Downtown Jacksonville riverfrontVisiting fans pick this
25 min. walk, or JTA Gameday Xpress bus from the downtown lots. The only sensible base, and closer than people assume. The Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is 1.1 miles from the stadium, the DoubleTree Riverfront is 1.3 miles, and the Omni is 1.5 miles. That's a 20-25 minute walk along the river, or you can take the $10 JTA Gameday Xpress round trip from the FSCJ Downtown Campus lot. Staying downtown also puts you where the bars actually are, since there are almost none at the stadium.
Southbank / San MarcoVisiting fans pick this
St Johns River Taxi game-day service, or JTA Gameday Xpress from Kings Avenue Garage. This side is across the St Johns River from downtown, and it unlocks the best way to get to the stadium. The St Johns River Taxi runs a game day service straight to the stadium, so you arrive by boat instead of by bus. Kings Avenue Parking Garage on this side is also one of the four official JTA Gameday Xpress pickup lots, and it's $10 round trip including parking.
Around the stadium
From a specialist guide
There's basically no nightlife at the stadium itself. It sits in the Sports Complex on the eastern edge of downtown, surrounded by other venues and surface parking lots rather than bars and hotels. Jacksonville Sports Tavern, 0.3 miles away, is pretty much the only option on foot, and downtown is a fairly long way from the stadium for most visitors. Daily's Place, the 5,000-seat amphitheater attached to the south end, is part of the stadium complex, not a separate nightlife spot.
Map of the area
Tap a pin to see the place.
Getting to EverBank Stadium
On game day
Checked at the source
JTA Gameday Xpress. It drops you at the stadium. St Johns River Taxi game day service. The boat docks are south of EverBank Stadium along the St Johns River. Farah & Farah Game Day Shuttle, running between the outer stadium lots and the gates to stadium gates. You can walk there from the downtown riverfront hotels to n/a.
Parking and tailgating at EverBank Stadium
Tailgating
Checked at the source
You have to tailgate with a car here. The rules around the stadium are strict: one car gets one space, and you have to stay in your own lined bay, with your tailgate set up right in front of or behind it. Canopies can't be bigger than 8 feet by 8 feet, and once the game starts, all tailgating in stadium-controlled lots has to stop. You can only grill inside a barbecue structure, no open fires allowed. There's no free walk-up tailgate area for people without cars. If you don't have a car, your option is the ticketed Fan Entertainment Zone inside Gate 4, which opens three hours before kickoff.
Game day at EverBank Stadium
Getting in
Checked at the source
Bag policy: Bring a clutch, bag, or wallet no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches, a one-gallon clear plastic bag, or a clear bag no larger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. Fan Lockers are available at Gate 1 for anything that doesn't fit those rules. Unusually for the NFL, outside food is allowed if it's unwrapped and carried in a one-gallon clear plastic bag.
Re-entry: Re-entry is not allowed. The rule covers the whole perimeter, not just the stadium gates, so crossing back out through the perimeter gates ends your visit. That catches fans who wander back toward the parking lots.
Prohibited items: Strollers and infant carriers aren't allowed, which is tough for families. Also banned: umbrellas of any kind, noisemakers, laptops, drones, weapons and knives, pets other than service animals, and any bag outside the three allowed formats. One exception to the usual rule: outside food is allowed in a one-gallon clear bag.
Touring the stadium
Checked at the source
Stadium tours are suspended for the rebuild. The official tour calendar lists no dates, just one line saying tours are currently suspended and will resume later. Assume nothing is bookable at the venue in 2026, on game day or any other day.
After the final whistle
From a specialist guide
No official clearance time is published. Lots close two hours after the game ends, the Farah & Farah shuttle runs for one hour after the final whistle, and Gameday Xpress buses return to their starting lots. Construction hoarding in 2026 narrows some concourse and gate routing, and the club has asked fans to be patient with parking, tailgating and seat access this season.
One thing to avoid
From a specialist guide
Watch out for two traps. First, don't plan to use the Skyway monorail to get to the stadium. It's free, but it only has eight downtown and Southbank stations, it doesn't serve EverBank Stadium or the Sports Complex at all, and starting October 1, 2026 it runs weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday service for special events only. So on a normal NFL Sunday, it may not be running for you. Second, don't book a 2027 Jacksonville trip. The team plays in Orlando that season.
Food and drink at EverBank Stadium
What to eat
The local food this city is known for: shrimp and datil pepper.
Inside the stadium, 2026 season
New: the River City Heatwave, tots with breaded shrimp and datil pepper sauce. Source
Bringing your own
You can bring food in, unwrapped and inside a one-gallon clear bag. Source
Stand line-ups change every season.
Bars near the stadium
Checked at the source
Ben Theis, Google Maps
Tailgate Bar & Parking
441 Haines St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Tailgate Bar is the best find in Jacksonville, and the first pass missed it completely. It's been open for over thirty years, and Downtown Jacksonville's own gameday guide calls it a Jaguars gameday staple going back to the team's first season in 1995, so it's about as old as the franchise itself.
