Welcome to It’s A Jacksonville Life!

I started this site because I was having a hard time keeping track of places to go and things to do in Jacksonville, FL.

In my opinion, Jacksonville represents one of the best-kept secrets on the Eastern Seaboard. There is a lot to offer here, but even the locals sometimes have a hard time finding it.

IJL focuses on local festivals, local businesses, and local stories. Yes, you might find a link to a corporate venue- I do have to pay the operating costs. But stick around- I hope you find a side of Jacksonville that you haven’t met yet.

Coffee, beer, and live music are my joys in life (well, plus sailing, photography, and technology). Expect posts to pay special attention to coffee and beer, and I’ll be sharing tips about making and consuming both.

IJL is mostly a labor of love. Most posts and pages are not sponsored. There are affiliate links on the site – like I said, I have to pay the operating costs, so please use the links!

If you’re local and you want to sponsor a page, Contact Me. If your location, event, or band is listed and you want me to spiff it up a little, let me know! Press kits are welcome!

The Events calendar contains links to all kinds of local events. If I had enough time, I would go to every event listed. If an event, promoter, or venue is not something I am willing to recommend for any reason, I’ll remove the associated links.

You can filter the calendar to a variety of event parameters. If you can’t find a local event you’re looking for or can’t filter in a way you would like, let me know!

The Stories posts are about places I’ve been and people I’ve talked with. I’ll let you know what to expect, who to bring, and the best ways to enjoy those experiences, from my perspective. When it comes to people, I hope to show a little of our local character.

Please keep to a few rules while on this site.

First and foremost, IJL is inclusive. Intolerance, abuse, harassment, spamming, and anything of the sort will be removed and if warranted, reported to local authorities. Basically, if you wouldn’t say it to a friendly stranger in front of your mom, don’t say it here.

I get the final say in what goes and what doesn’t- it’s my site. If my call isn’t your cup of tea, the Internet is a free place- you are free to go elsewhere.

IJL is apolitical – no politics. Discussion of local events is encouraged, but if comments cross the line too far into politics, they will be removed. If a political event is posted, a more relaxed stance will be taken for that event- still, keep it nice.

IJL is about bringing people together, face-to-face. In general, online events, video conferences, and similar will not be listed, unless they are for and about area residents.

Event suggestions are encouraged, as long as they meet the criteria here. Want to promote your team, your band, or your favorite place? Speak up!

I hate pop-ups. You know, those little annoying “Subscribe to our site!” and “Somesite.com wants to send you notifications”. It is bad enough that I have to allow the “I accept cookies” pop-up (please, if you live in Europe or in California, complain loudly to your local government representatives- there must be a better way).

Yes, I do intend to offer valuable features associated with subscriptions, location access, and push notifications – but not by using pop-ups on your first visit. Once you decline a feature, IJL won’t present it again, but you can change your mind on the site settings, or clear your cookies to see the feature requests again.

I hope you enjoy your visit to IJL, and I hope that you meet new friends and have wonderful adventures without ever leaving town by using this site. See you again soon!