wade tower event 2A group of friends and I met up last Thursday at the Renaissance Resort to enjoy  excellent food, wine, spirits and the very talented Sinatra-esque singer, Wade Tower. Renaissance Hotels around the world participated in the “2012 Global Day of Discovery” on June 7th to encourage people to “Get out and Discover” something wonderful on June 7th, but as Assistant General Manager of the Renaissance of World Golf Village Paul Daum put it, “We got the best entertainment!”  

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Since our last visit to Mile Marker Brewery, the brew masters have added some great new unique beers on tap, entertainment, and BBQ for everyone to enjoy. As one of the fastest growing breweries in America’s oldest city, Mile Marker truly has exceeded all expectations in craft brewing and excellent service.

Let’s begin with the most important thing about Mile Marker…the beer! Since our last video, the brew masters have been working extremely hard to create one-of-a-kind beers that are like none other out there. The one I was most excited about was the double brewed IPA, known as the 215 Imperial IPA. If you are an IPA person like yours truly, you will enjoy this. The 215 is in reference to the Kennedy Space Center’s exit and the rebel spacecraft on the tap is there because they used both Millennium and Falconer Flight Hops. Another stand out was the Ginger Ale. A very smooth beer with hints of ginger amongst it, this is a great dinner beer, especially if you have a nice sushi roll to go along with it. The other two that are new since our last video are the Pecan Brown Ale and the Coconut Porter. Both are very flavorful, smooth and if you like a darker beer they are right up your alley.

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Our final video in the three-step process of building your dream home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes showcases the construction process with builder Mark Refosco. Fortunately, we were able to visit two very special homes currently under construction in World Golf Village’s King & Bear neighborhood, so you can see the high quality and attention-to-detail Rutenberg delivers.

Mark explains, “You dream, we build” and that’s exactly what they do! One family from northern Pennsylvania chose sunny Northeast Florida for relocation to escape the cold.  As you can see in our video, the weather in February was pretty perfect! The Pennsylvania family took the Mediterranean style plan from the model home we saw on our first video and customized the plan choosing a French Country elevation. They customized the kitchen layout and the owner is working with her cabinet specialist from up north to make her dream kitchen come to life! 

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

 

When Mrs. Jarrell, the new Principal at A-rated Wards Creek Elementary School in World Golf Village, agreed to create a video tour of the school, it was no surprise she wanted the spotlight to be on the award-winning St. Augustine school and not on herself. The more time we spent with Mrs. Jarrell, the more we came to see why she was the perfect person to continue Don Campbell’s legacy.  She invited us on a private tour of the school, while the children were off having fun for Spring Break!

Wards Creek Elementary School is a top performing school in St. Johns County, which is the top performing school district in the state of Florida. Mrs. Jarrell explains their success is built on strong academics and strong character. The pre-kindergarten through 5th grade elementary school has embraced Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” becoming a Franklin Covey “Leader in Me” School and helping students develop essential life skills and character. Wards Creek Elementary School is working towards Lighthouse Status – there are only 24 Lighthouse Schools in the nation.

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

2line_2c-732882Last month, we shared the first step of building a custom home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes. We took you on a tour of Arthur Rutenberg’s incredible model in Ponte Vedra, FL where we picked our floor plan and explored the model home to better understand the high level of finishes and options that come with a new home by Arthur Rutenberg. Now it’s time for the next step in building your Arthur Rutenberg home, visiting the inspiring design center, where you pick all your options for your new home! 

lIn the design center, you begin by selecting materials for the exterior of our home to get the exact look you want. The savvy Arthur Rutenberg designers work with you to choose everything for your exterior space like material for your roof: maybe Mediterranean-style tile?  Then there’s the choice of stucco finishes, veneers, stone and other exterior options, and don’t forget about pavers for the driveway and maybe for the patio too. 

read more +

 
 
1 Comment  

1263375418OS1Lj1Sometimes life is better than good.  In fact life was pretty great last week when friend and co-worker Matt Burkhart and I got to hit some of our favorite watering holes in downtown St. Augustine to bring you this inside scoop on where to kick back with some beers, have a cocktail with friends or sip wine in style.  Truly St. Augustine has so much to offer.  In addition to gorgeous weather, historic beauty,  great shopping and sightseeing, St. Augustine has a nightlife scene with something for everyone – dive joints, college hangouts, gourmet restaurants and sophisticated bars.  Come along with me and Matt as we visit my favorite spots: J.P. Henley’s for the beer lovers, Cellar 6 for a relaxing night on the town, and The Tini Martini Bar for delicious martinis and beautiful view of the bay front.  If you’re making a night of it, you could easily visit all three of these spots in one evening as they are in easy walking distance near the waterfront.

read more +

 
 
1 Comment  

 

1123F_elev_R_1Most people consider Arthur Rutenberg Homes to be in a class all their own. The quality they produce is rarely matched! That’s why we were thrilled to have Rutenberg Homes builder Mark Refosco take us along for the three-step process of building a one-of-a-kind custom home with Arthur Rutenberg Homes.

As you see in the video, the process starts with visiting their model home in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Homebuyers browse the Design Collection portfolio featuring about 80 floorplans to get an idea of what plan best fits their wants and needs. You also have the option of having a custom design plan created exclusively for you. Once you choose a floorplan, the fun part starts – focusing on the details!

read more +

 
 
1 Comment  

 

184970_104121923003829_100002180658152_43025_4711363_nI love beer…most any kind of beer, so you can imagine I was extremely excited to hear that we now have a brewery right around the corner from our St. Augustine golf course community. Mile Marker Brewing is located right off SR 16 near the outlet malls. What that means to me is no more driving to Jacksonville Beach for delicious microbrews. Now, the delicious microbrews have come to me!

Mile Marker currently has five beers on tap – Mile Marker Zero (Key West Kölsch-style Ale), Mile Marker 1565 (Red Ale), Mile Marker 82 (Islamorada IPA), Ben’s Too Peachy (Kölsch-style Ale with peach), and a honey ale (Kölsch-style Ale with honey). They have a Pecan Brown Ale and an Oatmeal Stout brewing which will be ready to serve in the next couple of weeks.

read more +

 
 
1 Comment  

Serenata Beach Club pool 2Serenata Beach Club, located between St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra, is the perfect place to unwind all year round on the wide, uncrowded beaches of St. Johns County. This 12,000 square-foot private membership beach club feels like a luxury resort, complete with two 4,000 square- foot swimming pools, a children’s play pool with a variety of water features, fully equipped locker facilities and fitness center with personal trainers on staff, gourmet dining for lunch and dinner and, of course, an oceanfront location that is breathtaking ! Davidson Realty agent, Jock Ochiltree is not only a member at Serenata, but also a resident. He was happy to show us how he spends time taking advantage of the beautiful Florida weather in the video above.

read more +

 
 
(4) Comments  

MarkDowningI had an opportunity to visit with Mark Downing from CornerStone Homes recently and thought you might enjoy his comments on the video above. We talked about the changes we are seeing in the new home industry.

When the real estate industry was booming, it was not easy to find a desirable lot in a great community at an affordable price. Today there are many lots available and the prices are amazingly affordable. Right now in the King & Bear we have 10 bank owned lots available that include a membership to the King & Bear and Slammer & Squire golf courses. We also have Developer lots available with memberships and a few lots owned by builders that could be purchased.

read more +

 
 
No Comments