About First Coast Explorer

Q: Who writes First Coast Explorer?

First Coast Explorer is written and published by Roger Baldwin, a Jacksonville Beach, Florida resident. Roger has personally visited every location covered on the site — every trail walked, every restaurant eaten at, every attraction toured. He also owns Mind Bender AR, Jacksonville Beach's top-rated escape room and augmented reality experience at 1500 Beach Blvd.

Q: Is First Coast Explorer affiliated with any tourism board or sponsor?

No. First Coast Explorer is fully independent. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or compensated by any tourism board, destination marketing organization, city government, or hospitality group. Editorial recommendations are based entirely on firsthand experience and honest assessment. Some links are affiliate links — when readers book through them, First Coast Explorer may earn a small commission. This never influences what gets recommended.

Q: How does First Coast Explorer decide what to cover?

Every location on First Coast Explorer has to pass one test: does it tell you something you couldn't find in thirty seconds on another site? Coverage is based on quality, firsthand experience, and genuine usefulness to visitors. Roger personally visits every location before it is covered. If a place has declined since the last visit, it gets updated. If it closes, it comes down.

Q: How can I contact First Coast Explorer?

You can reach First Coast Explorer at info@firstcoastexplorer.com. Roger welcomes story tips, corrections, photo contributions, and questions about the First Coast. Local businesses interested in coverage can also reach out at the same address — though editorial recommendations remain entirely independent of any commercial relationship.

Roger Baldwin, Publisher of First Coast Explorer, on a First Coast trail at sunset

Publisher & Author

Jacksonville Beach, FL

First Coast resident

Every location visited

Owner, Mind Bender AR

Written By

Roger Baldwin

Publisher · Editor · First Coast Travel Authority · Jacksonville Beach, FL

Roger Baldwin lives in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and has spent years exploring every corner of the First Coast — from the Timucuan wilderness to the back streets of St. Augustine's 460-year-old historic district. He moved to Jacksonville Beach and immediately noticed what was missing: a travel guide that actually told the truth about this place.

Not the tourist board version. The real version — where to park at the Castillo on a Saturday in October, which direction Vilano Beach faces at sunrise, what to order at Grouper Shack and what to skip, which trails at Hanna Park get crowded and which ones nobody finds. That's what First Coast Explorer is built to be.

Every location on this site has been personally visited by Roger. Every restaurant recommendation has been eaten at. Every trail has been walked. When something changes — a restaurant closes, a trail floods, a price goes up — the page gets updated.

Roger also owns Mind Bender AR at 1500 Beach Blvd in Jacksonville Beach — the First Coast's top-rated escape room and augmented reality experience, with over 1,100 Google reviews and a 4.8-star rating. Running a local business on the First Coast for years has given him a ground-level perspective on this region that no amount of research from a distance could replicate.

What This Site Is

First Coast Explorer is an independent guide to Florida's First Coast — the Atlantic coast from Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island in the north through Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Beaches, Ponte Vedra Beach, and south to St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States.

It covers the places worth visiting: the 350-year-old coquina fort that was never taken by force, the craft brewery that's been pouring since 2009, the tidal creek preserve that most people who live five minutes away have never found, and the grouper sandwich that locals drive specifically for. Coverage is based on quality, firsthand research, and the kind of specific detail that only comes from actually being there.

"The First Coast is not a theme park. It is a city, a coastline, and a set of ecosystems that have been here for 460 years. We write about it like that."

Editorial Standards

Every page on First Coast Explorer passes one test before it publishes: does it tell you something you couldn't find in thirty seconds on another site? Generic content doesn't help anyone. Pages are built around specific, verified, firsthand detail.

Firsthand Only

Every location covered has been personally visited by Roger. No secondhand reporting, no aggregating other sites.

Verified & Current

Hours, prices, and conditions are checked and updated. When things change, pages change. Outdated information comes down.

Editorially Independent

No tourism board affiliations. No sponsored content. No paid placements. Recommendations are earned, not bought.

Specific, Not Generic

The parking situation on a Saturday in October. Which direction the pier faces at sunset. What to order and what to skip.

Start Exploring

Attractions

Things To Do on the First Coast

Affiliate & Editorial Disclosure

Some links on First Coast Explorer are affiliate links — if you book a tour, reserve a table, or find a hotel through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships are maintained with reputable travel booking platforms including Viator, Booking.com, and similar services.

This never influences what gets recommended. If a place is on this site, it earned its spot on its own merits. We do not accept payment for editorial placement, do not publish sponsored content disguised as editorial, and do not recommend places we wouldn't send our own friends to.

See the full Affiliate Disclosure and Disclaimer for complete details.

Get in Touch

Story tips, corrections, photo contributions, and local knowledge are always welcome. If you know something about the First Coast that should be on this site, Roger wants to hear about it.

First Coast Explorer

Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Email: info@firstcoastexplorer.com

Or use the contact page for more options.

Common Questions

Who writes First Coast Explorer?

First Coast Explorer is written and published by Roger Baldwin, a Jacksonville Beach, Florida resident. Roger has personally visited every location covered on the site — every trail walked, every restaurant eaten at, every attraction toured. He also owns Mind Bender AR, Jacksonville Beach's top-rated escape room and augmented reality experience.

Is First Coast Explorer affiliated with any tourism board or sponsor?

No. First Coast Explorer is fully independent — not affiliated with, sponsored by, or compensated by any tourism board, destination marketing organization, city government, or hospitality group. Editorial recommendations are based entirely on firsthand experience and honest assessment. Some links are affiliate links — when readers book through them, First Coast Explorer may earn a small commission. This never influences what gets recommended.

How does First Coast Explorer decide what to cover?

Every location has to pass one test: does it tell you something you couldn't find in thirty seconds on another site? Coverage is based on quality, firsthand experience, and genuine usefulness to visitors. Roger personally visits every location before it is covered. If a place has declined, it gets updated. If it closes, it comes down.

How can I contact First Coast Explorer?

Reach us at info@firstcoastexplorer.com or through the contact page. Roger welcomes story tips, corrections, photo contributions, and questions about the First Coast. Local businesses interested in coverage can reach out at the same address.

How often is First Coast Explorer updated?

Continuously. New pages are added regularly as Roger covers more of the First Coast. Existing pages are updated when hours, prices, or conditions change. The sitemap is updated with every new page, and outdated information is corrected promptly when reported. If you spot something that needs updating, email info@firstcoastexplorer.com.