Dad’s Guide to Jax Ale Trail
Get tips on how you can hop on the Jax Ale Trail and win prizes, all while making sure you are home in time to tuck the kids in for bed.
As parents of a toddler with a sensible bedtime (7pm), it is challenging to explore Jacksonville the way we used to. I discovered the Jax Ale Trail earlier this year through an Instagram post and if you gamify something, I make it my mission to conquer it! As an Army Transportation Officer, I have a very particular set of skills to strategically conquer the Ale Trail and it was a blast!
I built a quick spreadsheet of breweries including distance from my house and hours of operation. I also scanned the Ale Trail Map onto a PowerPoint slide, enlarged it, and circled breweries based on location clusters. I had clusters A through G based on distance from my house. I targeted breweries based on my availability, my wife and child’s availability, and brewery operating hours
As a two-income family, the most opportune times are weekends and holidays, which are great times to visit Jacksonville and our breweries! Sometimes, venturing into Jacksonville from Orange Park, especially the beaches, took some convincing my wife. It’s an easier sell if we have to take our daughter if the brewery is family-friendly and serves food. I enjoy taking our daughter because the atmospheres are such that I don’t feel we have to reign her in for singing and dancing around our table.
Some of my tips for maximizing your visit include:
- Follow visit_jacksonville and local breweries on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). They often post about new beers, seltzers, meads, and more. If they serve food, they may post about new menu items or special deals.
- Check out brewery websites for event calendars; most of them schedule and post weekly events at a minimum.
- If you have children and want to bring them, validate family-friendly events and atmosphere. Not that brewers aren’t friendly, but they don’t all cater to children. Some of them have yard games, board games, and video games.
- It was a pleasure to explore the Trail, meet new people, and enjoy delicious beers!
My Picks
Okay, my desert island all-time top-four #DUUUUUUVAL breweries:
- Wicked Barley Brewing Company: This is my absolute favorite brewery in Jacksonville, first, last, and always. The beers are all top-notch, the food is amazing, and the staff and family-friendly environment seal the deal.
- Strings Sports Brewery: Another family-friendly brewery with great beers. Try the Wendy Peffercorn [Strawberry] Blonde Ale! I love the sports tie-ins.
- Fishweir Brewing: Beautiful, clean interior and an excellent location in Murray Hill within walking distance of dozens of shops.
- Tepeyolot Cerveceria. A newer brewery with a full Mexican restaurant menu. I had a tasty beer and a giant burrito!
