I don’t know if every city has a color, but Jacksonville certainly does. In conducting my day to day business, I don’t notice it much. But when I stroll down the Southbank’s Riverwalk, it hits me like a Sporty Smurf knuckleball. Jacksonville is BLUE.

The Riverwalk is one of my favorite places to go when I need a breath of fresh air, and I’m not the only one. On any given day, joggers, cyclists and lovers walking hand-in-hand take advantage of this 1.2- mile boardwalk that showcases a shimmering St. Johns River and a stunning Jacksonville skyline.

There are some nice restaurants on the Riverwalk. River City Brewing Company sits on the west end of the Riverwalk and offers a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of outdoor seating. The Chart House on the east end has been a Jacksonville treasure since 1961. If you’re into fine dining and an exquisite atmosphere, you’ll like the Chart House.

Directly in front of the Wells Fargo building sits the Naval Memorial, a haunting statue that commemorates Jacksonville’s long and valued relationship with the U.S. Navy. Every time I see it, I imagine a lonely seaman out on the icy Atlantic surrounded by dense fog. I’m not sure why; there’s just something about the eyes.

My favorite landmark on the Southbank, however, is the Friendship Fountain. I have wonderful memories of taking Caleb there when he was a child. We’d sit and watch it for hours, and he always had to toss a coin in the fountain and make a wish.

When the Friendship Fountain was completed in March 1965, it was the world’s largest and tallest fountain. I’m sure that’s no longer the case, but it’s still impressive. The fountain is capable of spraying 17,000 gallons of water a minute to a height of 120 feet, or about 10 stories high.

There are other points of interest on the Southbank. It would be easy to make a day of it. The Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of Science and History (MOSH) is on the Southbank as is the fascinating Treaty Oak, but I’ll save that story for another time.