Things To Do in Lake City

Originally built in 1927, 5 Points Theatre has undergone a transformation throughout the years from "talkie" palace to neo-modern nightclub to contemporary art-house cinema, earning accolades from the Florida Times-Union for its eclectic and offbeat lineup of films. The upcoming calendar hosts a variety of exclusives and special showings in addition to popcorn-popping Hollywood releases. Stop in for cult-classic midnight screenings, during which the theater transforms into a pumpkin carriage piloted by the delicate dreams of cinematic fans. The eclectic mix of motion pics ensures you'll still be able to catch Blue Valentine between viewings of foreign flicks, such as the Best Picture–nominated British historical drama The King's Speech.

Named after its 2003 42-foot Manta catamaran, Now and Zen Charters whisks its guests on day cruises and sailing vacations at several scenic Florida sites. While cruising the waters around Miami and Biscayne Bay, clients take advantage of luxurious onboard amenities both inside and in the open air. Be they seated on the trampolines, bow seats, in the salon, or in the sling seat, they enjoy an easy ride thanks to a sturdy 21-foot beam while listening to tunes on a four-speaker stereo system.

The friendly sub-surface staff and committed conservationists at Scuba Extreme spread their waterlogged gospel of underwater maneuvering through safe and fun diving instruction. In the "Skin Diver" course, budding sea-people will learn the basics of snorkeling and free-diving techniques. Instructors will equip students with a mask, snorkel, and fins, and then lead participants through the basics of submerged breathing and safety. The class lasts between two and three hours, or approximately one year in the life of a fantail guppy.

At Accurate Edge, LLC, state-licensed security guard and NRA senior training counselor Thomas Eichling shares his more than 20 years of training experience, including his expertise as both an NRA Senior Training Counselor and a retired Navy marksmanship specialist. He imparts this wealth of knowledge to students in NRA courses such as the FIRST Steps Pistol Orientation, which can be taken as a standalone class or used to satisfy the training component for a concealed-weapon application. In addition to working with adults, Thomas also works with youths with parental consent. He can also bring the training facility to clients, hitching up to his trailer-mounted live-fire range and driving it around Jacksonville.

When the Jacksonville Zoo first opened in 1914, it had only one attraction––a red fawn. Today, nearly a century later, it’s home to more than 2,000 rare and exotic animals and 1,000 plant species, and welcomes an ever-changing lineup of visiting exhibits. Guests stroll along the boardwalk in a large, open environment called the Plains of East Africa, where cheetah, antelope, and warthogs roam in environs that simulate their native habitat. The African loop also includes Elephant Plaza, where elephants stir up tidal waves playing marco polo in a 275,000-gallon pool. Visitors can also pet and feed stingrays, stand eye-to-eye with a giraffe, and head to the award-winning Range of the Jaguar exhibit to roam a replica of an abandoned Mayan temple. During summer months, kids get wet at the Play Park and Splash Ground, where they can climb into a treehouse or peer through an underwater window to see penguins swimming overhead.

After guests explore the wildlife, rest and relaxation await within botanical gardens such as the Asian Bamboo garden, where patrons cross a traditional moon gate to see a tranquil waterfall, komodo dragons, and an interactive bamboo mist forest. The zoo also features a carousel, train rides, and several restaurants where humans can tap into their own wild instincts by hunting their natural prey—the sandwich.

Under the tutelage of certified scuba instructors, pupils at the family-owned Scuba Monkey Dive Center explore underwater worlds during PADI, open-water, nitrox, and advanced courses. The center's regular dive trips gather together trained divers on jaunts to Venice Beach and Troy Springs, where they get up close with aquatic inhabitants and discarded pet rocks. At the shop, divers can stock up on brand-name equipment for sale and rent, refill tanks with nitrox and air, or hand over broken equipment to ace technicians, who swiftly identify and correct any problems.