Jacksonville's Arlington Area Info Blog

Here is a place for the whole family. It is a place that all school children will go to on a field trip. They have a great website at: http://www.treehill.org/.
Sadly, you have missed out on the Butterfly Festival which was held last weekend. The price is pretty reasonable and even better for you and the family if you attend together on Saturday.
Tree Hill is not only an nature preserve but also supports local artists including photographers, painters, musicians and much more. The Park is open to the public and worth a look see.

Here is a listing of the current prices!

$4 Adults
$3 Seniors/Students/Military
$2 Children
Family Saturdays – $5 per family
Members FREE
(904) 724-4646
7152 Lone Star Rd.Jacksonville, Florida, 32211
Monday-Saturday – 8 am to 4:30 pm. Closed on Sunday and Holidays.

In between the boundaries for the Southside and Arlington areas just off of San Pablo Road between Atlantic and Beach Boulevards is a somewhat new park or preserve called Castaway Island. My mom says the entrance of the park used to be an old trailer park. Now you can go and walk the nature trails, picnic and Bar B Q, put your canoe or kayak in the Intercoastal Waterway or attend one of the nature seminars at the Information Center. Like all parks in Jacksonville it is opened from Sunrise to Sunset all year long. It is a FREE park and lovely to spend a few hours or all day. Being so close to the ocean there is almost always a nice little breeze. On the nature trails there are, of course, informational signs about the wildlife in the area.

All the Jacksonville Area Preserves are nice to visit and offer some great educational opportunities for you and your children and/or grandchildren. This one is very new, very clean with sidewalks for trails as well as wooden walkways into the bush leading out to the water areas. The floating dock is well maintained and adjusts to the incoming and outgoing tides. When we went it was low tide and you can see where the water rises up. There are lots of birds and small animals in the park. Of course, you shouldn’t feed any of the animals you might see and always keep your children close to you while visiting any of the parks or preserves.

Each New Years we think about a resolution to get fit, lose a little weight or just get out and have some fun. Once place that is good for all of these things is your local YMCA. They offer lots of programs for exercise, fitness and fun for the whole family. They have a branch in the Jacksonville Arlington Area and is open to all of those who wish to join. They have child care, sports programs, camps and much more. They are open to the whole family. You should check out their website or even go to their center and take a tour of their facilities. According to their website they will work with families on the monthly fee. Give them a try.

“As a non-profit, mission-driven organization, we are committed to being accessible to all. To facilitate that effort, we are pleased to provide our memberships at income-based rates. Building YOUR (Your Own Unique Rate) plan is simple. To get started, stop by, or use our online calculator to determine your own unique rate.

Financial assistance is available for qualified members through the Strong Kids Campaign. At the YMCA, no one will ever be turned away for an inability to pay.”

Arlington Family YMCA
Family Program Center
8301 Ft. Caroline Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32277

Wellness Center
9119 Merrill Road
Jacksonville, FL 32225
904-744-2233
Branch Info
Branch Email

The city of Jacksonville has some great information available for FREE for it’s current and future residents. You start at their website and they have links to the other sites as well. You just need to bookmark or add to your favorites list the ones that you want or all of them. Read through their materials, download their brochures and booklets but most importantly you should sign up for the Community Notification website. They are sponsored by the City of Jacksonville under their program called CODE RED. This service will phone you when an imminent threat is made known about your neighborhood. You just fill out the online form with your address and phone number and the computer will call you when an alert has been issued. Some of the issues include bad weather, bioterriosts threats, blackouts and much more. Check it out

We have finally updated the listing of the Nursing Homes located in the Arlington Area. You can find the list on the Nursing Home Listing at: http://jacksonvillesarlington.info/wordpress/arlington-services/arlington-area-nursing-homes/. This listing was compiled from the website sponsored by the State of Florida and the Agency for Healthcare Administration. They inspect and report on Nursing homes throughout Florida and those reports are available to anyone who visits their website at: http://ahcaxnet.fdhc.state.fl.us/nhcguide/ViewFacilityData.aspx?Region=04

You can also download a acrobat reader file of all the nursing homes in the Jacksonville, Florida area here at: Jacksonville Listing of Nursing Homes

REMEMBER when you are considering placing a loved-one in a nursing home you must be sure to go to the facility, look up their inspection reports and ask lots of questions.

Here’s hoping that you and your family enjoy the holidays and the NEW YEAR!

First of all, Welcome to all the new members of the Jacksonville’s Arlington Arlington Area Info Blog. We encourage all of our members to participate in any of the discussions or make suggestions on how to improve our blog. You can email me directly at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesarlington.info with your subscriber ID if you want to become a “Guest Poster”. Guest posters can add new blog posts on any subject related to Jacksonville Florida’s Arlington Area. That can include information on upcoming events at your church or a group you participate with, reviews of local restaurants, parks, amusement areas, colleges, and neighborhoods or apartment complexes you live in. The point is to make this an information center for the Jacksonville Arlington Area. From our first post that will include everyone living in zip codes 32211, 32277 and 32225. I realize that covers quite a bit of area but Jacksonville is a big place and us natives still considered these zip codes part of the Arlington Area.

