HEALTHY LIVING
Fresh Air, Fitness, Friendship, and Fun
Numerous studies have shown that as we grow older, our health may decline from lack of exercise and, more importantly, loneliness and isolation. Join Timucuan Parks Foundation and AARP Jacksonville for virtual walks featuring Jacksonville’s parks and preserves and learn about the physical and mental benefits of recreating outdoors.
The Healthy Living walks are now virtual on Zoom. Free and open to all ages, but registration required.
Hike into History at American Beach Virtual Walk
Take a virtual tour of American Beach, located on the southern end of Amelia Island along State Road A1A between Jacksonville and Fernandina Beach, with National Park Service Ranger Ted Johnson. During the Jim Crow era of segregation in the United States, African Americans were denied access to most of the beaches along Florida’s spectacular shoreline. American Beach was developed to deal with this issue and to provide an environment where individuals could enjoy recreation and relaxation without humiliation.
Ranger Ted and American Beach Museum director Carol Alexander lead a virtual tour through historic American Beach, sharing stories, taking us on a tour of the museum, and visiting some of the community’s most notable sites.
You can view the Zoom presentation here.
Will Dickey’s Nature Photography in the Parks Virtual Walk
Discover the parks through the lens of award-winning photographer Will Dickey as he presents inspiring images of Northeast Florida’s spectacular landscapes, seascapes, and wildlife and shares tips and techniques for capturing nature that could help level up your photo-taking skills. You can view the presentation here.
The popular Healthy Living walk series in partnership with AARP Jacksonville gets folks outdoors to explore new parks, meet new people, and enjoy low-impact exercise.
The Isle of Sarabay Virtual Walk
Take a virtual tour of the rich Native American history of Big Talbot Island State Park, with special emphasis on the Grand Shell Ring (AD 1000) and the Mocama Timucua village of Sarabay (AD 1500-1610), presented by Keith Ashley, UNF Assistant Professor of Anthropology. You can view the Zoom presentation here.
National Parks Virtual Walk
Mark Woods, columnist for The Florida Times-Union and author of Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Parks, talks about spending one year in the national parks, working on a project about the future of the parks. You can view the Zoom presentation here.