Getting there on gameday: Here's how to get to a Jaguars game

Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·6 min read

There is one guy at any Jacksonville Jaguars game who doesn’t have to worry about how he’s getting to the stadium — Jaxson de Ville, the mascot who arrives at many games by riding a zipline from the light standards and dropping to the field on a bungee cord.

For the rest of us, figuring out a place to park and tailgate and not get stuck in post-game traffic is as much a part of the experience as rooting on third down or standing in line for expensive beer.

It turns out that there are a lot of ways to get to EverBank Stadium. Most of this should also apply to the Florida-Georgia game or for Jaguars night games, but it’s probably best to check before heading out.

By the way, city liquor laws permit the consumption of alcoholic beverages within the Sports Complex Area between 8 a.m. and midnight on game days.

Park at the stadium

Parking lots immediately surrounding EverBank Stadium are sold out for the season.
Parking lots immediately surrounding EverBank Stadium are sold out for the season.

City-owned lots surrounding the stadium open four hours before kickoff and close two hours after the game ends. You are allowed to tailgate within your parking spot or in the medians, but you can’t just take over an extra spot for partying purposes. All parking passes are digital this year, so there will be no printed pass to display on your dashboard. Passes for the lots immediately surrounding the stadium are sold out for the season. Info: jaguars.com/stadium/parking

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Park near the stadium

You don't have to park at EverBank Stadium to tailgate before a Jaguars game. There are lots all around the stadium available for parking on gamedays.
You don't have to park at EverBank Stadium to tailgate before a Jaguars game. There are lots all around the stadium available for parking on gamedays.

There are several parking options within easy walking distance of the stadium.

  • The Jacksonville Fairgrounds is next door to the new Miller Electric Center and has room for hundreds of cars for a Jaguars game. As a bonus, the fairgrounds also has indoor restrooms. Gates open four hours before kickoff. Note that there will be no parking at the fairgrounds for the Nov. 12 game against the 49ers because the fair will be underway. Parking is $50. Info: jacksonvillefair.com

  • VyStar Memorial Arena garages are open for gameday parking and make a great tailgate spot on a rainy day (but keep in mind that open fires are not allowed in any garages or parking lots). Info: jaguars.com/stadium/parking

  • Tailgaters Parking has a private lot at 225 Talleyrand Ave., across the street from the stadium. Lots open five hours before kickoff. Parking is $50 for a car, $200 for an RV or bus. Info: tailgatersparking.com

  • Old Cypress Parking operates a private lot at 1746 E. Adams St., about a block from the stadium. Gameday parking is $30 for a car, $40 for an RV. Overnight RV parking is $75. Info: oldcypressparking.com

  • Many businesses and private landowners in the area around the stadium allow parking on their premises, often for less money than you’d pay to park in the stadium lots. There doesn’t appear to be a central registry of private parking lots, but services such as parkwhiz.com sell spots in a number of lots near the stadium. Better yet, ask a season-ticket holder; they’ve probably been parking in the same place for years.

Park downtown

There's a steady stream of fans between downtown and the stadium before and after Jaguar games.
There's a steady stream of fans between downtown and the stadium before and after Jaguar games.

There are about 44,000 parking spaces in downtown Jacksonville, and many of them are available for free on gameday. You'll have to walk a mile or two to and from the stadium but there are throngs of people doing the same thing and plenty of bars to pop into along the way. The Skyway generally doesn't run on Sundays, so that's not an option. Info: downtownjacksonville.org

Ride the JTA Gameday Xpress

The JTA Gameday Xpress shuttle runs between TIAA Bank Field and three Jacksonville parking lots.
The JTA Gameday Xpress shuttle runs between TIAA Bank Field and three Jacksonville parking lots.

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority runs buses from downtown and suburban lots to the stadium on gamedays. The downtown lots are at the Kings Avenue Parking Garage on the Southbank and the FSCJ Downtown Campus at Laura and State streets; tickets for those locations are $10 and include parking and a round-trip ride. Suburban lots are at the Beaches Lot at Wingate Park in Jacksonville Beach, the Southside JTB Park-n-Ride lot and the Northside Armsdale Park-n-Ride lot; tickets for those locations are $15 and include parking and a round-trip ride. Shuttles are in service two hours before kickoff and one hour after the end of the game. Tickets for all Gameday Xpress shuttles must be purchased online in advance. Info: jtafla.com

Ride a bicycle

Jacksonville's downtown Riverwalk is a perfect avenue for fans who cycle to Jaguars games.
Jacksonville's downtown Riverwalk is a perfect avenue for fans who cycle to Jaguars games.