Forgive me if this dates me but I remember when most of the 32225 area was still woods with only a few people scattered around here and there. So, for all the newbies here in the last 10 to 15 years we encourage you to participate and tell us about your neighborhood, your schools and restaurants, etc. We would like to hear from you who still go to the Regency Square Mall. The last couple of times that we went to that mall we noticed a steady decline. If you can tell us more about that we would like to hear it.

And how about those of you who attend college at Jones College or Jacksonville University? What’s happening at your campuses? What is it like to go to college there? Are the teacher’s nice, knowledgeable? This is your chance to give us the real scoop from an everyday person’s perspective!

We look forward to hearing from you and pass this post on to your fellow Arlington area residents. Happy Holidays and BE SAFE!

Hey folks! I love the fall season. There are lots of things to do, see and experience during the month of October. One website I find that helps me find those events is the www.experiencejax.com/ There search engine is divided by sides of town, day of the month or a series of days and will also allow you to list only the FREE events. It is a great website. I use it regularly. Here is a sample of some of the events for October in the Jacksonville, Florida Arlington Area and of course are FREE:

Title: Intercollegiate Choral Festival
Date: October 2, 2009
Time: 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Location: Terry Concert Hall at Jacksonville University
2800 University Blvd North Jacksonville, FL 32211
Cost: Free
Description: The Fourteenth Annual Intercollegiate Choral Festival will be held in Terry Concert Hall. Come hear the choirs of Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida kick off the collegiate choral season in Jacksonville. Not to be missed.
Website arts.ju.edu

Title: Clive King
Date: October 8, 2009
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Arlington: Alexander Brest Gallery at Jacksonville University
2800 University Blvd North Jacksonville, FL 32211
Cost: Free
Description: October 8 – November. 4 Alexander Brest Gallery Artist’s Reception – October 8 from 5-7 pm
Florida Artist, Clive King, creates large scale drawings that are semi-autobiographical and reflect a metaphysical journey. The chaotic images and the odd juxtapositions are the means to a powerful statement, not only on his personal emotions, but also on the human condition in general.
Website: arts.ju.edu

Title: First Coast Wind Ensemble “Sousa Comes to Town”
Date: October 22, 2009
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Jacksonville University, Terry Hall
2800 Univeristy Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32211
Cost: Free
Description: Dr. Dale Blackwell and Artie Clifton Conductors
INFO: (904)744-9090
Website: www.fcwe.org

If you or your organization is having a festival or event free or otherwise in the Jacksonville, Florida Arlington Area send us an email and we will post it! jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesarlington.info

Cheers
Jolenemacinjax
Admin

For those who have children or would like to volunteer to help children you should look into the Boy and Girl Scouts of America organization. This is a great way for your children to learn about our environment, volunteerism and to have fun while doing. The Boys and Girls Councils of North Florida have lots of information on how to join and look forward to having your child become a boy or girl scout. The adults can also volunteer to help teach their children new skills that will serve them well as adults. For those who don’t have children or their children are grown it is a great opportunity to share you life learning skills with those who need it the most. Each fall the Boys and Girls Scouts starts their drive for new recruits. It is not too late just call your local council and they will be happy to help. There is a small yearly fee for each child and there will be uniform costs but each troop has various rules and some can help with some of the costs. So CALL TODAY!

FOR those who are already in a troop and would like to add your Arlington Area local troop link to this blog you can email me at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesarlington.info or become a subscriber to this blog and post a comment below.

Here is some general information about each group and their contact information:

National Website:

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/ For Girl Scouts

http://scouting.org/for Boy Scouts

LOCAL INFORMATION:

Boy Scouts of America
North Florida Council
521 Edgewood Ave S
Jacksonville, FL 32205
904.388.0591
800.232.0845 Toll Free
904.387.4148 Fax
jana.metzger@scouting.org
http://www.nfcscouting.org

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.
Jacksonville Service Center
1000 Shearer Street
Jacksonville, FL 32205-6055
(904) 388-4653
(800) 347-2688 – Local Toll Free Phone
Fax: (904) 384-1542
Email: info@girlscouts-gateway.org
Web Site: http://www.girlscouts-gateway.org
http://www.facebook.com/gsgcfl ON FACEBOOK

Youth Programs

BOYS
Tiger Cubs is a year-round family- and home-centered program that encourages the ethical decision-making skills for first-grade (or 7-year-old) boys. These boys participate in the program with their adult partners. The program emphasizes shared leadership, learning about the community, and family understanding.

