JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The downtown area of Jacksonville is set to transform with new opportunities for sliding, splashing, and climbing.

Mayor Donna Deegan, along with other city officials, celebrated the opening of the new Riverfront Plaza, marking the spot where the Landing previously stood.

On Friday, numerous families explored the site for the first time. While many children might not have been aware of the location’s history, for some visitors, being back on this property evoked nostalgic memories of the Landing.

When asked about his favorite features of the playground, Daxton Ellis enthusiastically pointed out, “Those and those and those.”

With so many slides all around him, it was tough for Ellis to pick a favorite.

But one thing is for sure, he had to put in some work crawling through the cargo nets to test out each one.

“I was climbing – doing it with my feet,” said Ellis.

While Ellis got his steps in at the brand new Riverfront Plaza playground, his great-grandfather Herb kept a watchful eye while thinking back on the memories he made when the spot used to be the Landing.

“We used to go there for all the different shows,” said Herb Ellis. “We kind of miss that and some of the venues that were in there.”

Ellis says they didn’t go to the Landing as often before its demolition in 2019, but he was still sad to see it go.

 “I was concerned when they took the Landing away as to what they were going to put in here,” said Ellis. “I’m kind of tickled this is what it wound up being. It’s better than what I thought it was going to be.”

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan is optimistic other folks will feel the same way, with the new park tying in with the recently opened Rivers Edge Park and St. Johns River Park, plus the Music Heritage Garden, Metro Park and Shipyards West are still under construction.

“We’re building spaces that bring people together because a connected city, a unified city, is a thriving city,” said Deegan. “So today, as we cut this ribbon, we’re not just opening a park. We’re opening the door to a stronger, more vibrant, more unified Jacksonville.”

One thing noticeably missing from the park is the proposed 150-foot tall Jacksonville chrome statue, also known as Lerp, which city leaders say could eventually be replaced with a different art installation at Phase II of the project.

“Quite frankly, I didn’t have an issue with it,” said Jacksonville City Council Member Chris Miller. “There are things that stand out that people say, ‘Ok, that’s an amazing piece associated with that city. I’ve heard lots of ideas, but I think for now, the main part is we get the things that were approved in and activated.”

Riverfront Plaza still has more to come – a cafe set to open next Summer and Phase II, with a beer garden, rain garden and ramp to the Main Street Bridge set for completion in 2027.

There is no designated parking lot for this park at this point. 

There is some street parking around, and the Vystar garage is available, which is $5 for an hour.

The park will stay open until 10 p.m. nightly for the time being, but a city spokesperson says that may eventually change to sunrise to sunset.