Nicole and Antonio Luciano take pride in their hometown and are quick to defend it against those who call it boring, claim there is nothing to do, or that the area will never be developed.
“Especially now, we have a reason to defend it,” Antonio said. “I’m constantly sticking up for Jacksonville. I have friends who live in Miami and Orlando, and I’ll send Snapchats about the developments happening along the river.”
The Lucianos grew up in the Arlington area. They met at their first jobs at McDonald’s and have been together ever since. Throughout that time, they have witnessed the city’s growth. They are interested in what’s happening locally and get excited about new developments and community activities.
“It’s exciting to see, as people who grew up in Arlington and kind of had dreams for what the city could become,” Antonio said. “And then kind of seeing it start to take shape is awesome.”
Today, Nicole and Antonio live in Point La Vista with their son, Leo. They first fell in love with the area years ago while attending a Halloween party.
Leo Luciano is a true Jags fan.
“We were just in love,” Nicole said. “We loved the look of the historic homes. It was just this level of charm and an area that we really hadn’t experienced.”
And they knew one day they would live there, too. Now, they spend a lot of time renovating, landscaping and hosting family events and holidays at their home.
“We’re just heavily family-focused people,” Antonio said.
Antonio and Leo explore Riverside’s new skate park.
Antonio, Nicole and Leo enjoy visiting new parks and attending different events. A family favorite is the playground at Friendship Fountain along the Southbank and the Artist Square skate park in Riverside. When they visit the skate park with their son, they typically park and walk around the area.
“We call those our city days,” Antonio said. “And [Leo] loves it.”
They enjoy getting outdoors as much as they can, as long as it’s not during the incredibly hot summer days. They enjoy taking their 20-foot Airstream camper out and exploring the outdoors. Ocala, Rosemary Beach and areas in the Panhandle are among their favorite places to visit. They enjoy exploring on two wheels as well as four and often bring their mountain bikes to experience new places.
Antonio and Nicole enjoy mountain biking.
“It’s just kind of a way to be able to do some of those biking trips and get outdoors with the family,” Antonio said.
As lifelong Jaxsons, the Lucianos are also wholly devoted to the Jaguars. They are season ticket holders and spend seven Sundays out of the year down at the stadium. They have also been a part of a large tailgate group for nearly 10 years.
“When we first started doing it, we were the younger part of the group and we didn’t have kids,” Antonio said. “And now the next wave of us have young kids, and it’s a nice little cycle to see a new group of kids come along.”
Antonio and Nicole Luciano at a Jaguars game.
They admit their son enjoys tailgating and playing with his friends more than watching the actual game.
“The tailgate is really fun for him because he can play with his friends and run around,” Nicole said. “…And he’s all about the snacks.”
The trio really enjoys their Sunday gamedays.
“And even if you lost the game, you still won the tailgate,” Antonio said.