Looking for something different to do that is fun and doesn’t cost a fortune? The World Golf Hall of Fame is offering Florida and Georgia residents all-day Hall of Fame admission and one round on the putting course for just $10. There is so much to do at the Hall of Fame for both golf beginners and aficionados. So, bring the whole family and watch championship videos of some of the most amazing shots and iconic moments ever played out on a golf course. Then, take a chance and putt on a major championship speed green while an announcer calls the action and play the Old Course at St. Andrews or the Plantation Course at Kapalua in the golf simulator. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn about all of the recent 2008 inductees including Pete Dye. And laugh along in the limited-time special exhibit “Bob Hope: Shanks for the Memory.” These are only a few of the countless exhibits in the museum for you and your family to enjoy before you play the 18-hole natural grass putting course that is just outside the Hall of Fame’s front door.

Before you head home, catch a thrilling movie at the IMAX theater at the World Golf Village – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens on July 29 – or have a delectable burger and milkshake at Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant – both are just steps from the Hall of Fame! It’s easy to see how you can enjoy a full day of activities at World Golf Village for only $10 per person. Residents of Florida/Georgia must present a driver’s license or another form of identification to verify residency.

Attend an open house at St. Andrews Place in The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village and you could watch the British Open on your new 32″ flat screen TV. You can also grab light refreshments at the event on July 11-12 from 1-5 p.m.

Visit four all four homes on tour (priced from $325,000 to $345,900) to register for the giveaway. The addresses are 245 Island Green Drive, 288 Island Green Drive, 308 Island Green Drive and 348 Island Green Drive.

The St. Andrews Place neighborhood has 64 low-maintenance patio homes built around a large lake and a community lakeside swimming pool.

To get there, take I-95 to exit 323. Go west on International Golf Parkway to the second World Golf Village entrance and turn right onto Royal Pines Parkway. Take the third left into St. Andrews Place and turn left onto Island Green Drive. For details, call (904) 940-5000 or visit www.worldgolfrealestate.com.

Rick Pariani, Davidson Development’s vice president of design and development, shares a rare glimpse into the decade of planning and resources that helped drive the success of World Golf Village in a new video.

While many initially scoffed at the idea of a community in “the middle of nowhere” between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida the St. Johns County community defied the odds and paved the way for other developments in what is now one of the fastest-growing areas of the county and region.

Pariani, a registered landscape architect who has worked as a design consultant for Disney Development, Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, gives a personal, behind-the-scenes look at World Golf Village.

Make no mistake about it, World Golf Village has been designed and built with its green side up. We sit on our neighbor’s border, relative to how most folks think about Florida , yet we still enjoy a year-round green appeal. That appeal is a result of our design and development ability to overcome the limitations of our climate swings, our soil conditions and our restricted landscape palette.

The United States National Arboretum, in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture, provides the industry standard for plant adaptability to cold zones via the Plant Hardiness Zone Map. St. Augustine, Florida shares the same skinny, thin band of plant suitability and adaptability with Houston, Texas . The corresponding zone is a combination of Zone 8b (hardy between 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and Zone 9a (hardy between only 20 to 25F). Although most folks think that here in Florida, all you have to do is put a plant in the ground for it to grow, our hardiness zones are actually quite confining. In fact, a high performing plant palette is minimized and the plant availability in the commercial marketplace has been restricted. The “restriction” is due in part to the fact that any given winter season could potentially result in major plant loss due to extended freeze / frost conditions.

If you are looking for office space in Northern St. Johns County that is easily accessible from I-95 and very comfortable, please take a look at the Davidson building just inside World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida .

Each executive suite is furnished including a telephone with voice mail services, web access and a fax line. A beautiful conference room is available for your use. There is a copier and break room available along with any administrative service you may require.

The lease terms are flexible and the offices range form $950. to $1300. per month. This cost is all inclusive with the exception of long-distance calls and copies.

Yesterday, most folks, when contemplating a visit or a move to Florida, only thought about the theme parks of Central Florida or the sun and surf of South Florida in Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Key West or Naples. Throughout the history of settlement in Florida, these areas and coasts got all the attention as people flocked from around the world over into these rapidly-developing communities, at times creating the fastest growth markets in the United States.

