ImageImage
Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today

WHAT TO DO | Forever Motown; ‘Dear Evan Hansen’; ‘Touring the Landscape’

Published on January 29, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F.

Groovin’ to Motown hits in Ponte Vedra Beach, a Jacksonville Beach production of a hit musical and a new Cummer art show are What to Do this weekend in the Jacksonville area.

Forever Motown

Friday

Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | Ponte Vedra Beach

Tap your toes ’til the winter blues melt away with a night of Motown hits, performed by veteran singers including actual Motown legends Glenn Leonard, former lead singer of the Temptations, and Traci Robinson Greene, former lead singer of The Marvelettes. Two show times are available on the same evening, so catch the early show and get settled in bed at a reasonable hour, or grab dinner before the later show and make a whole night of it. Either way, you can’t go wrong with feel-good Motown hits.

Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.

5 p.m. and 8 pm. | 1050 A1A N., Ponte Vedra Beach | Tickets: $78.04-$99.95 | Tickets and more info


‘Dear Evan Hanson

All Weekend

Players by the Sea | Jacksonville Beach

This Friday, Players by the Sea opens its 61st season with the Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen. Main character Evan is a socially anxious high schooler who gets caught up in a lie that spirals out of control after a classmate’s death. It’s a story about the messy reality of trying to connect in the age of social media and what happens when you finally have to tell the truth. A warning: Dear Evan Hansen deals with sensitive subject matter such as suicide, drug use and bullying, and includes strong adult language.

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday | 106 6th St. N.; Jacksonville Beach | Tickets: $35 ($32 for students, seniors, and military) | Tickets and more info

Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.

‘Touring the Landscape: Art, Travel and the Shaping of American Identity

All Weekend

Cummer Museum of Art | Riverside

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens opens a new exhibition called Touring the Landscape, looking at how American artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped shape our national identity by painting iconic tourist spots, defining what it meant to be “American” during a time of major industrialization and change. As the travel industry started to boom, artists captured everything from the Florida marshes and New England hills to the Western peaks. Adding an extra layer of cool: The show was guest-curated by University of North Florida students.

The Cummer closes at 4 p.m. | 829 Riverside Ave. | Pro tip: If you can’t make it for opening weekend, next Saturday, and every first Saturday of the month, Cummer admission is free | More info


author image Amy Garrett has called Northeast Florida home for 25 years. Born into a military family, she learned early how to be a tourist wherever she is — a mindset that keeps her curious about the Jacksonville area's hidden gems and new experiences. Amy loves festivals of all kinds, exploring nature trails and saying hello to every single dog she meets along the way.