A Walk By Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Downtown Jacksonville

After a meeting in downtown I decided to take the long way back to my car. Temperatures of close to 100 made it a quick walk but I managed to snap a couple photos on my way.

Downtown Jacksonville boosts several beautiful old churches and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church one of my favorites. I love the tall spires and the red roof.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is one of the oldest Catholic Churches in north Florida. The original church was founded in 1854 and just a few years later in 1863 it became the victim of the Civil War when Union soldiers looted and burned the building. In 1871 a new building was dedicated but disaster stuck once again when in 1901 the building was destroyed in the Great Fire that consumed downtown Jacksonville.

The Gothic style building we see today was constructed in 1910. One hundred and six  years later the church draws hundreds of people each week for daily mass, confessions and weddings.

My photo taken on my cell phone doesn't do the beautiful building justice. You can take a virtual tour of the exterior, interior and the stain glass windows by clicking the link below.

Church Tours - Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

No matter where you are always take the time for a short walk and just see what you find. There are treasures around every corner!

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

121 E Duval Street

Jacksonville, Florida

Corner of E Duval and Ocean Street




Check out other churches at:

Walking Tour of Evergreen Cemetery - Jacksonville, Florida

Back when I was a teacher I used to take my students on a field trip for a walking tour of Evergreen Cemetery. The tour was a scavenger hunt of sorts with a map with picture clues and directions to follow. Along the way the students would learn to not only follow directions but some of the history of our city as told through those early burials.

On this tour some of the grave markers were chosen for the historical significance or to show the meaning of tombstone icons other markers were chosen simply to keep the kids on track. The goal was to get out of the classroom, have fun and hopefully learn something along the way!

Evergreen Cemetery is the oldest, fully operating cemetery in Jacksonville, It's also the largest with 170 acres that includes a large Catholic and Jewish sections. The first burial took place on April 8, 1881. The year before on October 26, 1880 a right of way through the cemetery was granted to the Jacksonville-Fernandina Railroad and a depot was built on the grounds complete with holding vaults for bodies awaiting burial. The train still runs through the cemetery but the depot is gone and the holding vaults are no longer in use but the long history of Evergreen is just waiting to be explored.

Here's a few highlights from the walking tour:

William Sherman Jennings

1863-1920

Jennings was the 18th Governor of Florida serving 1901-1905

Rev. Dr. Robert J. Bateman

1860-1912

Died in the sinking of the Titanic 

Bateman born in England, became a Baptist minister at age 21 and later moved to Jacksonville.  After visiting relatives in England Bateman and his sister-in-law, Mrs. Ada Balls, embarked on the Titanic traveling second class. 

As the ship began to sink Rev. Bateman put Ada into the last lifeboat. Later Ada recalled her brother-in-law's words: "Brother forced me into the last boat saying he would follow later. Brother threw his overcoat over my shoulders as the boat was being lowered away and as we neared the water he took his black necktie and threw it to me with the words, "Goodbye, God bless you!"

Bateman's body was recovered by the cable laying vessel the Mackay-Bennett. On May 6, 1912 his body was sent to Jacksonville and interred in Evergreen Cemetery

Calvin E. Knight

1851-1924

Steamboat Captain

By the 1870's steamboats were busy on the St. John's River between Jacksonville and Palatka. The boats carried freight and an influx of settlers to Florida as well as tourists coming to view the exotic scenery and wildlife. After the arrival of the railroad in the 1890's the steamboats on the river slowly declined and became obsolete. 

Joshua L Burch

1833-1888

Victim of the Yellow Fever Epidemic

The first case of Yellow Fever was confirmed in Jacksonville in July of 1888. The disease causes liver damage and jaundice and could kill a person in a matter of days. By August 1888 Jacksonville was under quarantine. Nothing and no one was allowed to leave the city, not even mail could be sent off. We now know that Yellow Fever is spread by mosquitoes but at the time they believed it spread person to person. On September 12, 1888 twelve prominent business men and government official died of Yellow Fever. That day was referred to as Black Friday.  By December of 1888 over 5000 people had been ill and 400 had died as a result of the Yellow Fever Epidemic.

