Find yourself shuttling up or down the very busy I95, arguably the busiest highway in all of Florida, if not the entire east coast, and looking for a spot to settle down for a spell? If that’s the case and this major commercial retail exit – the very same one that will take you to Jacksonville International Airport due west – caught your attention, either for its proliferation of restaurants, attractions and shopping potential, then you might have just hit 'parking lot pay dirt.' Should that sign bearing the name of Walmart grab your attention, then follow it just south and east of exit 363, where you will meander through a maze of retail shopping storefronts driving almost as far south as you can before seeing the first big blue box retailer (the second one, Lowe’s, is just past this Walmart).
While some may tremble at the thought of being completely surrounded by endless retail shops, maybe this doesn’t bother you so much, so if not then this behemoth parking lot might be a spot to find a place to park and get some ZZZs for the night. For the 5th Wheeling or RV driving tribes out there, the upside here is that the parking lot is quite level, freshly paved (in fact a good cross-section of the surrounding parking areas and driving lanes have been freshly paved), not incredibly busy during nighttime and, in general, gives a very strong sense of safety and security with both the mall cops (cue up Paul Blart!) that patrol this area endlessly as well as the high-caliber lighting that you will find casting an endless array of super-powerful, high-beam lights so much so that you would have sworn it was ‘Friday Night Lights.’
If there was any downside to this place, well, apart from the fact that your overnight destination is in fact a parking lot, it is that this particular location is wide-open, so no matter where you park, you’re going to feel like a ‘spider in a bathtub’ with absolutely no privacy to be had. Oh, and there’s not a single trace of nature in this concrete jungle, nor is there any refuge to escape the incessant noise from passerby traffic, be that from the cars buzzing around this shopping complex or what is passing by on I95.
After contemplating all of this, should you decide to park here, your best option would be to anchor up on the west side of the lot, as far away from the Walmart store entrance as possible. There is a small section between this Walmart and the Lowe’s directly south of it where it appears that a number of RVs, oversized vans, 5th Wheelers, busses as well as a handful of 18 Wheelers seem to park, so you may want to check that location out as well. What you do give up for lackluster natural surroundings are somehow made up for by all of the retail distractions, local services, shopping, entertainment and dining options you will have at your ready disposal.
Vehicle need repairs or a good cleaning? Not a problem. Nearby you’ll find: Express Oil Change & Tire Repair, G&C Carwash & Detailing, Priority Tire, North Florida Auto & RV, Camper Inn RV. There’s also a Mobil and a Gate gas station as you exit the north of this parking lot city.
Tummy rumbling? There’s so many options here, you’ll find yourself utterly confused by all of the choices with fast food like Chick-fil-A, Zaxby’s, Dunkin’, McDonald’s, Hardee’s and 5 Guys; cafes like Starbuck’s and Panera; greasy spoon diners like Denny’s and Waffle House; decent ethnic restaurants such as Masala Mantra Indian Bistro, Tijuana Flats, Green Papaya Thai Cuisine, Salsas Cocina and Wasabi Japanese to fast casual like Olive Garden, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, Long Horn Steakhouse, Ruby Tuesday, Newk’s, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, Texas Roadhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill. But my favorites? Flying Fish Taphouse, Peach Cobbler Factory and Mellow Mushroom.
Need to load up on groceries or supplies? Well, you are at a Walmart, so there’s that, but if the Big Blue Box retailer isn’t your thing, there’s also a nearby Publix, River City Travel Mart, Winn-Dixie and Aldi’s. And if you need to stock up on anything for outdoors and camping, there’s a Duluth’s Trading Company, Camping World, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Dick’s Sporting Goods. I doth thinketh that all of your supply searching cares should be qualmed.
Looking for a slice of nature? I would recommend any of the following: (1) Big Talbot Island State Park – this is what I like to refer to as a pristine ‘surf& turf’ adventure, where on the one hand, for a $5 entrance fee, you’ll gain access to arguably one of the best beachheads up and down Florida's entire 7 hour long coastline; (2) William E. Sheffield Regional Park – if you have a kayak or canoe, you can take your watercraft for a nice dip in Lake Dumont where there is some decent catch & release fishing and some nice oar exercising to be had powdered sand beaches and on the other, er foot, there will be endless miles of hiking and biking trails that will have you experiencing some of Florida’s finest coastline; (3) The Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary – located less than 10 minutes due north of where you are parked, you’ll be able to witness some of the most amazing big cats that call northern Florida home; and (4) Amelia Island– OK, to be fair, this destination is going to set you back at least 30 minutes, but it is incredibly worth it with an amazing Old Florida charm to its quaint downtown packed full of non-chain restaurants, cobblestone thoroughfares, art galleries as well as a simply outstanding state park in the form of Fort Clinch, which offers up amazing biking, hiking and exploring of the Spanish military fort that still stands here.
While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:
Convenience: 4
Safety & Security: 4
Quality: 4
Peace & Quiet: 3
Amenities: 5
Overall, I scored this location a 4.
Happy Overnighting!
