Merrill Pines Condominium Association

Summer Fune Close to Home

Sep 16, 2008

You don?’t have to travel far to have a great summer. Just take advantage of our city?’s wonderful amenities (www.coj.net). Some of the best in the area are all within 20 miles of Merrill Pines.

When you want to head to the beach, there?’s always Jacksonville Beach as an option. But have you ever been to either Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park or Huguenot Memorial Park?

Hanna Park is a 450-acre nature lovers?’ paradise and is situated along a mile and a half of white sandy beach near the Mayport Naval Station.
Huguenot Park, located at 10980 Heckscher Drive, is also a gorgeous, natural beachfront area.

Both parks offer a great variety of outdoor activities from camping and mountain biking to fishing and surfing. Hanna Park even rents cabins and small water craft.

These parks are among numerous federal, state and private lands that constitute the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. The preserve was established in 1988 to protect one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast.

So if you?’re looking for a bit of history, be sure to visit at least one of the historical sites that are part of the preserve - the Kingsley Plantation and The Fort Caroline National Memorial Complex.

The Kingsley Plantation, located on Ft. George Island, provides a view into plantation life. Exhibits include a plantation house, a barn, and the ruins of 25 original slave cabins.

The fort replica at Fort Caroline memorializes the 16th-century French effort to colonize NE Florida. The complex at 12713 Ft. Caroline Road also includes the Timucuan Preserve Visitor Center and the Ribault Memorial.

Another great park is Arlington?’s District 2 Regional Park and is located close by at 11751 McCormick Road.

This 144-acre park has a variety of sports fields and the program management is leased to the Police Athletic League, PAL. Some of the programs offered are flag and tackle football, cheerleading, baseball, karate, volleyball, and after-school homework assistance. Call PAL at 355-3308 for more information.

What about some nighttime entertainment? Jacksonville Beach?’s Sea Walk Pavilion offers free movies and concerts throughout the summer (www.jacksonvillebeach.org). Also put Jacksonville?’s Freedom, Fanfare, and Fireworks at Metropolitan Park on your calendar for July 4.

And for those rainy, summer days, check out the free programs at the public library. Go online at http://jpl.coj.net/ or call your favorite branch for a list of programs and a schedule.

Now, get out there and enjoy the benefits of living in such a great city!