Napoleon B. Broward

1857-1910

Broward served as Sheriff of Duval County and then he served as Governor of Florida from 1906-1910. One of the largest bridges in Jacksonville is named for Napoleon B. Broward. 

Henry DuPre Bounetheau 

Died May 3, 1901

Bounetheau was one of the seven victims of the Great Fire of 1901 that ravished the city of Jacksonville. The fire began when a spark ignited drying moss at a mattress factory. It quickly spread from one wooden building to another to destroy 146 city blocks. By the time the fire was brought under control over 2300 building were destroyed, 10,000 people were homeless and seven residents were dead. 

Henry thought the fire wouldn't reach his home and if it did he could escape to the river. He did leave his home but returned to retrieve a photograph of his mother because it was the only one he had. His body was found days later floating in the river. 

Cummer Mausoleum 

1909

Ninah Cummer is best known for the Cummer Art Museum and Garden that she founded on Riverside Ave. in Jacksonville. This Egyptian Revival Mausoleum was constructed for Ninah and Arthur Cummer's baby daughter DeEtte who died in 1909 at 17 days old. 

This is just a small look at the history that can be found in Evergreen Cemetery.

Take a walk and visit a local cemetery and see what you can learn about your town. 

J is for Jacksonville, Florida- My Hometown

This month A-Z Guidebook is featuring the letter J.

Well of course I have to write about my home town of Jacksonville. I was born and raised here, graduated high school, went to college, met and married my husband and had our first child right here in Jacksonville! No wonder this place is dear to my heart.

We've moved around the country quite a bit but we're thankful to find ourselves back home.


Jacksonville is located in north east Florida just a few miles from the Georgia state line. It's the largest city by land area in the United States and boosts one of the largest urban park systems in the county. We have miles of beaches on the Atlantic ocean and rivers galore!  The beautiful St Johns River is one reason Jacksonville is called the 'River City'. You can't go anywhere in this town without crossing a bridge!

We enjoy beautiful weather with bright sunny skies. We even call the rain liquid sunshine because it might rain one minute and be clear skies the next. Winters are mild. Heck I don't even own a coat! And we joke that in the winter we run the heater in the morning and the air conditioner is turned on by noon.

Jacksonville, like most of Florida is flat. You won't find many hills unless you go towards Tallahassee and the Panhandle. We're pretty much at sea level so if you want to practice mountain climbing you'll have to tackle a bridge to get any incline.

In Florida hurricanes are a constant threat from June through November. We haven't had a major storm hit our area since Hurricane Dora blew through in 1964.

I had a hard time picking just one picture to sum up Jacksonville. I could have picked a photo from the beach or one of the many city parks and trails, or even from the fantastic Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. In the end I choose a photo of our beautiful riverfront because it's one of our favorite places to walk.

Friendship Fountain on the River Walk

The St Johns River is the longest river in Florida and one of the few rivers in the United States that flow north. The river begins its lazy travels in the marshes of Brevard County and slowly flows 310 miles north to mix in with the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport in Duval County. 

There is a beautiful river walk on both the north and south banks of the St Johns River in downtown Jacksonville. You can walk across the river on the Main Street bridge (also known as the Blue bridge) or the much more difficult Acosta bridge.

Looking across the St Johns River from Friendship Fountain downtown Jacksonville.

Friendship Fountain is located next to the Museum of Science and History in downtown. The blue bridge in the background is the Main Street bridge and it's an easy walk over to the Landing on the north bank of the river.

This is just a small glimpse of my hometown of Jacksonville were we enjoy mild winters and all the trapping of a big city in a small town atmosphere.

Come and visit us sometime!

You can see another photo of our river front by checking out this post. 

Finding Street Art - Gazebo Mosaic

Yacht Basin Park is a small park located in Riverside on the west bank of Willowbranch Creek. From here you can watch the creek as it empties into the St Johns River.  This park is one of our many favorite stops as we walk this neighborhood. The park is also known as Moms Park. In 2003 the park was dedicated to the memory of Patricia Austin (1934-1996) wife of Mayor Ed Austin. She was a community volunteer and leader and according to the plaque she liked to stroll here. I think I would have like her.

