Jacksonville's beach towns — Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jacksonville Beach — stretch for about 15 kilometres along the Atlantic coast, reached from downtown via Beach Boulevard (US 90) or J. Turner Butler Boulevard (SR 202). The drive takes 30–40 minutes.
The beaches are wide and the waves are real — this is not the calm, Caribbean-style Gulf coast but the open Atlantic, with consistent swells and good conditions for surfing and bodysurfing. Jacksonville Beach has a pier, a boardwalk strip of bars and restaurants, and a more developed tourist infrastructure. Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are quieter and more residential but have their own good restaurants and a local surf culture.
North of the beach towns, the barrier island chain continues through Fort George Island to Amelia Island. Big Talbot Island and Little Talbot Island State Parks protect some of the most pristine stretches of undeveloped coast in the region.