We will be moving our son into UNF in a few weeks. Is there anything anyone would recommend us seeing or doing in Jacksonville if we have some extra time? We have never been to the area and are excited to see it.

If you have some extra time, go to St. Augustine. It's America's oldest city and is very charming.
Also, visit Jacksonville beach and the mansions along Ponte Vedra Boulevard in Ponte Vedra. Close to UNF, take the St. John's Bluff exit and visit the St. John's Town Center--an open-air shopping area.
My daughter graduated from UNF, and would tell you it's a great school.
Good luck to your son--I think he'll find the good folks of Jacksonville to be pretty nice.

Thanks so much!

I agree with egret 100%. If you still have time I would add Amelia Island and Fernandina.

Oh, Fernandina and Amelia would also be great.

I grew up in the Jacksonville area & still visit a few times a year to see family. UNF is such a great school. Yes, the new St. Johns Towne Center is less than a mile away which is an open air mall with new restaurants including PF Changs, Cheesecake Factory, & Maggiano's Little Italy. Jacksonville Beach is a 15 min drive away if you like the beach.

As everyone agrees, St. Augustine is a real gem. I would plan on spending a day there if you have the time. I would visit the Mission of Nombre de Dios which is america's first mission. The grounds are beautiful and makes a great 1st stop there. Parking is free so you can leave your car there and walk up San Marco Ave to the historic city gates and walk down St George St. Along the way, you'll pass Ripley's Believe it or not on your left and across the street will be the vistors center. You'll also see the Castillo de San Marcos which is an old spanish fort and National Monument. I'll list a few websites to get you started.

www.visitoldcity.com
www.missionandshrine.org

Anastasia Island is also nice, I highly rec going up into the St. Augustine lighthouse for some fantastic views.

Getting to St. Augustine from UNF/southside area, you could take the fast route which would be I-95 to SR 16 or the scenic route which would be Butler blvd (202) to A1A (where 202 ends) traveling through Ponte Vedra to St Augustine ending @ San Marco Ave.

I hope you enjoy your visit!

Thanks again to everyone. I'm taking this with me and looking foward to an interesting weekend.

Bistro Aix is a good restaurant option. I ditto the recommendations of St. Augustine and Anastasia. Depending on how much extra time you have, you may want to drive up to Amelia Island/ Fernandina area.

Don't know if you are interested in golf, but if you are...........don't miss the World Golf Village and Museum in St. Augustine. It is really worth seeing and you can spend most of the day there. They have a few restaurants and a really nice pro shop.