Things to Do in Bellair-Meadowbrook Terrace

Situated near the flourishing wildlife of Big Pottsburg Creek, All Wet Sports stocks an arsenal of boards, boats, and apparel for careening across both land and sea. Kayaks, surfboards, and skateboards line the shop’s walls for purchase or rent, and more challenging activities such as windsurfing, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, and standup paddleboarding are made understandable for eager adventurers by a crew of deft instructors. On their chosen mode of transport, customers venture into the placid waters of Big Pottsburg Creek, teeming with such inhabitants as ospreys, manatees, and unemployed Disney characters.

Kristin Hendrix teaches students to create functional and decorative ceramics during Morning Glory Fire Arts' classes, field trips, and other hand-crafting adventures. All materials are included in the two-hour clay classes ($24/child, $30/adult) where students can sculpt a bowl, vase, or replacement sock before returning a week later to glaze the fired piece. Clay players can also put together a pottery-to-go kit ($7+ depending on selected item) packed with a custom set of brushes, glazes, and other materials to create and fire ceramics at their own pace. Hendrix will tote glazes, tools, and clay or bisque to a location of the customer’s choice for a reverse field trip ($5/person for groups of 12 or more), sparing supervisors the trouble of collecting notarized permission slips.

Asbury Arts Center owner Jeanne Glogowski taps experience on both sides of the curtain—boasting bachelor's and master's degrees in dance—to oversee an eclectic array of dance classes for children and adults of all experience levels. Instructors gather budding dancers, fitness-minded patrons, and experienced shimmiers in practice rooms lined with mirrors to ensure both students and teachers can keep an eye out for proper form during dance, yoga, and martial-arts classes. Hammier classes include lessons in performing arts and music, giving patrons the opportunity to test their performing chops under the same level of personalized attention they enjoy in the studio’s fitness classes and during IRS audits.

My Gym children's fitness center, which currently has more than 200 international locations, began more than 25 years ago as a structured place for children to safely play, acquire new skills, and romp off a sugar buzz. With a dedication to imparting the benefits and fun of fitness, the affable, energetic crew of teachers and supervisors at the Jacksonville branch employs their expertise in music, dance, and gymnastics to build youngsters' strength and self-esteem while simultaneously stimulating their giggleplexes. Classes are organized according to age level—starting as young as 6 weeks—and are designed to incorporate the latest physiological, psychological, and meteorological research. My Gym’s curriculum includes structured classes for all developmental degrees, from Tiny Tykes, a class for parents and babies that focuses on movement, to Whiz Kids and Champions, classes designed for elementary-aged kids to master motor, sports, and gymnastics skills. One-hour free-play sessions enable children to engage in unstructured, parent-supervised frolics on the activity-filled premises.

The wind picks up over the St. Johns River, catching the sails of Cap'n Don Stokes's fleet of boats and propelling the vessels along the coastline, where sailing instructors point out ospreys perched in the trees as the sea stretches into the distance.

This natural revelry is thanks to The Sailboat Club, whose crew frees members from the responsibilities of boat ownership—such as maintenance, insurance, and renting slips—and grants unlimited sailing on a fleet of sailboats. Additionally, as an accredited training facility of the American Sailing Association, the club encompasses a team of instructors who teach lessons for all levels of sailors, ranging from those who just noticed wind to experienced sailors seeking a captain's license.