Mayport | Fresh Catch + Small Town Charm

Jacksonville Fl - It's Saturday and I had not a single plan for the weekend, so I set out for a look at Mayport - a small fishing village about 20 minutes from JAX.  I'd been noticing restaurants that feature local products reference Mayport as their source for shrimp. I'm a big fan of Wild American Shrimp, and always pick it up fresh from the docks on Shem Creek back home in Mount Pleasant, near Charleston SC.

Trawlers docked on historic Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant SC

As I neared my destination, suburbs gave way to salt myrtles and sand pines along a road which eventually connected with Florida coastal highway A1A. I was surprised to find Mayport wonderfully undeveloped, with not a traffic light in sight, and all streets leading to the shoreline.

Downtown Mayport FL

The town is anchored by a major US navy base on one end, and the St. Johns River Ferry to Fort George Island on the other. The Old St. Johns River Light, decommissioned but still a beauty, guards the mouth of the waterway.

I ended my tour of Mayport with a site visit at Singleton's Seafood Shack after being assured that of the town's two restaurants, this was where the locals mainly dine. While I waited for dinner - the daily catch was triggerfish, which was delicious blackened - I toured a rustic "museum" of hand-carved boats housed in a space off the dining room.