JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - To get a front row seat to the NAS Jax Air Show, you’ll have to go to NAS Jacksonville. But there are plenty of other areas throughout Jacksonville to catch the show if a trip to NAS Jax isn’t in the cards.
“Everybody wants to see the air show at water,” Kloe Thompson, director of dock operations for Freedom Boat Club, said. “There’s probably gonna be several hundred boats out on the water. Some will be tied up, everybody’s anchored out just having a good time.”
Friday afternoon, Thompson took First Coast News on a quick boat ride from Julington Creek Marina to NAS Jax where pilots were conducting practice flights overhead.
“You get the best view, you’re right up close and personal, the planes are flying right over you,” Thompson said. “To me it’s the best way to watch it.”
Another option is located just across the street from NAS Jax.
“That’s the air strip,” Deena Trent, owner of JL Trent’s Seafood, said pointing across the road.
Trent said restaurant staff will put up extra outdoor seating for people to enjoy the show. They’ll also serve special food and bring in additional staff to accommodate the crowds.
“We’ve had a lot of folks in the last couple of days been here for practice runs,” she said.
Trent said the restaurant has operated in that location for 20 years, but the view never gets old.
“You’re not front and center like you are at NAS Jax, but it’s a totally different angle but it’s enjoyable,” she said.
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