The team works with a bicycle valet service to watch over bikes during the game. Bicycle parking is at the southeast corner of the stadium, near Lot D. Fans are not allowed to lock bikes to the fences surrounding the stadium. Info: everbankstadium.com/fan-guide

Ride a pedicab

Pedicabs can often be found around the stadium before and after games.
Pedicabs can often be found around the stadium before and after games.

There is no shortage of pedal-powered pedicabs around downtown on gamedays. There is no guarantee your ride will be around after the game, but it beats walking. Prices vary by driver.

Take the St. Johns River Taxi

The St. Johns River Taxi operates on game days.
The St. Johns River Taxi operates on game days.

Three or four boats operate on game days, picking up passengers at the Doubletree and Marriott hotels on the Southbank and Riverfront Plaza on the Northbank, starting three hours before scheduled kickoff and dropping fans off at the city dock in Metropolitan Park, across the street from EverBank Stadium. Postgame, they drop fans at Riverfront Plaza and the Doubletree only. Round-trip tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or at the dock. Info: jaxrivertaxi.com

Bring your boat

The city-operated marina at Metropolitan Park is not available for the 2023-24 season but they are selling “rafting” spots for boats 15-30 feet and 31-45 feet for all eight Jaguars home games. Price is $18.60. Info: coj.net

Take a rideshare, taxi, limo, tuk tuk or party bus

You never know who you'll meet in a rideshare. In the 2015 season, Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson picked up fans as an Uber driver.
You never know who you'll meet in a rideshare. In the 2015 season, Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson picked up fans as an Uber driver.

Services such as Uber and Lyft will take you to a game and pick you up afterward, as will limousine and party bus companies. The Jaguars have set aside a spot at Beaver Street and A. Philip Randolph Boulevard for pick-up and drop-off. Taxis are available after every game at Lot Z, near VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena a few blocks from the stadium. Go Tuk’n is a Jacksonville company that will charter vehicles carrying 6-14 people on gamedays.  EZ Event Ride runs shuttles around the parking areas, giving preference to fans with physical limitations.

Ride a motorcycle

If Jaxson de Ville can ride a motorcycle, so can you. Gameday parking for motorcycles is available near EverBank Stadium.
If Jaxson de Ville can ride a motorcycle, so can you. Gameday parking for motorcycles is available near EverBank Stadium.

There are a handful of motorcycle parking spots just south of the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, but they are first-come, first-served.

Jump on an e-scooter

E-scooters can be operated all through downtown and the stadium area.
E-scooters can be operated all through downtown and the stadium area.

If you’ve driven through downtown Jacksonville in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed the electric scooters. Find one (there are about 400 in the downtown area), log on, pay the small rental fee and point it toward the stadium, but don't expect it to be there when you head out of the game. Also, pay attention to those cobblestone intersections downtown. The scooters have limited range, but it includes most of downtown, Brooklyn, the Southbank, LaVilla and the area around the stadium. Info: visitjacksonville.com

Fly in

Booking a flight out of Jacksonville International Airport earlier than 8 p.m. after a 1 p.m. Jaguars game would be pushing your luck.
Booking a flight out of Jacksonville International Airport earlier than 8 p.m. after a 1 p.m. Jaguars game would be pushing your luck.

No, you can’t actually fly into the stadium, but plenty of visiting fans will fly into Jacksonville International Airport for a game. The average NFL game runs about 3 hours, 11 minutes, and it’s about 30 minutes from the stadium to the airport on a good day, easily an hour if you’re fighting gameday traffic. Airlines suggest that travelers arrive at the airport two hours before departure. That means, for a 1 p.m. game, booking a flight out before about 7:30 or 8 p.m. would be pushing your luck.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Best places to park for Jaguars games at EverBank Stadium

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