In the center of the park is a gazebo that is covered in a beautiful mosaic. This lovely piece of art was created by local artist Kate Garcia Rouh co-founder of Roux Art, Inc. 

Tired of cleaning up and painting over the graffiti Ms Rouh decided to paint a mural and then later to cover it with mosaic. Now the gazebo offers a quiet place to retreat from the Florida heat and enjoy a cool breeze from the river. 

Unfortunately my photographs don't capture the real beauty of this gazebo. Gives me an excuse to visit this park again...

Yacht Basin Park
2941 St Johns Ave
Jacksonville, FL


I'm sharing this over at Oakland Daily Photo-Monday Mural

Walking Wednesday - Walking the Zoo

No doubt about it my favorite place to walk this week was at the zoo. 

Now our zoo is pretty nice and with a yearly pass we spend a lot of time visiting and walking there. If you follow the path and walk by all the exhibits you go about 4 miles. No traffic, interesting things to see and lots of shade makes the zoo a great place to walk. 

 But what made this my favorite walk was this little guy. 

This is our 3 year old grandson. He spent the night with us and the next day we took him on an outing to the zoo  He was like our tour director. He knew exactly what animals we would be seeing next. He also knew where they sell the red shaved ice! Even though he's been here a few times he still showed that excitement and joy only a little one can have.

It's true what they say. Having grandchildren is wonderful. Your only job is to  love on your grandchildren and spoil them rotten and then take them home to mommy and daddy. 

And we did our job very well!

Lace up and take a little one for a walk!

Wednesday Walking - Bridge Walking and Prepping for Vacation

Florida is a gorgeous state and the area we live is one of the prettiest. Sandy beaches littered with shells, dense pine forests, moss draped oak trees and frog filled wetlands provide ample walking opportunities. Unless you're over towards the panhandle one thing lacking is hills and there are certainly no mountains!

Flatland walking is pretty easy and we can walk miles and miles with no problem. The problem comes when we travel to a  place that is actually above sea level with the dreaded hills that you have to walk UP!

This was a running joke on our trip to Germany. We found this card at the desk in one of our hotels, an advertisment for something or other but it was perfect! We were standing in the parking lot at Marksburg Castle on the Rhine in Germany trying to decide if we wanted to walk UP to the castle.

Training for our Next Trip

(Training may be a strong word!)

Soon we'll be heading for Italy and we already know there will be some hills to traverse so we've been working on our hill walking legs.

The easiest way to simulate walking up a hill is to use a walking machine. This may be most convenient way but it is also boring...

To counteract the boredom I watch YouTube travel videos and that helps a little. But I deem the walking machine as one of those necessary evils. Good for when it's raining or too hot to get outside.

Another option for practicing hill climbing and one that's much more fun is to head downtown and hit the bridges. This past week we did just that when we walked the Acosta bridge in downtown Jacksonville.

OK so it's not a mountain but it's a pretty steady climb UP. 

I have to admit that I have more trouble will incline walking than John does. But he's a very patient walking partner and for that I'm thankful.

Grab a partner, lace up your shoes and get a little work out!

Lunch at the Florida Creamery and a Four Mile Walk

Well summer is officially here. Temperature wise at least. 

Because of the heat we walked at the mall yesterday but wanted to get outside today. My only stipulation was SHADE! So we went to Riverside hoping to have some shade and a breeze off the river. 

We walked a couple miles to Avondale and picked up a Geocache behind the Old School Barbershop.

Due to it's location this cache was appropriately called the Mustache Cache Stash and the hidden box contained fake mustaches. The owner requested finders to post a picture of themselves with a mustache so we accommodated...

John brought his own mustache!

Since we were in the shopping area of Avondale we decided to eat lunch at the Fox diner but we got sidetracked along the way. The Florida Creamery caught our eye and we stopped in for a quick bite to eat and a nostalgic trip to Florida in the fifties.

Florida Creamery on St. John's Avenue in Avondale

Old fashion candy and drinks

Just a sample on the Florida wall art

The menu is mostly ice cream. Yum!

Obviously this place focuses on ice-cream but they also serve a Nathan's hot dogs. The only non ice cream food on the menu. That makes ordering easy! We both had a hot dog with slaw and onions and shared a bottle of ginger beer and a bag of chips for ten bucks.

