Helping people see Jacksonville's urban neighborhood in a new way is the concept behind the Downtown "Top to Bottom" walking tour.
Gary Sass, president of Ad Lib Luxury Tours Inc., and his wife, Susan, guide visitors on an exploration that includes a stop on the Florida Theatre roof and the basement at 121 W. Forsyth St. to view an abandoned bank vault and a tunnel that connects the basement with the concourse of the BB&T Building a block away.
The tour begins and ends at the Landing.
Other stops along the way are the Bank of America Tower; Visit Jacksonville, where the tour views a short documentary about Downtown's role in silent movie history; The Carling apartments, the former Roosevelt Hotel; and the Southlight Gallery in the Dyal-Upchurch Building along East Bay Street.
When Sass introduced the weekly walk two years ago, he would guide about 10 people on the tour.
About 50 people walked the tour Tuesday.
The tour's growth has led Sass to develop another version that will explain Downtown's paranormal atmosphere.
He said "River City Haunts" is scheduled to begin Friday evenings in September.
"We're writing it like a play. It's a historical presentation through the eyes of Lewis Zachariah Hogans, the first settler in the Downtown area," said Sass.
"We'll tell the reasons Jacksonville is haunted, including a visit to the site of a cemetery that has been paved over," he said.
For more information about the tours and reservations, visit adlibtours.com.
(904) 356-2466
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