I have lived in St. Augustine for over four years. Every time I book a trip or make plans to explore somewhere in Florida, I always say to my hubby, “There is so much in St. Augustine we haven’t done yet.” Even before I moved here, I’ve been coming to this amazing city for years! I thought I would share with you my St. Augustine from A to Z, some of my favorite things I’ve done and some things I can’t wait to try.  Click on the links to get more info!

A: Adventure Landing
B: Black Raven (The Pirate Ship) C:Carousel                                                                                                                                                                                                                          D: Dining with a view of the Bridge of Lions
E: Education at the Flagler College
F: Fountain of Youth
G: Golf at King & Bear & Slammer & Squire
H: History
I: IMAX
J: Jacksonville
K: Kings Head British Pub
L: Lightner Museum
M: Murray Bros. Caddyshack’s
N: Night of Lights
O: World Famous Oasis
P: Putting Course at the WGV Hall of Fame
Q: Quaint bed and breakfasts
R: Rest & Relaxation on St. Augustine Beach
S: San Sebastian Winery
T: Sight Seeing Train
U: Unbelievable Ripley’s Believe It or Not
V: Valentine’s Day in a horse-drawn carriage
W: World Golf Village
X: X-tra fun at Scarlett O’Hara’s
Y: Yellow fin Tuna at Caps on the Water
Z: Zip line at the Alligator Farm

I really like talking about the St. Johns County schools and how they continue to receive such great accolades year after year.  I am a proud parent, cheering on my girls as they get a great St. Johns County school education. It comes as no surprise to read in last weeks’ Newsweek Magazine that three St. Johns County schools made it in their top 1,000 best schools in America.

Nease High School, just down the road and the zoned high school for our St. Augustine golf course community, ranked at #208, followed by Creekside High at #237 and Bartram Trail High School at #292. 

This year, Newsweek revamped it’s testing criteria by concentrating on six components; Graduation rate (25%), college matriculation rate (25%) and AP tests per graduated (25%), plus average SAT/ACT score (10%), average AP/IB scores (10%) and AP courses per graduate (5%).

Once again, St. Johns County students ranked first or second in the state in the grade-level categories of reading, math and science.  These accomplishments are testament to the fact that many people come and live here, not just for our fabulous weather and lifestyle, but for our amazing schools.

On the home front, the Davidson Companies know that our schools’ top rankings are not just pure luck –  It’s all about our wonderful teachers.  Jim Davidson’s daughter, Kristen Calhoun, created a unique program for recognizing and appreciating our local World Golf Village school teachers.  The program, named “Davidson Appreciates Teachers”, recognizes teachers who are examples of the County’s Character Counts Program.  Kristen uses Social Media and other sources to collect community wide nominations.  She tallies voting and compares comments, to determine the recognition rewards.  The program has been a great success and will continue through teachers of all grade levels.

I had the privilege of spending the morning at one of the most beautiful places, The Slammer and Squire golf course in World Golf Village.  It was so serene and peaceful. Davidson Agent, Jock Ochiltree is our golf expert here at Davidson Realty and he took me on a tour of his favorite holes and shared with me his passion for our World Golf Village course! I am working with him to shoot videos for upcoming blogs on the golf courses (definitely one of the perks of my job)!  Although I do not play golf, I enjoy the beautiful scenery and how the world just seems to stop on the course. Nature was present and we were in the moment!  I could hear the love and the appreciation in Jock’s voice as he described in detail what he loves about playing the Slammer.

Sam Sneed said “We built a golf course that people will enjoy playing.”  For a limited time, anyone can have exclusive benefits through the new loyalty program with the Slammer Pass. The Slammer Pass gives you unlimited green fees at the Slammer and Squire, range balls with each round, advanced tee times and your guests get the Northeast Florida guest rate just to name a few. The cost is $199 per month with a 12 month commitment. You can even add your wife, husband or children for $99 additional per month. If you act now, you can save some money on the Slammer Pass by getting half off through September.  With my “woman logic” that means new golf attire from the PGA TOUR Stop!

If this sounds like a great gift or something fun for your family to enjoy, attend a wine and cheese reception at the Legends Grill on Thursday, July 7th or Monday, July 11th at 6 p.m. to get the inside scoop.  R.S.V.P. to Kirsten Lightfoot at Kirsten@slammerandsquire.com or call Kirsten at 904.940.6261 and get your “Pass” on now! Don’t pass on the Slammer Pass!

