The Kid’s Campus at Metropolitan Park is set right next to the water and both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jacksonville Suns stadiums. The Kid’s Campus is a great place to bring the kids to help them burn off some energy. In the summertime, the park has a fantastic splash pad where the kids can run through the water and cool off.
There is a yellow brick pathway around a huge playground. There is a section of the park known as Safe City. Here, kids can ride tricycles around a little town that actually has little buildings, a working street light, railroad, and street signs.
Things to Know Before You Go:
- Wear bug spray. The flies were awful by our chosen picnic area, but when we moved out to the grass they stopped following us.
- The splash pad has employees standing guard. When it is crowded, the employees rotate groups in at 10 minute intervals. At first we were worried about the downtime in between sessions, but it worked out well.
- Be sure to pack a picnic and lots of water.
- School and daycare groups often plan field trips to this park so it gets crowded often.
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We love fountains. We read up about the fountains available for our viewing pleasure before we leave for a new city. We ask the hotel concierge where the nearest cool fountain is. The fountain gets bonus points if it doubles as a splash pad and you are allowed to run through it! Fountains are one of those things that my husband and I enjoyed but might have made no big deal about pre-kid. Before the S’s were born, we would admire them and move on to the next sight. After the S’s were born, fountains (along with parks and larger than life statues!) moved up to the top of our must-see list! It is amazing how long one child can stand and stare at, sit by the side of, or run around a fountain.
I had read about the Friendship Fountain when I was making my plans for our trip to Jacksonville, Florida. I wasn’t sure if we would have time to stop at the fountain due to our busy schedule of visiting friends. I was thrilled to see a sign leading to the fountain off of the interstate on our way back home. The Friendship Fountain is located on the Southbank Riverwalk near the Museum of Science and History. From what I could find on various websites, the fountain has lived a controversial, rough life. It has been refurbished, it broke, it was fixed, it was turned on, it was turned off, people complained…the list goes on. It was built in the 60s. When the Friendship Fountain opened, it touted itself as the world’s largest and tallest fountain. The fountain has over 60 jet nozzles and is a beautiful sight at night because lights were added to the fountain at some point. The fountain was an important attraction during the Superbowl of 2005. My children had a great time running circles around this fountain. It wore them out so they were a joy in the car for the next six hours!
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When we were in Jacksonville a few weeks ago, we tracked down a few of the turtles that have been placed around the city. These huge turtles are part of a fundraising program that helped to benefit Child Guidance Center. These colorful turtles are painted by artists and are absolutely beautiful. When we are traveling, my kids are always excited to come across large statues. When we are in a city that has a program like this, they are especially excited. We turn spotting the statues into a scavenger hunt. We have found turtles in Jacksonville, pelicans in Pensacola, bears in Berlin, cows in Garmisch, and fish in New Orleans.
These statues make for a great scavenger hunt for the kids. Locate a map of the statues online or visit the local visitor center and ask where you can find a map of the statue locations. Use the map to check off the statues that you find while you are exploring the city. The kids will have a great time spotting the statues. If there is a statue located in front of a museum you are headed to, tell the children that you will see a statue soon so they can keep their eyes open. For example, when we were headed to the turtle pictured here, I told my small children that we were going to spot a giant turtle. They had so much fun looking around and trying to guess where it was going to be!
Have you seen sets of statues like this? Tell us about them!
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Next week I will be heading out with the two kids sans husband for a road trip to Jacksonville, Florida. I am dreaming of a smooth trip and two happy kiddies. I am dreaming of a car with no flat tires, check oil lights, or funny noises! We are going to visit dear friends so most of the trip will be spent catching up on time missed (and visiting one very cute brand newborn baby!), but if we have time here are a few things that I might be checking out:
1. Visit the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
2. Maybe take a drive to St. Augustine while we are there and see Florida’s Oldest House and Castillo de San Marcos.
3. Museum of Science and History
4. Friendship Fountain – I can’t tell if this is still under renovation. If it isn’t, we will definitely check it out…the kids love fountains!
Have you been to Jacksonville, Florida? If you have places that I should add to my itinerary, please comment!
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