The hot dog was good and the slaw was tasty. Finely chopped like hot dog slaw should be with a hint of celery seeds and pepper. 

 I loved the Reed's Extra Ginger Brew it was not too sweet with a little kick of heat and made of real ingredients!

From the Reed's website:

Extra Ginger Brew

Ingredients: Sparkling Filtered Water (Sweetened by a blend of raw cane sugar, pineapple juice from concentrate and honey), Fresh Ginger Root, Lemon and Lime Juices from concentrate and spices. Non Alcoholic. Free of Preservatives, Caffeine, Gluten & GMO’s.

Just right to quench the thirst on a hot day!

I'd love to sample the ice cream but not today. We have more walking to do!

A few of the sights on our walk through Riverside and Avondale

There's the shade!

Standing guard

Loved this!
LittleFreeLibrary.org
Take a book, leave a book. Too bad I didn't have a book with me...

That was our day. Where did your feet take you this weekend?

Three Mile Walk and Lunch at Stan's Sandwich & Grill

Saturday morning we headed to the San Marco area of town to take a walk. It was a beautiful day in Jacksonville. Cool and sunny with just a little breeze. On a whim I looked up restaurants in the area and came across Stan's Sandwich & Grill. The reviews were good so we decided to take a chance.

I'm not sure that walking three miles did much to counteract the lunch we had at Stan's Sandwich & Grill but it was soooooo good!

 John ordered grilled pastrami and fries. He said it was the best pastrami sandwich he'd had in a very long time. 

I ordered the Super Combo. Turkey, ham and roast beef with onions, tomatoes, lettuce and pickles on a sub roll. Oh my gosh it was good! It was also good that I ordered the regular and not the large. The regular was huge but I managed to eat every bit of it and I probably would have eaten every bit of the large:-)

We shared the fries. They were hot and crispy. Seasoned just right. 

I had a cherry limeade. Does anyone remember when they'd give you a real lime in your cherry limeade? I miss that...

My sandwich was so good I was craving another one by Saturday night. 

Trying to Walk Off Lunch.

A few of the sights on this walk...

There are lots of little parks scattered all around the San Marco Area. Greenscape Celebration Park is located on the St John's River. We also found a Geocache in this park.

Beautiful flowers in bloom

Another lovely little park. Moss draped oak trees and a neat fountain.

All in all a wonderful day. Perfect weather, charming surroundings and yummy food.

Lunch at Kathy's Bakery and Cafe

Today I had the opportunity to spend some time with my youngest son and we went to check out a local coffee place. Since it was pushing noon we decided to have a little lunch.

Kathy's Bakery and Cafe

Nothing in the name gives away the fact that this is a Cuban bakery and sandwich shop. 

As we looked over the menu hanging on the wall I knew I'd have to order a Sandwich Cubano. Ham and roast pork with Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. On Cuban bread mashed and toasted in a hot press. I loved the bread. Soft on the inside and crunchy outside.

Josh ordered something a little different. Pan con Picadillo is basically a Sloppy Joe but it's ground beef cooked with green olives in a tomato sauce.  A little sweet and salty. Perfect combo! Also on Cuban bread toasted in a press.

There was a delicious looking display case full of pastries but what I really came for was the coffee. 

Cafe con leche. 

Oh my gosh. To me it's like a hot dessert in a cup. The sugar and the coffee and the foamy milk. Yum! Taste like it's caramelized.

I know you can make cafe con leche on a stove top but oh what I'd give for a coffee machine like the one in this shop. I loved watching the ladies work this machine. Individual grounds for each cup. Add the milk, sugar and steam the cup and steam it some more. So much nicer than just pouring a cup from a carafe and serving it with those little packets of sugar and powdered milk. This was a beautiful, frothy creation. Yum. I want another cup right now!

After walking back and forth in front of the display case drooling over the variety of pastries we finally choose 3 different ones to bring home. All wrapped up and tied with a ribbon.

Layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream, topped with caramel.

Pineapple cheesecake

Sponge cake cone soaked in rum.