June 2011 has been one of the most active months for real estate sales and home closings the World Golf Village area of Northeast Florida has seen in quite awhile.  Several new construction projects in World Golf Village are also encouraging and the May 2011 home sales inventory was down over 25% from May 2010. “June has been our strongest sales month in nearly five years, with the most closings we’ve seen in any month since 2007,” says Sherry Davidson, president of Davidson Realty, the leading real estate company serving the Neighborhoods of World Golf Village and nearby St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville.

New construction is also ramping up in the St. Augustine, Florida master-planned golf community. More upscale coach home units are being built in Laterra Links and more units are also underway in The Cascades, an active adult retirement community.  Developers recently acquired the previously stalled Isle of the Worlds neighborhood and units there are being completed.  Additionally, two estate home lots sold recently in Waterbury and Heritage Cove, new custom homes in Windmill Estates and The Crest are nearing completion and another custom home will break ground soon in Waterbury.

For the first time, The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center has received the American Automobile Association’s highly coveted AAA Four Diamond rating for 2011. The honor is achieved by less than 4% of properties. “We are truly pleased to be recognized with this very prestigious distinction,” said Jeffrey Oliasami, general manager of the resort. “The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort is now part of a very elite group of hotels to have earned this rating, and we’re very proud of our team for accomplishing this great feat.”

To receive the AAA Four Diamond rating, a lodging establishment must consistently reflect upscale and extraordinary characteristics in both physical attributes and level of guest services. To achieve the distinction, the AAA inspector determines that the property meets Four Diamond guidelines, and then the property is evaluated by an anonymous inspector who reviews the property in 12 critical service areas, which includes measurement of over 300 guest interaction points.

The Renaissance World Golf Village Resort and Convention Center was also recently honored with the Medical Meetings M&D Award. Did you know that the property is the largest hotel and convention facility between Orlando and Atlanta? There’s over 86,000 square feet of function space conveniently situated along the village walk next to the World Golf Hall of Fame and the IMAX Entertainment Complex.

But with all the good things that are happening at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village, the resort refuses to rest on its laurels.  According to General Manager Jeffrey Oliasami, the Renaissance will continue to make guest-friendly changes and introduce new amenities that enhance the property and guest experience. Some of the latest changes and near future enhancements include:

NEW!  The resort now offers complimentary airport transportation to/from the Jacksonville International Airport on group’s peak arrival and departure dates – for new group business booked after April 2011
 
NEW!  Complimentary shuttle to/from historic St. Augustine is offered for individual guests – seating is limited and based on availability
 
COMING SOON!  A total patio renovation with extensive, state-of-the-art – and over-the-top! – upgrades will bring an additional 15,000+ square feet of outdoor function space.  The project is expected to be completed by September 2011. 

NEW!  The resort pool has been resurfaced and now connects via new walkways to our the new patio
 
NEW!  “The Masters” Board Room is the newest additional meeting room with approximately 450 square feet
 
NEW!  Caffeina’s Marketplace “Proudly serving Starbuck’s Coffee” and Gift Shop (completion early July).  Caffeina’s Marketplace is a coffee house serving grab-and-go foods along with gifts indigenous to St. Augustine.
 
NEW!  On-site Destination Services Department offers group guests a customized and uniquely memorable experience!! 
 
NEW!  Elite and comprehensive in-house Audio-Visual expertise delivers outstanding service, ground-breaking technology and creative solutions for dazzling presentations and winning meetings
 
NEW!  A UPS Store conveniently situated inside the Convention Center will open July 1, 2011

For over 150 years the intersection of S.R. 16, Nine Mile Road and Pacetti Road has played a prominent role in the commerce of central St. Johns County. Today it offers a fantastic opportunity for a business, looking to capitalize on location, location, location.

The intersection was the hub of the original Mill Creek hamlet – the center of timbering, turpentine harvesting, cattle farming and agricultural enterprise. The crossroad was the jumping off spot for a “corduroy road” that ended with a landing at the confluence of Mill Creek and Six Mile Creek and provided access to a collection of logging encampments. For decades, loggers harvested prized-trees and turpentine along the tributaries of the St. Johns River. From Mill Creek, logs were floated out Six Mile Creek – bundled into log rafts – then steered down river to the big mills in Jacksonville. One day, I found a pair of original, perfect condition, hand-thrown, clay turpentine pots along the remnants of the old corduroy road.

Closer to the turn-of-the-century, the crossroads-area became the center of a thriving and productive farming community. Gladiolus flower farms and nationally-renowned potato farms spread over the region, interspersed with cattle-raising businesses. The County and the region produced quality goods that were shipped throughout the country.

