Urban Bean is by far the best coffee place on this side of the river right next to the venue. They have handcrafted coffee, doughnuts, sweets, food and more. For a pick me up, stop by at this local coffee shop. It will not disappoint.
If you are into local breweries, check out Wicked Barley located on the St. Johns River just across the bridge. This local place has something for every beer lover plus great food for lunch or dinner.
One of our favorite Italian restaurants to go to is Picasso's. The owner/chef trained in New York at the Culinary Institute of America. They have a variety of dishes including hand crafted pizza and pasta dishes from scratch. During lunch, you order at the register and sit down. For dinner, they have table side service.
If you are looking for some where magical to explore, we have a farm located on the North Side of Jacksonville. Congaree & Penn are locally owned by Scott & Lindsey Meyer. They have animals to see, tractors to ride, and beautiful sunsets to see. This farm grows rice, mayhaws, berries, grapes for cider, and more. They are their own upscale restaurant and cidery creating fresh farm to table foods and carefully crafted ciders. You must book a reservation to dine/visit the farm. It is $5 to walk the farm and visit, or if you reserve a spot to dine, the reservation for walking the farm is void. Attire for the farm during the day is nice casual. For dinners you will want to dress up a little bit.