{"id":270320,"date":"2026-05-14T02:37:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/270320\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T02:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T02:37:21","slug":"city-opens-riverfront-music-garden-park-connecting-northbank-riverwalk-from-downtown-to-riverside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/270320\/","title":{"rendered":"City opens Riverfront Music Garden park, connecting Northbank Riverwalk from Downtown to Riverside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Complete with a piano played by walking on the keys and Jacksonville\u2019s take on Hollywood\u2019s Walk of Fame, Riverfront Music Garden opened May 13 on the Downtown Northbank with a celebration that drew city and community leaders. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The park, under construction since 2024, is themed on Jacksonville\u2019s music history, including plaques embedded in the walkway honoring such notable musical figures as Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers Band, Tim McGraw, Ma Rainey, 38 Special, and brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A crowd looks on as city leaders speak during the May 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony for Riverfront Music Garden park, adjacent to the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

With its completion, and with an elevated section of the Northbank Riverwalk being reinstalled after being removed for work on McCoys Creek, the park connects the Riverwalk from the Hyatt Hotel adjacent to the Main Street bridge through to the Fuller Warren Bridge and Riverside Arts Market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new space is a living celebration of the truly incredible contributions Jacksonville has made to American music,\u201d Mayor Donna Deegan said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. \u201cWe need to embrace our history and our heritage, and our music is one of those things that really sets us apart here in Jacksonville.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"City<\/p>\n

City leaders cut the ribbon at Riverfront Music Garden.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

Between the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts at 300 Water St. and the St. Johns River, the park includes displays noting Jacksonville\u2019s musical history, the plaques, a garden and more.<\/p>\n

Daryl Joseph, director of the city Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, said the project cost around $7 million. Some of the park\u2019s infrastructure was installed to account for changing weather conditions, including a raised Riverwalk to account for elevated water levels and rain gardens to accommodate storm conditions.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A trail runs through the new Riverfront Music Garden, connecting the park\u2019s open turf area to Riverfront Plaza.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

The park is adjacent to Riverfront Plaza, the first phase of which opened in December. Between the two parks, the Riverwalk connects to the Emerald Trail construction along Hogan Street.<\/p>\n

The Emerald Trail is designed as a 30-mile system of pedestrian and bicycle pathways in central Jacksonville connecting 14 neighborhoods to Downtown, the St. Johns River, McCoys Creek and Hogans Creek. Along the route are 16 schools, two colleges and 21 parks.<\/p>\n

\"Plaques<\/p>\n

Plaques embedded into the Riverfront Music Garden\u2019s sidewalk feature some of the most notable music figures with ties to Jacksonville, including Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers Band, Tim McGraw, Ma Rainey, 38 Special, and brothers James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

Portions of the trail have been completed. The project is a partnership between the city and nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Hogan Street connection is one of three locations where the Riverwalk will connect to the Emerald Trail, with other connections at Riverside Arts Market and McCoys Creek.<\/p>\n

\"Riverfront<\/p>\n

Riverfront Music Garden features fixtures that allow visitors to play music, including a piano embedded in the ground.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these things are important to the success of the Emerald Trail as well,\u201d said Groundwork Jax CEO Kay Ehas. \u201cI want to congratulate the city, because progress really is being made.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project is one of those things, one of those catalytic developments that this city will remember forever. This river is yours. This Riverwalk is free and open to all and any,\u201d said Council member Jimmy Peluso, whose district includes the Northbank.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a tourist attraction, and this park, and the parks on the river, are going to be places that people will be using for the next 100 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A display highlights Jacksonville\u2019s history near the Riverfront Music Garden entrance, adjacent to Riverfront Plaza.<\/p>\n

Photo by Joe Lister<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Complete with a piano played by walking on the keys and Jacksonville\u2019s take on Hollywood\u2019s Walk of Fame,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270321,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-270320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}