Big Time Rush, just to name a few. Seriously, when is there not a concert or festival occurring?
Kids dragging their parents down the street to make it in time for summer camp at MOCA or MOSH.
So many coffee shops. There’s got to be enough coffee to at least fill the St. Johns River.
And so much more.
I am extremely grateful for DVI and #DTJax opened their doors to me this summer. I will genuinely miss my time in Downtown Jacksonville and can’t wait to see how it continues to grow and evolve in the future.
Claire Grunewald, Marketing and Events Intern signing off.
As always, don’t forget to check out these spots and share with #DTJax for a chance to be featured!