Cub Scouts is a year-round family- and home-centered program that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys in the second through fifth grade (or who are 8, 9, and 10 years old). Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Boy Scouts is a year-round program that develops ethical decision-making skills for young men ages 11 to 18. Activities emphasize responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities.

GIRLS
* Girl Scout Daisy, grades K-1
Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of five to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. Girl Scout Daisies can also earn Learning Petals and receive participation patches.

* Girl Scout Brownie, grades 2-3
Girl Scouts Brownies work together in groups, earn Girl Scout Brownie Try-Its, and explore their community. Friendship, fun, and age-appropriate activities begin at the Girl Scout Brownie meeting and move out to the community and wider world.

* Girl Scout Junior, grades 4-5
Girl Scout Juniors earn badges and discover what girl power is all about through new activities and by learning to take charge of their own plans. They gain self-confidence as they explore the world in partnership with their troop/group leaders.

* Girl Scout Cadette, grades 6-8; * Girl Scout Senior, grades 9-10; * Girl Scout Ambassador, grades 11-12

Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors participate in Girl Scouting in many ways. Under the guidance of a trained adult advisor, girls mix and match activities and resources to suit their needs while giving back to their communities. They connect with each other and build self-esteem and confidence in their skills as they work on a range of projects and gain life experiences.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Venturing is a year round program for young adults, men and women, between the ages of 14 (having completed the eighth grade) and 20. Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults.

Learning For Life Consists of Three Different Programs. For more information on any of the Learning For Life Programs, contact Ben Butler at 904.388.0591, or benjamin.butler@scouting.org.

Exploring is a worksite-based program for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years old. Exploring units have a focus on a career field, such as law enforcement, fire/rescue, health, law, aviation, engineering, or the like, and are sponsored by a government or business entity.

Character Education is a series of school-based programs designed to support schools and educational organizations in helping youth with character education, life skills, building self-esteem, and developing ethical decision-making skills.

Classroom Scouting is a school based program conducted in partnership with the Girl Scouts. The program is for children with physical, emotional and mental exceptionalities.

JOIN TODAY!
admin

PS WE HAVE ADDED THE JACKSONVILLE ARLINGTON AREA LIBRARIES TO THE GOVERNMENT PAGE

Hey Gang! I was just reading about something you and the family can do for free right here in Jacksonville, Florida’s Arlington Area. You can go to the Ft Caroline National Monument Park for FREE. That’s right on September 26th you and your whole family can go to any of the National Parks for FREE.

Here is an excerpt from the parks webpage:

Saturday September 26, 2009 from 8:00am – 4:30pm
Fort Caroline National Memorial
12713 Fort Caroline Rd
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
FEE FREE SATURDAY

You can visit the website for the park here at: http://www.nps.gov/TIMU/index.htm

You can also sign your kids up for a free program offered by the Timucuan Preserve:

“Junior Ranger Program: The Timucuan Preserve announces a new Junior Ranger program for the national parks of Florida’s First Coast and Georgia’s Golden Isles. The Cultures of the Coast Junior Ranger Program is offered free at Jacksonville’s National Park, the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Children who complete the activities are awarded a Cultures of the Coast Junior Ranger badge.

The Cultures of the Coast parks also include Fort Matanzas National Monument and the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida; the Timucuan Preserve (Kingsley Plantation) and Fort Caroline National Memorial in Jacksonville, Florida; Cumberland Island National Seashore in St. Marys, Georgia; and Fort Frederica National Monument, located near Brunswick, Georgia on St. Simons Island. The Cultures of the Coast Junior Ranger Program is available at each of these sites.

A new component of the junior ranger program is a digital storytelling activity, where families explore the park and then design and record their favorite park story.”

For more information visit the website: http://www.nps.gov/timu/forkids/index.htm

Have fun!

We were cruising around the Arlington area recently and took some photos of our ramblings. Mostly, we traveled from the Wonderwood Expressway down Ft. Caroline Road and finished off going down University Boulevard North. The drive was a nice one as the day from bright and sunny and hadn’t gotten too warm yet. Our main goal was to get some pictures of the area to share with our subscribers and those who would like to visit the area. We have divided the pictures into groups to highlight them on the various pages as we update them.

If you have pictures of the Arlington Area both past and present and would like to share them with our readers then by all means contact us at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesarlington.info with a copy of the pictures attached and a little info to go along with it. It is always nice to see various areas around the neighborhoods from your favorite park, pub or even pictures of past events. We hope you enjoy these and check out the pages as well as we will strive to get more pictures around the area!

You can see pictures on the Places to Eat page, the Parks & Recreation page, the Schools page, the Places to Live page, and the Churches page.

Cheers!
Jolene