 At home after dinner we had a taste testing. Each perfect little pastry cut in to four 

somewhat equal pieces.

The verdict?

 Josh's favorite was the little cone cake soaked in rum I liked the layered caramel cake. The topping reminded me of a Sugar Daddy only soft. My husband and daughter-in-law just wanted to know why we had to share!

This just about says it all...

I really enjoyed our visit to Kathy's Bakery and Cafe.This is definitly a Cuban bakery. The employees speak English but Spanish is their first language. From the signs to the TV channel and the conversations going on around the little shop. I love going to a place like this where the culture and language is different than what I'm used to. My Spanish is marginally better than my German (for those who were with me on our trip to Germany you know my German stinks:-) but even so I managed to tell the two ladies behind the counter thank you it was very good...Gracias, muy bien.

You know what the ladies did? They clapped and cheered for me! Made my day...I will certainly be coming back not only to try a few more pastries and a cafe con leche but also to try out a few more Spanish phrases.

Lunch at Mossfire Grill in Riverside

Mossfire Grill 

We walked with the club in Riverside and almost didn't stay for lunch because it was a little early. But stay we did and I'm glad.

This was our first visit to the Mossfire Grill. The menu is mostly Southwestern fare with a nice selection of  tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas. A few surprises thrown in like crab cakes and meatloaf with mushroom gravy means a little something for every taste. 

I decided on the Chicken and Spinach Quesadilla

A flour tortilla filled with chicken, goat cheese, white cheddar, spinach and roasted garlic. Served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. 

The tortilla was grilled so it was slightly crisp. I really liked the goat cheese. It added a salty, savory flavor to the mild chicken and spinach. 

John ordered the Stacked Pulled Pork Enchilada. I'll be honest when it came to the table we weren't sure it was an enchilada. That is until the waitress pointed out that it was stacked and not rolled!

Slow roasted carnitas style pork on blue corn tortillas smothered with ranchero sauce, cheese and sour cream. Served with rice and black beans.

We shared so I got to taste the enchilada and it was delicious. I liked my quesadilla but I really enjoyed the enchilada. 

Even though we got to the restaurant around 11am quite a few tables were already filled. The service was friendly and our meals came out quickly. 

Lunch for two with water to drink including the tip was $22. A little pricey for lunch but we made it our main meal for the day. I don't mind paying a little more if the food and service is really good. And it was really good at Mossfire Grill. 

Mossfire Grill

1537 Margaret Street

Jacksonville, Florida 32204

Lunch: Sunday-Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Dinner: Sunday - Saturday 4:00 pm - Close

Brunch: Sunday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Happy Hour - Everyday 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Go here for the lunch and dinner menus

Walk, Dinner and A Movie in San Marco

Jacksonville has several beautiful old areas around town. North of downtown is the neighborhood of Springfield  established in 1869. Then we move to Riverside, aptly named due to its proximity to the St Johns River. Riverside saw its greatest growth between The Great Fire of 1901 and the failure of the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s.  Then there's gentile San Marco annexed by Jacksonville in 1932. It's marked by the million dollar homes on the river and a quaint shopping district with a variety of eating places.

Saturday night John and I took to San Marco for what should have been a nice long walk. We are little behind on our 600 mile goal so our original plan was to walk for two hours and then eat dinner at the San Marco movie theater. Unfortunately our walk was cut short by an hour when the storm clouds moved in and rain drops began to fall. Maybe it was fortunate because we decided to pop in to the Maple Street Biscuit Company for dinner since we had an hour to kill.

Storm clouds rolling in.

We enjoyed dinner at the Maple Street Biscuit Company and you can see a full review at this post:

The Maple Street Biscuit Company

After dinner we walked a block to the restored San Marco Theatre,  Built in 1938 by local architect Roy Benjamin the San Marco Theatre  is an example of classic Art Deco that was popular at the time. David and Sue Blue took over the theater 8 years ago and oversaw the restoration.

A box office out front and a single screen movie theatre (can you believe it only has one screen?) it actually boasts dinner and a movie.  We'd already stuffed ourselves so we didn't sample the food. Maybe next time.

Lace up and enjoy a walk, dinner and a movie!