Jacksonville Boat Show and Great Places to Boat in the Area

Part of the great appeal of Jacksonville is that it is a city on the water. Jacksonville is a booming metropolis, the most populated city in Florida, and its Eastern Atlantic location is part of what makes it an incredible place to live. With sandy beaches and open waterways, Jacksonville is a city where the ocean and rivers are very much ingrained in the city’s identity. With that comes some of the best boating in America. Whether you’re looking to spend time on St. John’s River or head into the ocean, Jacksonville’s got boating options galore.

One event that celebrates the great boating scene within Jacksonville is the annual Jacksonville Boat Show. The Jacksonville Boat Show is a family-oriented event that features great boats on display, numerous activities, and some high-quality buying opportunities. If you’re someone that enjoys fishing, watersports, or just cruising across the water in a perfectly engineered water vehicle, the Jacksonville Boat Show is for you.

The 2022 Jacksonville Boat Show will be held from January 28th to the 30th at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. Tickets come at a reasonable price, with general adult admission being $15, children under 12 costing $5, and seniors costing $12. The boat show will run from the late morning to the evening each day.

The Jacksonville Boat Show will be displaying a variety of different incredible watercraft, as well as equipment for fishing and watersports. It will feature a variety of vendors showcasing their latest and greatest boats, with some great sales and purchasing opportunities. You can stroll around the convention center browsing some of the best modern boating options money can buy.

The Boat Show is more than just a display of boats, though. It is an educational opportunity for boaters and a fun day for the whole family. There will be numerous seminars throughout the show, where some of the best and brightest in the Jacksonville boating world will be presenting informative discussions centered around boating and fishing in the area.

For the little ones, there will be fun, family-centric events. There will be a kid’s fishing clinic, where children are taught some of the basics of fishing. Get there early for this one, because the first 100 kids each day to complete the interactive clinic will receive a rod and reel combo from Barracuda Batteries by Continental.

Overall, the show promises to be a thrilling, enjoyable experience for anyone who is looking to make this boating season the best one yet. The Jacksonville Boat Show is a major yearly event that gets boaters ready for the months ahead in a city so filled with great boating options.

There are many great areas in and around Jacksonville where you can take your boats and watercraft out and enjoy the open water. Let’s look at some of the best options for Jacksonville boating.

Saint Johns River is the longest river in Florida, stretching 310-miles long. It starts in Jacksonville, with its mouth opening into the Atlantic Ocean, and flows all the way down through Central Florida to just north of Orlando. It is a boaters’ paradise, a slow and lazy river that is open and expansive. You can cruise around on this river, leaving from any of the nearby marinas, boat rentals, or ramps that open onto this river.

Fort George Inlet is a hotspot for the local Jacksonville boaters, one you can expect to find bustling on any given weekend. It has a prime location where the Fort George River opens into the Atlantic Ocean, giving you great exploration options. It has wide beaches and shallow, deep blue waters. While you likely won’t stick around in this relatively small body of water, it is the perfect spot to start your day before taking to the Atlantic.