Southside & St. Johns Town Center
Jacksonville’s shopping-and-value zone: 175-plus stores at the St. Johns Town Center, Topgolf and iFLY, and easy access near the airport corridor.
Updated June 2026
Where Jacksonville comes to shop, eat, and play. This is the city’s retail and entertainment engine — a sprawling, car-centric corridor anchored by the open-air St. Johns Town Center, where palm-lined luxury storefronts sit beside big-box anchors, chain steakhouses, and indoor-skydiving thrills.
It’s the part of town built for shoppers, families with restless kids, and groups hunting for an easy, weatherproof day out. If you’re chasing historic charm or walkable old-Florida character, you’ll want San Marco or the riverfront instead. But if you want convenience and choice — everything within a short drive, free parking, and a roof over your head when the afternoon storm rolls in — Southside delivers. Come for the variety, and lean on the local spots tucked nearby to escape the all-chain feel. It’s also the closest cluster of fun to Jacksonville International Airport, which makes it a natural first or last stop on a First Coast trip.
What to see & do
From a 175-store lifestyle center to a vertical wind tunnel, this is the most action-per-mile stretch in the city. Most of it sits within a five-minute drive of itself.
Where to eat & drink
Yes, a lot of it is chains — but they’re the good kind, plus a few spots that punch well above the strip-mall average. Here’s where we’d actually sit down.
Where to shop
This is the retail capital of Northeast Florida — luxury houses, the big department anchors, and air-conditioned backups for a rainy day. Here’s how it breaks down.
A perfect half-day
One easy loop that mixes a local breakfast, the open-air center, a little adrenaline, and a proper dinner — without much driving.
- Start with a local breakfast at Maple Street Biscuit Company on Point Meadows, then make the short drive over to the Town Center.
- Walk the open-air St. Johns Town Center: hit the luxury row, browse the RH gallery, and let the kids visit the free turtle & koi pond.
- Lunch at True Food Kitchen or Cantina Laredo — no need to move the car.
- Cross over to Brightman Blvd for an afternoon of Topgolf or iFLY indoor skydiving (or duck into an Escape Game room if it’s raining).
- Cap the day with the eight-pour wine flight at Cooper’s Hawk or a dry-aged steak at The Capital Grille.
More of Jacksonville
When you’ve maxed out the malls, here’s where to go next on the First Coast.
Rainy-day plays
The Town Center is already weatherproof — but here’s the full city playbook for when the afternoon storm rolls in.
Where to stay
Hotels near the airport corridor and the Town Center — handy bases for a shop-and-play weekend.
The Beaches
Trade pavement for sand — Jax Beach, Neptune, and Atlantic Beach are a 20-minute drive east on Butler.
San Marco
Want the walkable, historic, indie-shop side of the city? This is the antidote to the all-chain corridor.
Common questions
How many stores are at St. Johns Town Center?
More than 175 stores fill the open-air St. Johns Town Center, from a palm-lined luxury row with Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co. to anchors like Nordstrom, Dillard's, and Apple. You can spend a full afternoon here and barely move your car.
Is parking free at St. Johns Town Center?
Yes, parking across the Town Center, Topgolf, iFLY, and the Escape Game is free and plentiful. The center is huge, though, so note your closest anchor store like Nordstrom or Dick's before you wander off, and expect lots near the luxury row to fill on weekend afternoons.
What is there to do at St. Johns Town Center besides shopping?
Plenty. You can hit climate-controlled Topgolf and iFLY indoor skydiving side by side on Brightman Blvd, book a 60-minute escape room at The Escape Game, walk the 70,000-square-foot RH design gallery, or let the kids visit the free turtle and koi pond by Maggiano's.
How far is St. Johns Town Center from Jacksonville beaches?
The beaches are about a 20-minute drive east on Butler Blvd, where you'll find Jax Beach, Neptune, and Atlantic Beach. The whole Southside corridor sits just off I-95 and Butler Blvd (FL-202), close to the airport too.
Where should I eat at St. Johns Town Center?
For a splurge, The Capital Grille is widely called Jacksonville's gold standard for steak, and the RH Rooftop Restaurant is the prettiest lunch in the district. For something lighter try True Food Kitchen, and for groups or kids, Maggiano's family-style Italian sits right by the turtle pond.