1. Sawgrass Marriott Resort & Beach Club
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (904) 285-7777, (800) 228-9290
Address: 1000 PGA Tour Blvd.
Description: Just try to walk in the front door of the Sawgrass Marriott Resort and not feel bowled over by the lobby’s sweeping view of the Players Championship Stadium Course. From the lagoon and a waterfall to the beach club, Sawgrass is one impressive property. The Sawgrass Marriott offers 508 rooms, including 24 suites and 80 two-bedroom villas. The resort is located in Ponte Vedra, just a five-minute drive away from both the Sawgrass Shopping Center’s boutiques and restaurants and the Cabana Club, the resort’s oceanfront, beach club oasis. Golf opportunities abound here, thanks to the resort’s cooperative marketing agreement with five area golf courses, including the Stadium Course. (The Marriott likes to boast that guests can play 99 holes of golf.) The resort also offers 11 tennis courts on four different surfaces; three outdoor pools, two heated; and two whirlpools. Active types will love the complimentary bicycles and the 24-hour access fitness center. (Don’t be surprised when you get your bill; a resort fee is tacked on to every room to pay for these amenities, including the shuttle service to and from the Cabana Club and golf courses.)On property, the Spa at Sawgrass offers a Zen atmosphere along with facials, massages, and hydrotherapy, which Mom can partake of while the kids are otherwise occupied in the year-round day camp for children called the Grasshopper Gang. Children ages 3 to 12 enjoy treasure hunts, beach and pool activities, arts and crafts, you name it, while Mom and Dad are off enjoying some free time. Don’t miss the Sunday Jazz Brunch at the Cafe on the Green or dinner at the Augustine Grille. There’s also a popular outdoor grille called the 100th Hole—the only place left to go after you’ve played all 99 holes of golf.
2. The Players Championship
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (904) 285-3700
Address: 100 PGA TOUR Blvd.
Description: Watch the best professional golfers vie for the winner’s cup on The Stadium Course at the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass. Early in The Players Championship week, the galleries are small and fans can walk the perimeter of the course, following their favorite golfer at close range. By the weekend, though, the course is packed and you have to hustle to stay close. Many people try a different approach and just park themselves by a favorite hole and watch the golfers come by. This premier event comes with just one warning: the weather is sometimes as big a story as the golf, with torrential downpours, biting wind, or, if you’re lucky, spring temperatures and sunny skies. See the Golf chapter for more on this popular event.
3. Ponte Vedra Golf And Country Club At Sawgrass
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Golf
Telephone: (904) 285-0204
Address: 254 Alta Mar Dr.
Description: Want to play a private course without busting your budget? Try Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach’s oldest exclusive gated community. Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass isn’t for beginners, however. It’s a par-70, 6,413-yard course that has narrow fairways and lots of water.The most difficult hole is the 7th—a monster par-5 measuring 537 yards from the white tees. Ball placement, especially off the tee, is tricky. If the trees don’t get you, the ponds might. For a semiprivate course, the greens fees, including cart rental, aren’t unreasonable: $53 Monday through Friday, $63 on the weekends. The course is open year-round.Walk-ons are welcome, but nonmembers are advised to get tee times in advance. (You can call up to seven days in advance.) Dress requirements are collared shirts, no denim, and no metal spikes. Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass has a full-service lounge that’s also open to nonmembers.
4. The Tournament Players Club At Sawgrass
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Golf
Telephone: (904) 273-3235
Address: 110 Championship Way
Description: Hardcore golfing enthusiasts visiting the Jacksonville area will want to play the TPC’s par-72, 7,215-yard Stadium Course, at least once in their life. The 18-hole course, which was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1980, is home to The Players Championship every March and features one of the most photographed holes in the United States—the famed 17th island. Greens fees are seasonal and range from $130 during off-season (summer months) to as high as $375 during peak season. For less money, you can play the TPC’s Valley Course, which was designed by Bobby Weed and Pete Dye and opened shortly after the Stadium Course. If you want to play either The Players Stadium Course or Dye’s Valley Course, you can do so by either being a guest of the Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa, or by booking starting times at TPC Sawgrass within 14 days of your arrival. To do so, call the TPC Sawgrass Golf Reservations Department at (904) 273-3430 or book online at www.tpc.com/sawgrass.
5. Ponte Vedra Recorder
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Media
Telephone: (904) 285-8831
Address: 100 Executive Way
Description: As its names suggests, the Ponte Vedra Recorder covers the upscale community of Ponte Vedra Beach. As chronicler of Ponte Vedra’s social scene, the weekly newspaper is generally full of feature stories and photos of the latest soirees. The Ponte Vedra Recorder is published every Friday. You can buy a copy at newsstands and supermarkets or subscribe to receive the magazine in the mail. The parent company also publishes Clay Today and The First Coast Register.
6. Guana River State Park
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (904) 825-5071
Address: 2690 South Ponte Vedra Blvd.
Description: When you think of Guana, think of kayaking, fishing from a kayak, and hiking past centuries-old Native American burial mounds. Tackle all this on your own, or take advantage of several tour opportunities, including kayak tours. (See the Attractions and Tours chapter for more information.) Jacksonville businessman Herb Peyton sold these 2,400 acres to the state in the late eighties, saving this portion of Highway A1A from becoming a South Florida concrete jungle. The park is located halfway between Jacksonville and St. Augustine and offers beach access, great fishing, and significant opportunities to learn about this country’s earliest history. There are 17 historic and cultural sites within the park, including the remains of an early Spanish mission from the 1600s—Nativity of our Lady of Tolomato—and a 1800s Minorcan water well that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is no camping at Guana, but the Guana Lake area is such a popular fishing spot—especially for redfish—that the Park Service keeps it open 24 hours a day.
7. Pusser’S Caribbean Bar And Grille
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 280-7766
Address: 816 A1A North
Description: Pusser’s Bar and Grille serves Caribbean cuisine alongside regional faves. Ask to sit on the upper deck where you can suck down tropical rum drinks, including the infamous Pusser’s Painkiller, and watch the sun go down. Pusser’s has live entertainment on the upper deck Wednesday through Saturday, as well as occasional cooking classes and fun promotions.
8. Restaurant Medure
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (904) 543-3797
Address: 818 North Hwy. A1A
Description: Jacksonville restaurateur Matthew Medure (Matthew’s in San Marco) has done it again with another top-notch eatery. Selected by Florida Trend magazine as one of the state’s top restaurants, Restaurant Medure offers a sophisticated dining experience and private dining rooms. The menu is haute cuisine with an emphasis on a wide variety of local and imported fish and seafood, cooked with Southern, Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern influences. The lounge is open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., offers a full bar, and sometimes has live entertainment. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Reservations suggested.
9. Cultural Center At Ponte Vedra Beach
City: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (904) 280-0614
Address: 50 Executive Way
Description: Every neighborhood should have a cultural center like this. It’s a place for artists and budding artists of all ages to take art classes and show their work. Every spring the center hosts an art extravaganza, which includes an exhibit honoring professional artists from Ponte Vedra and beyond. This is a great place to catch free or inexpensive concerts and music classes. The center hosts eight annual exhibitions with opening receptions that are free and open to the public. The center also hosts two fund-raisers: celebrate in the late spring and Arts Alive on the first Saturday of October. Sign up for a class, workshop, or lecture and use your free time to learn to paint, draw, sculpt, dance, play an instrument, or learn a new language. The center is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., closed Sunday. Call or visit the Web site for the latest schedule of events.