By Savanne Giroire, Marketing and Events Assistant
This Sunday, September 18th, is the Jaguars’ Home opener at TIAA Bank Field. If you’ve made it here, we can only assume one thing: you’re looking for the perfect spot for this Sunday’s pre-game brews, and we’ve got you covered! A Football Sunday in Downtown will cater to all your game day needs. We’ve collected the best spots that have it all! Keep reading for all you need to know for this Sunday’s tailgating, food, drinks and transportation.
Brews & Food
Bold City Brewery and Grill
Beer and Bar Snacks | 109 E. Bay Street
At Bold City, have your pick of your favorite bar snacks and locally brewed beer (like their Pink Lemonade Seltzer, Stratalus IPA or new ElectroLit) and get ready for the big game. We recommend an order of their pretzels!
Burlock and Barrel Distillery
Distillery | 417 Magnolia St
Burlock and Barrel is open 2-7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and encourages you to swing by for your game-day needs. The Distillery creates three unique and hand crafted spirits, and the namesake has a fascinating history you can read all about.
Intuition Ale Works & The Kitchen
Beer and Full Kitchen | 929 E. Bay St.
Follow your Intuition and choose from a full range of apps, entrees, sweet stuff and vegetarian items to pair with your favorite brew. Enjoy it all on their rooftop bar for the full game day experience! Open Sundays from 1-6 p.m.
Ruby Beach Brewing
Beer and Wine (Food Truck typically on-site) | 228 E. Forsyth St.
At Ruby Beach, you’ll find game day specials, alcoholic slushees, delicious beers, ciders and wine. They’re dog-friendly and have the coolest outdoor space to cheer on your favorite team! Open Sundays from 11-10 p.m.
Manifest Distilling
Distillery | 960 E Forsyth St.
Located in the heart of the Sports District, stop by Manifest to pick up any spirit of your choice (and their new canned drinks) for the big game. Open Wednesday and Thursday 2-10 p.m., and Friday to Saturday 2-12 a.m.
Tailgate Bar and Grill
Food and Full Bar | 441 Haines St.
The Tailgate Bar has been open for 30 years and is the perfect spot to do just that. It’s where good food, drinks and parking spots collide. For 1 p.m. games, gates for parking open at 8:30 a.m. Bar opens at 9 a.m. For 4 p.m. games, gates for parking open at 10 a.m. Bar opens at 11 a.m.
That Bar at the Arena
Sandwiches, Bar Bites and Full Bar | 234 A. P. Randolph Blvd.
Do you need more than the name?
That Bar is open Monday through Friday, 3-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 10-2 a.m.
The Gameday Tailgate Experience
With tickets to the Gameday Tailgate Experience (GTE), tailgaters have access to unlimited food, open bars, games and amenities, a sports memorabilia auction, covered seating areas and flat screens. GTE is an official partner with the Jaguars and host pre-game tailgates all season long! These events are open to all ages and include three different ticket packages for fans to choose from.
Toon Town Tailgate Experience
Beer and Pizza | 444 Talleyrand Ave.
Dubbed “Jacksonville’s newest tailgating experience,” Toon Town offers $30 on-site parking, their own Toon Town Pizzeria, DJ’s, cornhole, alcoholic & NA beverages and a great location to watch the game. On home game days at 4 p.m., the pizzeria gives away free beer with the purchase of a slice.
Game-Day Transport
All you need to know for game-day transportation: Go Tuk’n Tours, Pedal Pub, JTA Gameday Xpress and the St Johns River Taxi are some of our favorite ways to get around Downtown on game days!
Go Tuk’n Tours
Go Tuk’n Tours‘ luxury three-wheeled eco-friendly vehicles are built for all sorts of tours and transportation, and are a great way to explore any area! They offer Tuk Tuk’s, party buses, and shuttle buses for however you want to roll up.
Pedal Pub Jax
Pedal Pub Jax is a party bike company that always provides a fun and safe tour experience to hundreds of residents and visitors alike. Enjoy getting to the game as much as the game itself with Pedal Pub! Get your party people and learn more on their website.
St. Johns River Taxi
Speaking of getting to the game in the most fun way possible, the St. Johns River Taxi is the way to go for a quick pre-game boat ride straight to the stadium! Available Wednesday to Sunday for taxi service, speciality tours and cruises, text 904-860-TAXI from any River Taxi dock during operating hours for pickup!
Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s (JTA) Gameday Xpress
Downtown location: 1003 Kings Avenue
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s (JTA) Gameday Xpress is back for the 2022 NFL season! This is a round trip transportation service to all Jaguars home games. Service begins two hours before the game and continues one hour after each game ends. Full season passes are $60 and single game passes are $10, and they have three other suburban pickup locations.
Happy football season and as always, go Jags! Make sure to tag us at #DTJax and show us how you do game days in Downtown!