At 100 W. First St., next to Beaches Veterans Memorial Park, there's a 4,500-square-foot building that spent its earlier life as an assisted-living facility. The City of Atlantic Beach bought it in 2024. It is now the Marsh Oaks Community Center, the city's newest facility. The center had a soft opening on July 11 during Atlantic Beach's centennial celebration. City staff then picked Veterans Day for the formal ribbon cutting, right after the morning ceremony at the memorial park.
The timing matters this month. Over in Beaches Town Center, one restaurant set Nov. 16 as its last day and another corner is under construction. For the rest of November, most of the free, put-it-on-the-fridge events in Atlantic Beach take place in city buildings and city parks. The new center on West First Street is the newest of them.
A former care facility, rebuilt for 140-mph winds
The renovation did more than repaint. A city staff report on the construction contract says the building was designed to be hurricane-hardened to withstand 140-mph winds and set up for community use. According to Beach Gazette, the city's plan is for one building to serve as a community hub on ordinary "blue-sky" days and as a safe haven in extreme weather.
Grants covered more than the construction contract did, according to the city's staff report. The contract with ACON Construction Company was capped at $719,793.13. Grant funding in the same report came to $916,751, from three sources:
- $220,000 from a state wind-mitigation grant
- $500,000 from the City of Jacksonville for building renovations
- $196,751 from a Community Development Block Grant for parking and landscaping
Inside, the proposed layout includes a large gathering hall, a warming kitchen, offices, storage for chairs and tables, and group restrooms. The city plans to use the building for services for seniors, veterans and other residents, for the Parks and Recreation Department's offices, for events at Beaches Veterans Memorial Park, and for private gatherings.
In a June 8 update, the city manager aimed to finish the building and parking lot by August 1 and to open the center and garden together in October. By the September 14 update, the main building was finished and the target had moved to Nov. 11. The city also put out a call for a permanent patriotic public art installation on the building. It wants a piece that honors local military service members, celebrates coastal Florida's natural beauty, and holds up to salt air, humidity and strong sun. The city set a November target for installation.
Thirty-two garden plots and a small pond out back
Behind the building, the city is adding a community garden. Nature Connect Florida donated it in partnership with the Arts, Recreation and Culture community group, and the City Commission accepted the donation on March 23. The plans call for 32 plots, including six wheelchair-accessible beds and six community-managed beds. There will also be corrugated-steel raised planters, a small pond and native plants for pollinators.
Judith LaRue of Nature Connect Florida summed up the idea in an interview with Beach Gazette:
"The most important thing that community gardens grow is connection and community."
The city put the garden's opening on its calendar for Saturday, Nov. 14, together with the Environmental Stewardship Committee awards. The city's recreation department manages plot sign-ups, so it's the office to contact for a bed. Updates are posted at coab.us.
Why the city calendar matters more this month
Town Center's restaurant row is between chapters. AB Kitchen's owners announced it would close Nov. 16, when its lease ends, after five years in business and serving its regular menu through that day. News4Jax reported that owners Ben and Liza Groshell chose not to renew because Southern Table Hospitality is focusing on new projects, and that the staff will keep working at the company's other restaurants. A few blocks away, River Restaurant Group broke ground on Sept. 30 on Grafton & Fleck's, a steakhouse and rooftop lounge at 299 Atlantic Blvd. That's the former Ragtime Tavern property, which ran for more than four decades before it closed in January 2025. Action News Jax reported that the restaurant is expected to open in early 2027.
Between now and that opening, the city's own November calendar is full. It's organized around three public sites: Jack Russell Park at 800 Seminole Road, the Bull Memorial Park and Adele Grage Cultural Center at 716 Ocean Blvd., and the new building on West First Street. Here's what's still ahead from publication day to the end of the month, according to the City of Atlantic Beach calendar:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 19, 5–8 p.m. | Artist Reception for Marjorie McMahon | Adele Grage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd. |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5–10 p.m. | Atlantic Beach Music Festival presented by Magnolia Lane Builders | Jack Russell Park, 800 Seminole Road |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 9–10 a.m. | Yoga in the Park | Jack Russell Park |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Farmers Market | Jack Russell Park |
| Mon., Nov. 23, 4–5 p.m. | Yoga | Adele Grage Cultural Center |
| Tue., Nov. 24, 11 a.m.–noon | Tai Chi | Adele Grage Cultural Center |
| Tue., Nov. 24, 2:15–3:15 p.m. | Chair Yoga | Adele Grage Cultural Center |
| Wed., Nov. 25, 9–10 a.m. | Community Yoga | Adele Grage Cultural Center |
| Sun., Nov. 29, 9–10 a.m. | Yoga in the Park | Jack Russell Park |
| Sun., Nov. 29, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Farmers Market | Jack Russell Park |
The yoga classes at Adele Grage are free and open to all levels, and the city asks people to bring their own mat and water. Tai chi is taught by instructors Maureen Miller and Pat Fedora. A Sunday morning at Jack Russell Park can easily go from yoga at 9 straight into the farmers market at 10.
Saturday night at Jack Russell Park
The biggest date on the November calendar comes two days after the reception at Adele Grage. Hoodline reported that the Atlantic Beach Music Festival on Saturday, Nov. 21, is free and all-ages. Gates open at Jack Russell Park at 4 p.m., and the music runs from 5 to 10 p.m. The lineup:
- StellaSoul, 5 to 6 p.m. A six-piece Northeast Florida "Soul Fusion" band that mixes soul, funk, jazz and rock.
- Sun Catcher, 6:30 to 8 p.m. An indie pop and alternative rock band from Tallahassee.
- Trash Panda, 8:30 to 10 p.m. An indie and neopsychedelic rock band that formed in Atlanta in 2015 and re-formed in Jacksonville in 2021.
Drinks include craft beer from Reve Brewing in Mayport and specialty pours from the Mayport Garden Club, and local food trucks will be on site. With an 8:30 headliner, the night carries well past sunset. Folding chairs and a jacket for a late-November evening make sense.
December starts back in Town Center
After Thanksgiving, the season moves back toward the ocean. The Beaches Town Center calendar lists the BTC Holiday Celebration and Lighting of the Christmas Tree for Saturday, Dec. 5. According to the Beaches Town Center site, the celebration is free. It's sponsored by the Beaches Town Center Agency, the Merchants Association, and the cities of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach, and it has included crafts, community performers, a mayoral address, the tree lighting, Santa and a hayride.
Further south, the Beaches Museum is holding Christmas at the Cabin on Thursday, Dec. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Cabin, 381 Beach Blvd. in Jacksonville Beach. Chabad at the Beaches lists Chanukah as Dec. 4 through 12 and has a community menorah lighting page for the holiday.
One familiar spot isn't part of this season's routine. The Sunset Pier at Tide Views Preserve is closed until further notice for safety repairs. The city's Oct. 15 update said construction was tentatively scheduled to begin by Nov. 15.
If you'd like to talk about which corner of Atlantic Beach fits the way you spend your weekends, from the parks along Seminole Road to the streets around the new Marsh Oaks Community Center, Eric Womack and The Womack Group are glad to walk through it with you, at whatever pace suits you. Let's Connect.
