Water Life

Betz-Tiger Point was acquired by the City of Jacksonville in 2003 through the “Better Jacksonville” and “Preservation Project” initiative. Located between Edwards Creek and Pumpkin Hill Creek, these 525 acres of pine flatwoods and maritime forest offers opportunities to observe wildlife such as gopher tortoises, deer, turkey, a variety of birds and much more while exploring the trail network and scenic views of the surrounding broad expanses of saltwater marsh.  Visitors can enjoy miles of nature trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use, picnicking, kayaking and fishing.  Kayak launches can be found at the north end of the property within the Edwards Creek Day-Use Area as well as just a few hundred feet south of the Preserve entrance within the adjacent Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park. Click here to view/print the trail map for Betz-Tiger Point Preserve as well as find other trail maps and paddling guides. 

Betz-Tiger Point Preserve is part of a larger area known as the 7 Creeks Recreation Area which collectively encompasses over 5600 acres of contiguous conservation lands that also includes Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park, Cedar Point Preserve, Cedar Point (NPS), Bogey Creek Preserve and Jim Wingate Preserve which are managed in partnership .  The 7 Creeks Recreation Area offers more than 30 miles of natural-surface trails that could occupy days of hiking, biking, horseback riding, and exploring diverse ecosystems. And, the unspoiled lands are surrounded by expansive saltmarsh of Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve that provide an extensive web of tidal creeks for kayakers, boaters, paddleboarders and fishermen.  For more information, please visit 7CreeksJax.org 

Native Americans feasted here, colonists built a fort, and the Smart Set of the 1920s came for vacations. A site of human occupation for over 5,000 years, Fort George Island was named for a 1736 fort built to defend the southern flank of Georgia when it was a colony. Today´s visitors come for boating, fishing, off-road bicycling, and hiking. A key attraction is the recently restored Ribault Club. Once an exclusive resort, it is now a visitor center with meeting space available for special functions. Behind the club, small boats, canoes, and kayaks can be launched on the tidal waters.

Half Moon Island Preserve consists of 267 acres along the Nassau River and tidal marsh purchased by the City of Jacksonville in 1999 using Cedar Bay Mitigation funds. The City received multiple Waterway Assistance Program grants from the Florida Inland Navigation District to design and develop a waterfront park with a boat ramp, fishing platform and picnic facilities which opened to the public in January 2020. The boat ramp, located off North Main Street right before the county line, provides water access to the upper stretches of the Nassau River while the fishing platform has become a popular spot with anglers and the picnic shelters provide impressive views of the expansive tidal marsh. Accessible amenities includes the fishing dock and boat ramp.

Tommy Hazouri, Sr. Park formerly known as Mandarin Park is located adjacent to Julington Creek in the Mandarin section of southeast Jacksonville.  

A leading producer of oranges in North America for most of the 1800’s, the community acquired its name from the Mandarin orange that was grown there. The Mandarin Community Club, which was established in 1923, takes a very active interest in the area’s parks. When the development of Mandarin greatly accelerated after the Buckman Bridge opened in 1970, the booming population needed additional recreational facilities. The City purchased the park site in 1989, and together with the design firm, sought and received considerable input from the area’s residents about what facilities they wanted in the park. Former City Councilman Dick Kravitz was instrumental in the land acquisition and early development, which went on to inlclude the picnic area and nature trails in 1992, the pier in 1993, and the boat ramp in 2006.  The park also includes playground, tennis, pickleball, shuffleboard, and adaptable kayak launch.

The name change was introduced by City Council Members, Newby, Carlucci, Boylan, Priestly Jackson, Carrico, Freeman, Howland, White, Salem, Clark-Murray, and Defoor and Co-Sponsored by Council Members Pittman and Morgan in November 2022.

February 2024, a self-service paddle board rental kiosk was installed as a pilot test.

Memorial Park lies nestled between Riverside Avenue and the St. Johns River. In 1918, the Jacksonville Rotary Club proposed the idea for a park to honor the 1200 Floridians who perished in WWI, and the City purchased the property in 1919. Thirty-one civic groups worked in planning and raising funds for the park, which was dedicated Christmas Day, 1924. The park soon became the scenic focal point of Riverside. Designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers firm, the park features the bronze sculpture Life, created by the celebrated Charles Adrian Pillars (1870-1937). A local resident for 26 years, he also created Florida’s two statues residing in National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In 1986, Anne Freeman founded the Memorial Park Association, which along with the City has worked steadfastly to restore and preserve this historic landmark, particularly after a tornado devastated the grounds in 1997. There is an accessible fishing dock at this park.

The Northbank Riverwalk extends from Berkman Plaza to I-95 in Riverside. The focus of many premier downtown events, the Northbank Riverwalk offers a fantastic view of the St. Johns River for you to stroll at your leisure. Completed in June 1987, the Jacksonville Landing, with its distinctive orange roof, retail stores, eateries and a courtyard, was the perfect entertainment venue. The Jacksonville Landing was demolished in early 2020. Mayor Delaney oversaw construction of the $8.2 million dollar extension of the Northbank Riverwalk from the CSX Building to the Fuller Warren Bridge to increase the total length to approx. 2 miles.

Boat docks along the Northbank Riverwalk are available between the Main Street and Acosta Bridges as well as at the end of Liberty Street and in front of the Riverside Arts Market (market days and special events only).  A shoreline canoe/kayak launch is also available at Gefen Park at the end of Forest Street/Alfred DuPont Place. Corkscrew park can also be found while strolling the northbank.