Away fans: mostly home fans show up, but since the parking deal works for anyone, visiting fans use it too.
Debrah Coury, Google Maps
That Bar at the Arena
234 A. Philip Randolph Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Intuition and Bold City Downtown are both closing in 2026, which makes That Bar the main survivor left in the walkable Sports District. It's a full-service bar with a kitchen sitting right on A.
Away fans: mostly home fans.
Manifest Distilling, Google Maps
Manifest Distilling
960 E Forsyth St, Jacksonville, FL 32202 (Sports District)
Manifest is the only full-scale distillery in downtown Jacksonville, and it works with certified organic grain and makes its cuts by hand. It sits inside the Sports District, so it's an easy walk, but it offers something the other spots don't: distillery tours with tastings.
Away fans: mixed and welcoming. It's a distillery tasting room, not a bar for one team's fans.
Bryson Clifton, Google Maps
Ruby Beach Brewing
228 E Forsyth St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
With both Bay Street breweries gone, Ruby Beach is the strongest craft beer option left downtown, and Downtown Jacksonville's gameday guide includes it among its recommended stops. It opened fairly recently in the downtown core, brews its own beer, and runs its own food truck on site called Ruby Smoke.
Things to do around EverBank Stadium
Listed in the order they happen on game day. Each one earns points.
Outing40 points
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
This zoo sits on the Trout River six miles north of the stadium, open 9 am to 5 pm with last entry at 4:30 pm. You need tickets online, and buying a day ahead gets you the lower price.
$$. The day before
Landmark65 points
Cummer Museum and riverfront gardens
This art museum has formal gardens on the St. Johns in Riverside. It's open Saturday 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday noon to 4 pm, $20 for adults and free under 5, closed Monday.
$$. The day before
Eat65 points
Mayport shrimp at Safe Harbor Seafood
This is a dockside counter in the Mayport fishing village where the boats unload straight into the kitchen. The fried Mayport shrimp is the local order, and it's open Sunday 11 am to 7 pm, closed Monday.
$$. The day before
Eat65 points
Singleton's Seafood Shack on the river
This wooden seafood shack in Mayport has a deck built right over the St. Johns River. Get the Minorcan clam chowder, a Northeast Florida dish, or a fried shrimp basket. It stays open until 10 pm Friday and Saturday and is closed Tuesday.
$$. 19 hours before kickoff
Drink25 points
Manifest Distilling Cocktail Room
This is downtown Jacksonville's only full-scale distillery, two blocks from the stadium in the Sports District. The Cocktail Room runs 11 am to 11 pm Saturday, so it works for the night before, but it's closed Sunday.
$$. 18 hours before kickoff
Photo25 points
Friendship Fountain at dusk
This is a 200-foot fountain on the Southbank, straight across the river from the downtown towers. It's open 8 am to 10 pm with lit water shows at 7:30, 8 and 8:30 pm, weather permitting.
Free. 17 hours before kickoff
Eat65 points
Metro Diner, the San Marco original
This is the original Metro Diner, opened in 1992 in a 1938 building on Hendricks Avenue in San Marco. It serves breakfast all day, with fried chicken and waffles, huevos rancheros, and the meatloaf Guy Fieri filmed.
$. 5 hours before kickoff
Drink25 points
Tailgate Bar and Grill on Haines Street
This bar and grill sits two blocks from the stadium and opens at 9 am for 1 pm kickoffs or 11 am for 4 pm games. It has food, a full bar and its own parking.
$$. 4 hours before kickoff
Drink25 points
That Bar at the Arena
This is a Sports District bar on A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, a short walk from the stadium gates. It has sandwiches, bar bites and a full bar, and opens 10 am Saturday and Sunday and runs to 2 am.
$$. 3 hours before kickoff
Tailgate65 points
Fan Entertainment Zone on the southwest plaza
This is the team's pregame zone in the Flex Field behind Daily's Place, open three hours before kickoff through Gates 1, 4 or 7. It's free with a game ticket and has music, giveaways, legends autographs and youth drills.
Free. 3 hours before kickoff
Landmark65 points
Riverwalk and the blue Main Street Bridge
The Northbank and Southbank Riverwalks run nearly three miles along the St. Johns, linked by walkways on the Main Street and Acosta bridges. Cross the blue bridge on foot, then head east to the stadium.
Free. 2 hours 30 minutes before kickoff
Ritual25 points
JTA Gameday Xpress from Kings Avenue garage
Park at the Kings Avenue garage on the Southbank and ride the JTA shuttle to the lot by the East gates. It runs $10 round trip with parking, and boarding starts at 11 am for 1 pm kickoffs.
$. 2 hours before kickoff
Seats and views at EverBank Stadium
Where each part of the stadium sits, and what you see from it.
Lower bowl101 to 150200 level201 to 245Upper bowl403 to 445Tap any part of the stadium to see its view.
