1. The Atlantic
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 249-3338
Address: 333 North First St.
Description: Twenty-somethings (think fresh scrubbed college grads) frequent The Atlantic, for the self-described “Best Weekend Party at the Beaches!” The inside club area is somewhat small, but there’s room enough for live music and dancing to DJs and occasional live music. Open Thursday through Saturday. The Atlantic is located in the same complex as the Ocean Club, so finding a parking space can take awhile.
2. Bo’S Coral Reef Lounge
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 246-9874
Address: 201 Fifth Ave. North
Description: Open since 1964, Bo’s Coral Reef is the only gay and lesbian nightclub at the Beaches. Offering a “mixed crowd and no drama” atmosphere, Bo’s is a study in nightclub yin and yang: a totally rocking dance floor in the main bar and a quiet outdoor patio bar in the garden. Locals love the karaoke and female impersonators as well as Bo’s famous frozen margaritas, which are just $3 on Tuesday nights. Bo’s is located just a block off the ocean, “where the natives are restless and very friendly.” Haters stay home—Bo’s has a zero-discrimination policy, and they mean it. Open seven nights a week from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
3. Bukkets Baha
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 246-7701
Address: 222 North Oceanfront
Description: Young men in their 20s tend to gravitate to this bar on the boardwalk in Jacksonville Beach. The outside beachfront area is popular year-round as a great place to sit with friends and enjoy beer, wings, and the Atlantic Ocean. Bukkets is located on a busy corner of Jacksonville Beach, which makes it people-watching paradise. If that doesn’t do it for you, shoot a round of pool, play video games, watch TV. Bukkets often brings in live music on the weekends. Open from lunchtime and on into the wee hours.
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Address: 200 North First St.
5. Lynch’S Irish Pub
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 249-5181
Address: 514 North First St.
Description: On Mondays, this Irish pub hosts a fab 80s night when the club is packed with 20- to 30-year-olds amped up for a retro evening. Lynch’s is known for its good music, good pub food, good drinks, and good Guinness. If you’re into the Irish pub thing, go on any other night around 5 p.m., order a plate of fish-and-chips, and talk with the bartenders who hail from Northern Ireland. Lynch’s serves a full menu until 1:30 a.m.
6. Monkey’S Uncle
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 246-1070
Address: 1850 South Third St.
Description: When you just have to belt out some karaoke, come here. The karaoke setup is located right by the front door, so if you really lay an egg, you can make a quick getaway. The drinks are cheap and strong here, and the crowd skews older. Monkey’s Uncle has been a watering hole at the beach for years. It’s located in a strip center near a popular movie house and includes a poolroom, a patio bar, and entertainment nightly from live music to the aforementioned karaoke. Happy hour runs from 2 to 7 p.m., and there is a full-service liquor store on-site.
7. Ocean Club
City: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (904) 242-8884
Address: 401 North First St.
Description: The Ocean Club is a current favorite on the Beaches club scene. Located in a renovated lounge right on the ocean, the club has a huge room for dancing, a pool room, an outside oceanfront deck, and a spacious bar to sit around, order drinks, and meet people. NOTE: There is a dress code here, unusual for Beaches nightspots: no flip-flops, sneakers, shorts, or jeans. Lots of would-be patrons get angry over this, but the club has no problem filling up. In fact, there’s usually a long line to get in. Be warned: the club admits 18+ patrons on Thursday nights.