I know that you have heard that now is absolutely the best time to buy and that’s a fact,  but did you also know that now is absolutely the best time to build your dream home?  Here in our St. Augustine golf course community, we have been experiencing a positive upswing in homesite purchases and new construction. 

Two of our four featured homesites at World Golf Village were sold just this past month.  They were remarkable properties and the remaining featured lots are equally beautiful.  Now, we are excited to share another great one with you.

Lot 10 in Windmill Estates is a large, almost ½ acre lot situated along Conservation Lands, offering an abundance of privacy.  You can have your own little Sherwood Forest in your back garden, as you grill your hamburgers and relax as the sun goes down. Open the front door of your new home and right across the street, your vista is the King & Bear golf course.  Let’s face it, whether you love golf or whether you’re impartial  – it’s a magnificent sight, like living in the peaceful countryside.  Take an evening stroll with the dog or even a bike ride along the neighborhood sidewalks. It is thoroughly enjoyable to weave though the neighborhoods of the King and Bear or go to the Swim & Tennis Center and Fitness Cottage just down the street. 

There’s a sign just past the gate into the King & Bear neighborhood that reads  “Welcome Home”.  You’ll be so glad you are.

For more information contact Davidson Realty Agent Suzy Evans at (904) 940-5000 and to see our other specially priced homesites please visit  http://www.worldgolfrealestate.com/index.php/featured_homesites. Enjoy the homesite video!

At a mere 150 miles from Jacksonville, Savannah, Georgia – the City built on a Bluff with a main street named Bull – is a must-see-and-do for anyone living or vacationing here in our community. The infrastructure work on the perennial construction of I95 has essentially been completed, making the drive up the Georgia Coast, both smooth and enjoyable. A two-night stay is the best way to get introduced and be able to absorb the character of Savannah – but with the recent travel ease, even an overnighter with a morning arrival and a next day, evening departure, will provide you with an entertaining and educational opportunity.

Savannah, founded in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe, has one of our nation’s largest, intact, historic districts. The City, best experienced on foot (www.TheSavannahWalkingTour.com), delivers intriguing details and storylines at every turn. Oglethorpe’s City Plan, with geometric Wards with Squares, has been studied for centuries and has served as inspiration for urban planners, architects and landscape architects from around the world.

Oglethorpe’s City Plan may have been truly original, no one knows for sure. He organized each Ward into 8 Blocks. The largest 4 Blocks were Tything Blocks for residential purposes. The other 4 Blocks were Trust Lots for civic and commercial uses. The Tything Blocks were subdivided with East-West Lanes, creating today’s service alleys at the rear of homes. At the center of each Ward, was a Public Square; the beloved civic spaces that have helped make Savannah famous. To expand the town, Oglethorpe simply replicated and extended the patterned grid. The original Plan called for 4 Squares; Johnson, Wright, Ellis and Telfair. Today, there are 22 Squares gracing the City.

For a time Savannah was overlooked, forgotten and under-appreciated. The decades of the 60’s and 70’s, and into the 80’s, were not kind to the fabric of the City. Many historic buildings were either abandoned or demolished and a few really ugly, mostly municipal, buildings were forced on the scene. The backbone of the City’s residential retail and business district, along Broughton Street, was all but empty. By the late 70’s, the City experience for most visitor’s was confined to the riverfront honky-tonks and souvenir shops along the stone-cobbled River Street and bluff-top Factor’s Walk. Braver tourists would sometimes venture out to explore the City’s many Squares, but usually they were satisfied with a quick trolley tour to see the most promoted sights.

Over thirty years ago, in the midst of Savannah’s urban decline, Paula Wallace, May and Paul Poetter and Richard Rowan had a vision to create, from the ground up, a premier academic environment for art and design education. Today, the Founders’ vision has evolved into an internationally revered and distinguished university led by President Wallace. The Savannah College of Art and Design : SCAD was instrumental in helping spur a downtown renaissance. As SCAD grew in prominence and prestige – they acquired numerous historic structures. All of their acquisitions were ingeniously adapted, painstakingly restored and respectfully transformed for a variety of academic uses. With over 8,000 students, the Savannah location is comprised of almost 70 separate buildings, most of which are in, or adjacent to, the nationally registered historic district. The district was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966, named the Savannah Historic District.

SCAD offers a unique college experience that is in beautiful harmony with the City and its historic heritage. Seemingly overnight, SCAD has grown to be recognized as the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art university. SCAD has an urban location in Atlanta, Georgia, a study-abroad location in Lacoste, France and in 2010, became the first U.S. art and design university to establish a degree-granting location in Hong Kong.

