The neighborhood
Living in Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach is its own small city on Jacksonville’s coast, east of the Intracoastal. Plenty of apartments advertised as “at the beaches” are a bridge crossing away. This is what is actually around you here, in miles.
Where Tidewater sits
The community is on Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, the road most locals still call Mayport Road, at the north end of Atlantic Beach. The marsh is behind the property, which is where the fishing dock and the nature trails are. The ocean is east, Naval Station Mayport is north, the Town Center is south, and the Intracoastal is west.
| Place | Distance | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Beach Commons | 0.9 miles | Shops and everyday errands, walkable from the community. |
| Dutton Island Preserve | 1.4 miles | City preserve with 9,000 feet of nature trails, a fishing and viewing pier, and a kayak launch. Open 8 a.m. to dusk. |
| Tideviews Preserve | 1.4 miles | Marsh boardwalk and a paddling landing on the south end of Atlantic Beach. |
| Atlantic Beach Town Center | 2.1 miles | The restaurants, coffee shops and breweries at Atlantic Boulevard and East Coast Drive. |
| Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park | 2.2 miles | 1.5 miles of beach, a 60-acre freshwater lake, a campground, and hiking and mountain bike trails. |
| Public beach access, Atlantic Boulevard | 2.3 miles | The main Atlantic Beach access, with parking. |
| Publix on Atlantic Boulevard | 2.3 miles | Full grocery. |
| Naval Station Mayport | 3.7 miles | Main gate. |
| Downtown Jacksonville | 16.6 miles | Straight down Atlantic Boulevard. |
Distances measured by road from our address using OpenStreetMap, September 2026. Drive times depend on the time of day, so we publish the distance instead.
The beach
Atlantic Beach has street-end public access points running the length of Ocean Boulevard, and the main access with parking is at the end of Atlantic Boulevard, 2.3 miles from here. Hanna Park, 2.2 miles north, has its own 1.5 miles of beach and charges an entry fee per vehicle.
The practical difference between living here and living inland is not really the drive. It is that the beach stops being a plan and becomes something you do on a Tuesday evening.
Eating and shopping
Atlantic Beach Town Center, 2.1 miles south at Atlantic Boulevard and East Coast Drive, is the local gathering spot: restaurants, coffee shops and breweries within a couple of blocks of each other, with the sand at the end of the street. Neptune Beach begins immediately south of it. Everyday errands are closer, at Atlantic Beach Commons under a mile away, with a Publix on Atlantic Boulevard.
Outdoors
Two city preserves sit within a mile and a half, on the Intracoastal side. Dutton Island Preserve has 9,000 feet of nature trails, a fishing and viewing pier and a kayak launch, open 8 a.m. to dusk. Tideviews Preserve is the paddling landing at the south end of town.
Hanna Park is the big one: a 60-acre freshwater lake for fishing and kayaking, wooded campsites, and hiking and mountain bike trails through coastal hammock, 2.2 miles from the front gate.
You do not have to leave to get outside. The property backs onto the marsh with a private fishing dock and scenic trails, and there is a dog park on site. If the park is what brought you here, there is a page for that.
Getting to work
Naval Station Mayport’s main gate is 3.7 miles north. Downtown Jacksonville is 16.6 miles west, straight down Atlantic Boulevard.
Schools
The area is served by Duval County Public Schools, and families here typically attend Atlantic Beach Elementary, Mayport Middle and Fletcher High. Attendance zones change, so confirm your address with the district before you sign anything.
What renting here looks like
Every home at Tidewater is a one bedroom at 660 square feet or a two bedroom, two bath at 880 square feet, both with quartz counters, wood-look flooring and a full-size washer and dryer in the home. We are pet friendly, with a dog park on site.