Why We Weren’t at the Beach!

(July Edition – Ron and Judi hit the trail… the Jax Ale Trail!)

(We're thrilled to introduce a new section in our newsletter: "Why We Weren’t at the Beach!" In this space, we'll be shining a light on the fascinating and diverse hobbies, talents, side hustles, and travels of our amazing members. Get ready to discover their often-unknown pursuits and adventures, highlighting the wealth of creativity and passion they have!)

A few years ago, Judi and I were in Jacksonville, Florida to attend a Jacksonville Icemen, minor league hockey match. We love to visit breweries when we travel. In addition to getting to try some amazing local beers, every brewery we’ve been to has had its own unique setting, vibe, etc. Many also offer delicious food either in their onsite kitchen or via rotating food trucks, that we also enjoy trying out!

While we aren’t usually there long enough to partake, we get a big kick out of seeing the variety of events that many of these breweries host. Everything from the usual trivia, karaoke, etc. to even more varied activities like “adult summer camp”, painting, soap-making, “space prom”, glass-blowing, and a host of others!

While visiting a brewery before that hockey match, we saw stack of “Jax Ale Trail” Passports stacked on the bar and asked the bartender to explain what they were…

The Jax Ale Trail in Jacksonville, Florida, offers a delightful beer-related adventure for locals and visitors alike. You start by acquiring a “Jax Ale Trail Brewery Passport” at any one of the over-20 participating breweries. You can also go digital by downloading the Visit Jax app! Whether printed or digital, this passport will be your guide as you explore the trail.

You then visit each brewery on the Jax Ale Trail list. Order a beer or drink and get your passport stamped. The more breweries you explore, the more stamps you collect! Starting with four stamps collected, you start earning prizes. Get a Jax Ale Trail koozie with four stamps; a koozie and t-shirt with eight, or… go for the “super secret prize” by completing the entire passport!

We have probably visited Jacksonville five or six times over the past few years and always fit in a brewery trip or three when we do. We always tie these trips to our other adventures and have gone for Jacksonville Icemen hockey matches, amazing shows at Alhambra Dinner Theatre, shopping at IKEA, shark’s teeth hunting at the local beaches, shopping at St. John’s Town Center, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp AAA minor league baseball games, and other fun adventures! Across these visits we have thus far amassed ~16 stamps in our Jax Ale Trail Passports!

And while we may not be at the beach as much as we like and certainly haven’t really been honing our sailboarding skills much… Since it is said that the SPSC is a “Drinking club with a sailboarding problem.”, we feel like we are least continuing to hone our skills in OTHER key areas of our important membership in our beloved club!

We hope to see you all at the beach again soon… or on the “trail”! NOSTROVIA! 😉