SCAD has been wholly embraced by the City of Savannah. It is the City’s pied-piper, helping launch countless boutiques, shops and restaurants and symbiotically inducing the construction and renovation of historic homes, hotels, inns, apartments and condominiums. Even redevelopment of the original 1733 Ellis Square/1763 Market Square has taken place, further expanding the City’s visitor and resident entertainment, shopping and dining options. SCAD’s presence and its events, choreographed by its student/faculty personalities, have helped define a modern-vibe. That vibe is juxtaposed against the rich and historic tapestry of the City Center. The SCAD Family of administrators, educators, students and visiting participants conduct themselves with élan, while respecting the past, energizing the present and projecting a promising future for them, The Arts and the City.

One of the best ways SCAD gives back to the City is through its annual SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival. This year, on Saturday, April 30th, the festival celebrated its 30th Anniversary – growing from an initial 40 to over 600 artists.  The festival now takes over the 1840 Forsyth Park, from Park Avenue on the south to the gorgeous, 1858, cast-iron Forsyth Fountain on the north. The park’s sidewalks are divided into approximately 5’ x 5’ squares. Each participant is given an identical box of colored chalks and then turned loose at 11:00AM. There were 520 squares for current students, 162 squares for alumni and 168 squares for prospective high school seniors and juniors. Prior to the 4:00PM Awards Ceremony, a panel of distinguished judges made the rounds to select the various categorical winners. This year, the judges dispensed a number of awards and prizes.

Even though Father’s Day is just one day – this year it is Sunday, June 18 – we think we should celebrate Dads all month long! It is our experience that most Dads love golf – and they love food. So, we have decided to play a little game on The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village’s Facebook page that involves golf and food! Several times during the month of June, we will post a picture of a famous golfer and the first person to identify him or her by name will receive two free tickets to the World Golf Hall of Fame and two free appetizers at the Renaissance Resort Hotel. BUT, just like all fun games, there is a twist! The pictures we post may not be the most recognizable photos of the golfer… We have faith the true golf aficionados will be able to figure out the answers though! If you can guess who is in the photo above, you might be a winner! If you don’t win, but your Dad loves golf and food, you can always bring him to the World Golf Hall of Fame on Father’s Day for Community Appreciation Day. Admission is free and all fathers receive a goody bag too! Good luck – and Happy Father’s Day!

Summer is definitely in the air! I can feel it when I step outside and get blasted by the heat!  I can really feel it in my children’s behavior. Not to mention, my sweet kindergartner counting down the days until she can officially say she’s a first grader! If you are like me, then all of these signs are pointing us in the direction to figure out what to do with our kids over the summer break. The weekends are full of pool parties and beach trips, but the weeks need to be filled with fun, too!

An option I looked into that is open to St. Augustine residents is camp at Turning Point Children’s Academy. Each week is a different theme. Children will learn about the desert, space, weather, rainforest, etc. Each week also includes Bible lessons, water play, art and other fun activities. Turning Point offers flexibility. Drop off begins at 7:30 a.m. and pick up is by 6 p.m. The cost is $140/week. Call Ms. Carole at 904.824.0477 for more information.

Florida Get Fit is known for helping women, men and children get in shape through boot camp, body sculpting, kick boxing and conditioning. Help your children stay fit through the summer by taking advantage of the many camps they offer. Florida Get Fit is offering football conditioning, gymnastics, tumbling, cheer and baseball camps. Most of the camps are $75-$85 per week; from 9 a.m. to noon. Baseball is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $175 per week. This is a great way to help your child to be in the best shape possible when school and sports start in the fall.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is doing Vacation Bible School from July 11-15th on SR 16. Camp is from 9-12. The cost is $15 for Parishioners and $25 for non-Parishioners. My daughters did it last year and had so much fun. Contact Amy Sue Long at 599-3080 or aslong99@hotmail.com if you want to sign your children up!!! At the end of the week the children put on a performance. It was soooo incredibly cute. All the children received copies of the music they performed to. They made picture frames and gave the parents pictures of themselves in their camp tshirts.

Another great option for World Golf Village residents is camp at the Swim & Tennis Center. Camp is offered through the summer. The cost is $99/ week from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Go to www.wgvsocial.com for more info.

If your children are into horses, Haven House Ranch has camp for children ages 6-17 to spend the summer hands on with the horses, learning general care, tracking and riding. There are 3 different levels. General camp is for anyone. Bible camp includes life lessons. Advanced camp is for experienced riders. Rates vary but start at $225. Contact www.havenhorseranch.org or call 813.5710 for more info.

If you know of a camp in the WGV area, please post a link on our Neighborhoods of World Golf Village Facebook page.