The Jaxson: Historic Eastside Walking Tour

Established in 1869 and quickly settled by freedmen and women, the Eastside is one of Jacksonville's last intact 19th-century Gullah Geechee communities. A stone's throw from TIAA Bank Field, it's also one of the city's most walkable and architecturally unique areas.  Significant historical figures associated with the Eastside include Asa Philip Randolph, Zora Neale Hurston, Sallye B. Mathis, Princess Laura Adorkor Kofi, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Joseph E. Lee and Robert "Bullet Bob" Hayes.

The area that now makes up the Sports & Entertainment District was originally the streetcar suburb of East Jacksonville. Today, it is exploding with new development, ideas and activity.  With the prospective revival of the once vibrant A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, Jacksonville now has a once-in-a-generation chance to recreate a cohesive Eastside community while fending off gentrification with the aggressive and creative implementation of withintrification strategies. 

Join The Jaxson's Ennis Davis, Bill Delaney and Mike Field for a guided walking tour of the past, present and future of two of Jacksonville's oldest neighborhoods. The tour starts in front of the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Street parking is free. Tickets are $20; kids 12 and under are free. The tour is suitable for most travelers.

Host or Publisher The Jaxson