If your Marine is stationed on the East Coast, chances are they are at or near Jacksonville North Carolina.
On this page, we hope you will find some interesting things to do while visiting your Marine (which we highly recommend!)
This is Jacksonville Jack.
He lives in a Marine's back yard on his deck
Look for his buddies all over the Jacksonville area!
Hotels
There are lots of good hotels in Jacksonville, most of the major chains are around or near Camp Lejuene. Your best choice is to choose a hotel on either Marine Blvd, Lejuene Blvd or Western Blvd. This link will take you to the Yellow Pages for the Jacksonville area.Jacksonville Hotels
Restaurants
Of course there are most of the national chains in the Jacksonville area. You'll find a Chili's, Cracker Barrel, Texas Road House, etc. Here are a couple of places that are more local that you'll really enjoy.
The Kettle Diner
Good food at reasonable prices!
Shogun
Shogun Japanese Steakhouse offers teppenyaki chefs at your table. A bit pricey, but very good!
And a report from Charlie Carter who was just recently in Jacksonville...
The Texas Roadhouse
The Texas Roadhouse at the corner of Western & Marine in Jacksonville has fantastic steak dinners when you're here, and is a ton of fun because of the amount of Marines who frequent it. Get out by 10:00 go back to your room and hide. It's not safe outside when these guys get home!
Beaches
North Carolina has the most awesome beaches that you are sure to enjoy. Top Sail
Island, Emerald Isle, Atlantic Beach, Wrightville Beach are all within easy driving distance of Lejuene and Cherry Point
And, make sure your Marine takes you to Onslow Beach on Camp Lejuene
Top Sail Island
Fishing
Morehead City, home of the most famous Bass Fishing Tournaments is a great place to take your Marine if they like to fish. You can either charter a private boat, or take one of the many cruises available in the area. There are dolphin watches, brunches, dinner cruises etc. Below are two links for companies that our members have used before and received excellent service!Carolina Princess
Great for inlet bottom fishing and deep sea charter fishing, reasonably priced
Mystery Boat Tours for the Crystal Coast
Go for a leisurely cruise for lunch or dinner, take a Dolphin Watch tour--many options
Area Attractions
Beirut Memorial
Have your Marine take you to the Beirut Memorial. It's a sobering, quiet place that honors the Marines that lost their lives in the 1985 Bombing in Beirut, LebanonYou will also see a steel beam from the World Trade Center that is a memorial to the firefighters, law enforcement officers and victims of September 11, 2001 bombing.
Jacksonville Department of Parks and Recreations has many different settings for parks for walking, picnics, etc.
Visit Foster's Military Shop in the Mall. You'll find all kinds of Marine items at a good price!
Starbucks Coffee
Starbucks at the Mall is the only one (at the moment) in Jacksonville. There are two locations in Jacksonville, and you'll find interesting items for sale there as well.
Coastal Plains Raceway
If you are into racing, Coastal Plains Raceway, in Richlands, NC is a great place to enjoy a summer evening! Drag racing and other types of racing both run at these tracks.
Wilmington NC Information
Wilmington is the closest major city to Jacksonville. There are lots of fun things to do in Wilmington and this site is a good one to explore for options, including taking a tour of the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Morehead City NC Information
Wonderful tourist town with places to shop, to eat, to fish, close to Cherry Point and about an hour from Jacksonville!
OTHER RESOURCES
Jacksonville Daily News
Camp Lejuene Website
Cherry Point Website
New River MCAS Website
HAVE AN ATTRACTION, LOCAL RESTAURANTS OR OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST TO SHARE?
Send them to Cmichel4@aol.com. We are always looking to add to this page to help our families make the most of their time with their Marine in Jacksonville.
is the only Full service restaurant (with awesome seafood and burgers!) that features seating on the patio that overlooks the Marina on the New River. Don't let the outside of the building fool you--the food is awesome and there's a beautiful (but grumpy) parrot that lives on the patio!
They also own operate a cruise boat that offers Friday Night Sunset Cruises; create your own cruises and annual holiday cruises.