Welcome-both to the group and to Florida. If you are going to operate out of the Jacksonville area, you have lots of choices depending on your interests. There are some great state and national parks in the area.

CAVEAT: You don't say when your trip will happen; if you are planning to be in Jacksonville the weekend of Feb 5-6, that is the weekend of the Super Bowl and 100,000 extra people are expected.

Now back to the parks: There is a great city park at the beach:Kathryn Abby Hanna Park and several great state beach parks: Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island, Guana State Park: http://www.floridastateparks.org/

There are a number of historical sights in the area: Fort Clinch State Park, and the national historical site of Kingsley Plantation (currently under repair and can only be viewed from the outside, but it's free). And then there's St. Augustine, the USA's oldest city, about an hour from Jacksonville.

What are the kinds of things you need to know or want more details about? I'll try to answer.

Tory, N. FL