Duval County

Travelers head to Jacksonville parks for camping over Memorial Day weekend

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Barbecues, camping, and trips to the beach. That’s what a Memorial Day weekend would normally look like, but this year it’s going to be a little different with the pandemic.

Johnny and his wife Pam Whiddon drove from Morven, Georgia, a small town west of Valdosta, to go camping in Jacksonville. They are spending part of their Memorial Day weekend in Hanna Park.

“It’s very quiet, lot of wildlife,” Whiddon said. They wanted to go somewhere close and it didn’t hurt that gas prices are down because of the pandemic.

"I got a diesel truck so diesel is cheaper than it has been in a long time," he said.

According to AAA, travelers are seeing some of the cheapest prices at the pump in two decades.

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The average price of gas in Duval and Clay counties is $1.84 per gallon.

In St. Johns County it’s $1.85 per gallon and in Nassau it’s $1.86 per gallon.

Mayor Lenny Curry said in a news conference on Thursday that Huguenot and Hanna Park are both accepting reservations for campers. In Hanna Park, visitors will notice signs that have been put up encouraging visitors to practice social distancing.

"We ride our bikes around nobody’s shaking hands or anything, we understand the situation as far the virus. This is a whole lot better than being here than going to Walmart or going to Publix grocery store, or going to Home Depot or anything like that. We’re safe. We’re fine," Whiddon said.

On Friday Action News Jax caught up with visitors taking advantage of the park’s sandy beaches and bike paths.

The only thing that won’t be open this Memorial Day weekend at Hanna Park is the children’s splash park.