Get ready to choose your own adventures during your time in Clay County. From exploring the outdoors and waterways to celebrating the arts at one of our area’s theaters and making memories at one of the many annual festivals, there’s plenty of family fun on the horizon during your visit.
Here’s a look at the adventures that await your family, right here in Clay County –
Explore the Outdoors
As home to three sites along the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail – Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, Jennings State Forest and Camp Chowenwaw County Park, there’s no shortage of wildlife sightings and trails to discover in our area.
Known as one of Florida’s First State Parks, Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park in Keystone Heights is home to 2,000 acres with 5.44 miles of trails along the Florida National Scenic Trail. Go fishing or go for a swim in Little Lake Johnson. And if you’d like to explore the area by water, canoe rentals are available too. As a full-facility campground with 73 camp sites, overnight accommodations are available for RVs, tents and cabin rentals.
Dating back to 1933, Green Cove Springs’ Camp Chowenwaw County Park was once Florida’s first Girl Scout Camp. Today, the public park offers 150 acres, a swimming pool and numerous trails for exploring and pristine conditions for overnight camping too. From one of the many onsite cabins to accommodations in one of the nine treehouses that sleep four people, families can sleep under the stars along this historic campground.
Go for a hike on the Jungle Trail and make your way to the observation deck on Black Creek. Open on the third Saturday of each month, the Camp Chowenwaw Park History Museum tells the stories and history of the Girl Scouts that once used this same property.
See a Show
Support the local arts scene and enjoy a night out seeing a one-of-a-kind production. In Fleming Island, The Island Theater features a season of shows throughout the year along with acting workshops and summer camps. From Seussical to Beauty & the Beast there’s a variety of family-friendly shows throughout the year.
For more community theater, Orange Park Community Theatre highlights shows ranging from musicals to dramas with season ticket packages available. The theatre began in May 1969 and continues today with a variety of family-friendly shows like Annie Get Your Gun and If the Shoe Fits.
From national touring shows to Broadway productions, you’ll see it all at Orange Park’s Thrasher-Horne Center. Nationally-known comedians and performers make Clay County a stop for tour dates offering residents and visitors an exciting concert experience with a small-town atmosphere.
Indoor Adventures
In Green Cove Springs, stop by Cowabunga Comics and check out the latest releases and the classics too when you peruse their massive bins of comic books. Don’t miss the dollar bin, where you’re sure to find treasures on each visit. Admire collectibles and artwork by local artists on display and available for purchase too! Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to learn about upcoming store events and artist meet and greet opportunities.
Located in Orange Park, the Escape Me! Escape Room challenges teams of friends and family to gather clues and solve puzzles to escape a locked room within a set time limit. Solve the mystery and your group wins! From seasoned puzzle solvers to beginners, there’s a story for all to solve and escape in time.
At the Get Air Trampoline Park in Orange Park, you can try your best gymnastics moves as you dive into the oversized foam pit and play a game of trampoline dodge ball with friends. Jumping comes in handy to show off your dunking skills with the basketball hoops, too. With thousands of square feet of trampolines, you can jump, bounce and flip for hours of fun.
Classic arcade games, pinball machines, craft beer and a menu of great food is waiting for you at the Leaderboard Arcade Bar & Pizzeria in Orange Park. This family-friendly venue takes you back in time with old-school gaming consoles and arcade favorites with an ever-changing leaderboard. Try out an old SEGA game or popular arcade favorites like Donkey Kong and Asteroid Deluxe and you’ll quickly see why this is a popular hot spot for food and fun.
Get Active
Rent a boat from BoatFloridaRentals.com or a stand up paddleboard from PADL, for a day of fun on Black Creek or Doctors Lake and test your skills wakeboarding or water skiing. With 39 square miles of waterways in the area, there’s no better way to explore than on the water.
Squeeze in some biking along the 4.4 mile Doctors Lake Trail on Doctors Lake Road or travel the State Road 21 Bike Path, a paved 5.5 mile path in Keystone Heights. Need a bike? Stop by Open Road Bicycles in Fleming Island.
In Fleming Island, stop by Moccasin Slough Park for a jog or bike ride on their paved trails and stop along the way at the permanent exercise stations located along the route. Kids can enjoy the park’s large playground and covered patio area perfect for a picnic lunch.
For those ready to go for a swim, cool off in the state’s oldest spring-fed swimming pool at Spring Park in Green Cove Springs. Camp Chowenwaw in Green Cove Springs also welcomes guests to enjoy their pool for a small fee.
Get your thrills when you climb behind the wheel at the Rally Race Car Course, FIRM located in Keystone Heights. With high speeds and tight turns, fulfill your need for speed at ‘Open Track Day’ events held monthly at the park.
Ready to plan your visit to Clay County?
To get started on creating your own adventures in Clay County, download the Explore Clay app! The new mobile app allows residents and visitors to explore places to stay, places to explore, a listing of area restaurants and provides a searchable calendar of events.
The Explore Clay mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices. Visit www.exploreclay.com/mobile-app or search ‘Explore Clay’ in your Google Play or app store on your mobile device.
Experience one of Clay County’s best outdoor odysseys with a camping campaign full of excitement in an unforgettable environment. Be sure to share your own
outdoor Clay County experience with #myclaystory.
