Brighten your day with our uplifting short features — feel‑good stories, local success, cultural discoveries, and creative highlights from across Northeast Florida.
Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Riverside payphone art”
A former payphone on Riverside Avenue is now the Banana Phone, thanks to sculptor Mere Mason. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today
2 hours ago

BIT OF JOY | Riverside payphone art

A local artist is transforming defunct payphones in Riverside.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | 100 years of Winn-Dixie”
September 4, 2025

BIT OF JOY | 100 years of Winn-Dixie

Locally headquartered grocery chain Winn-Dixie is celebrating its 100th anniversary this month with special throwback pricing and a birthday bash.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Library Card Sign-up Month”
Clay County residents can get a limited-edition library card with a artwork from this year's Art the Card contest. | Clay County Public Library
September 2, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Library Card Sign-up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, and the St. Johns County Library is giving residents an extra incentive to join…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Nights of nostalgia”
August 21, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Nights of nostalgia

Home Alone (easily one of the top holiday movies ever) turns 35 this year, and the Florida Theatre is celebrating with…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Jaguars Fan of the Year”
Fans cheer on the Jags at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 18, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Jaguars Fan of the Year

Have you crossed oceans to see the Jaguars play? Do you have a portrait of Trevor Lawrence tattooed on your…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Jax students awarded scholarships”
Students accept their scholarship awards Monday at Edward Waters University. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
August 6, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Jax students awarded scholarships

This week, the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1408 — representing dock workers at JAXPORT — celebrated the 30th anniversary of…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Free zoo days for kids”
Take the kids to the zoo for free this month. | Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens
August 5, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Free zoo days for kids

This month, the Jacksonville Zoo is offering families a budget-friendly way to meet the city’s wildest residents. Through the end…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Carvill Park pool reopens”
August 4, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Carvill Park pool reopens

The public pool at Carvill Park in Northwest Jacksonville was shut down close to a decade ago, and the city…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Celebrity Basketball Classic”
Betty Burney, founder of I'm A STAR Foundation, supports the celebrity basketball team during a July 26 basketball game crated to raise funds for unhoused students in Duval County Public Schools. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
July 28, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Celebrity Basketball Classic

The I’m A Star Foundation raised money for unhoused students in Duval County with its annual Celebrity Basketball Classic over…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Gift cards for teachers”
July 24, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Gift cards for teachers

Know a fabulous teacher in St. Johns County? Let them know Crabby’s Beachside in St. Augustine wants to help them…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | A sea turtle record”
Baby sea turtles head home to the ocean. | FWC Fish & Wildlife Research Institute
July 23, 2025

BIT OF JOY | A sea turtle record

Sea turtle nesting season is in full swing, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute is reporting some promising…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Call for mural artists”
Make Space created this mural for last year's Sing Out Loud Festival. | Make Space
July 21, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Call for mural artists

St. Johns County’s Sing Out Loud Festival returns in September, and artist workshop Make Space is collaborating with the fest…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Fence removed from Clay County lake”
This fence was recently removed from Smith Lake. | North Florida Land Trust
July 9, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Fence removed from Clay County lake

A fence in Smith Lake was recently removed to let aquatic creatures swim freely.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Visit the Jax Zoo for $5”
July 8, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Visit the Jax Zoo for $5

The Jacksonville Zoo is offering discounted admission on select days in July.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Beer and Ballet”
Beer and Ballet trades the barre for the bar. | Cre8Jax
July 7, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Beer and Ballet

Beer and Ballet offers dance classes in unconventional environments.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Gelato July”
It's gelato time. | Peterbrooke Chocolatier via Facebook
July 2, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Gelato July

One of our favorite Jacksonville traditions has returned for an 11th year: Gelato July at Peterbrooke! Every Wednesday in July,…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Jax students learn from local artist”
Cathedral Arts Project students worked with local artist Scotie Cousin to create colorful critters. | Submitted
July 1, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Jax students learn from local artist

Cathedral Arts Project students recently participated in an art workshop with artist Scotie Cousin.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | New St. Augustine mural unveiled”
Recent Flagler graduates Gem Hansen and Emily Lacour painted this very St. Augustine mural at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets. | Submitted
June 30, 2025

BIT OF JOY | New St. Augustine mural unveiled

A new mural by recent Flagler College graduates Gem Hansen and Emily Lacour was unveiled last week at the St.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Mail Call”
Send a letter to a veteran in hospice care through the new Mail Call program. | Submitted
June 26, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Mail Call

A new program encourages the Jax community to send letters to veterans in hospice care.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Jacksonville Today readers love Jacksonville”
Jax-based trio Meat Wizard performs at The Walrus in September 2024. Watching a local band is one of the many ways to have fun in Jacksonville. | Heather Henderson, Jacksonville Today
June 25, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Jacksonville Today readers love Jacksonville

Jax Today readers disagree with a recent study that named Jacksonville America’s most boring city.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | 2025 Arts Awards winners”
June 24, 2025

BIT OF JOY | 2025 Arts Awards winners

The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville announced the winners of its 2025 Arts Awards.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | A happy foster kitten”
June 23, 2025

BIT OF JOY | A happy foster kitten

Jacksonville Today’s What to Do contributor Amy Garrett is fostering one of the kittens from Jacksonville’s animal shelter, and she…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Jax pie shop makes national top 10 list”
Live every day like it's Pi Day at one of the country's best pie shops. | Mixed Fillings via Facebook
June 20, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Jax pie shop makes national top 10 list

Downtown pie shop Mixed Fillings ranks as one of the country’s best according to USA Today.…

Featured image for “BIT OF JOY | Wednesday night happenings”
Bring your own chair and enjoy music by the sea in St. Augustine Beach tonight. | Visit St. Augustine
June 18, 2025

BIT OF JOY | Wednesday night happenings

Enjoy your Wednesday night with these three local events.…