As a result, life became as hectic as it was promising. The bloom came off the rose as roads were constantly being widened, schools were being taught in portable classrooms, lines for everything became untenable and “lifestyle” only blossomed in one’s imagination.

Today, visitors and move-ins understand that Florida offers much more diversity and opportunities throughout the state. In fact, Northeast Florida has emerged as one of the most attractive and favored areas, not only in Florida, but on the entire eastern seaboard. The seasonal climate here is punctuated by four seasonal changes, all of which are discernable yet mild and outdoor life is beautiful. Northeast Florida, known as Florida’s First Coast, offers the very best attributes of the Florida lifestyle, in a real and tangible way, not just imaginary. All of the elements of the natural, outdoor Florida environment combine with a healthy and robust business climate and a proud military presence to attract friendly, family-oriented, entrepreneurial-minded people who make a confident and smart choice to make the region their home.

The first shovels of construction activity at World Golf Village were turned in 1994. First came the privately funded $9,500,000 I-95 Interchange, followed by the initial 4 lane widening of International Golf Parkway. In 1996, the site infrastructure for the Northwest Quadrant and Southeast Quadrant was commenced. Shortly thereafter, World Golf Village in its initial dress, opened to the public on May 18, 1998.

In the past 10 years of activity, World Golf Village has evolved into an award-winning, highly desirable and comfortable collection of distinct neighborhoods which are complimented by many services, amenities, shops, dining and entertainment opportunities. Nevertheless, the full promise of the World Golf Village development is yet to come.

In the past 18 months there have been numerous new additions to World Golf Village and its greater surrounds. These additions together with the newest projects currently poised to launch will create a unique diversity which will shape and mature life, work and leisure at the Village.

World Golf Village is a Community and collection of Neighborhoods recognized by its preserved, naturally forested, Conservation Lands and knit together with a shady canopy of planted trees. In fact, it is the treescape design, both existing and planted, that characterizes the environment of World Golf Village. Questionnaires and surveys have been conducted throughout the years to help define the qualities of World Golf Village that most appeal to potential buyers and residents. The aspect that is revealed at the top of everyone’s’ list usually references the natural and built environment of the place. World Golf Village is truly a Place for Trees.

In that regard, trees are really trees at World Golf Village. The tree palette for the WGV Communities is one that showcases the naturally occurring Southern Live Oak and favors “real” trees over exotic and introduced palm trees. The perimeter framework for the Neighborhoods is the background of preserved forests. The internal environment of the Neighborhoods is defined by the extensive use of treescaping. Ornamental variety in the landscape comes through the design groupings of the planted trees, the seasonal and flowering characteristics of the trees and the lower level groundscaping. A limited and judicious use of palms adds punctuation. Unlike many other Florida developments, here at World Golf Village, trees rule – palms don’t.

World Golf Village is a community with a variety of rich, interesting and entertaining stories that tell a tale of building a great place. One of the more unusual aspects of the community is that even the street names tell a story.

There is a neighborhood in the King & Bear Community called WildWood. Almost the entire perimeter boundary of WildWood is framed by a massive, forested Conservation Area. During the site preparation for the WildWood neighborhood, the edge of the Conservation Area was revealed to have a collar of beautiful Loblolly Bay trees interspersed with native Oak, Pine and Maple. The forested edge had a wild, undisturbed and seemingly “undiscovered” appeal. The forested boundary’s character influenced the design, layout, construction and theme of the neighborhood, hence, WildWood.

In May, we launched our new website and we’re excited about the features now available. The overarching theme was simplifying the experience for our web users, and we did that by making it easier to find out about our neighborhoods and finding the perfect house.

The new features include:
* “Simplified Property Search”:/search
* “Improved Master Plan”:/master_plan
* “Enhanced Neighborhood Pages”:/neighborhoods/
* “Neighborhood Finder”:/neighborhoods/finder

Everything else on the site has been improved as well.

We hope you like the changes we made. “Please drop us a line”:/contact and tell us what you think.