St. Augustine: What’s New in the Nation’s Oldest City and on Florida’s Historic Coast

Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, and 42 miles of pristine, Atlantic beaches.

 

NEW YORK [ ABN NEWS ] — Florida’s Historic Coast includes St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States, and Ponte Vedra Beach, home to the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship, world-class tennis facilities, more than a dozen championship golf courses. The area boast more than 42 miles of beautiful pristine Atlantic Coast that offer year-round fun in a seaside paradise.

There is so much to see and explore. Plan a visit to Florida’s Historic Coast and take advantage of special offers and themed packages for visitors to enjoy with great golf deals, romantic escapes and family fun.

Here is what’s new:

> The Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) in St. Augustine offers commercial air service options and is a convenient alternative to larger, more expensive airports. Frontier Airlines provides low-fare non-stop service to/from St. Augustine (UST) and Philadelphia (PHL), and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD). Frontier flights can be booked at www.FlyFrontier.com. ViaAir offers non-stop service to/from St. Augustine’s Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) to Charlotte, NC (CLT) with continuing service to Beckley, WV (BKW). Book your tickets at www.FlyViaAir.com. Learn more about the Northeast Florida Regional Airport at www.flynf.com.

> The 205-room Courtyard by Marriott at St. Augustine Beach opened in March 2016. Florida’s Historic Coast’s newest hotel will meet the growing demand for lodging options on St. Augustine Beach, which ranks in the top 10 U.S. beaches by TripAdvisor again this year.

 

 

> This summer, the iconic Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa nears completion of a resort-wide, $25 million “refresh.” Enhancements are being made to the hotel’s 511 guestrooms/villas, resort pool area, modernized front desk area, hotel façade, and the Sawgrass Spa and Cabana Beach Club. Other facets of the project are a new “Butler Serviced” guest wing and soon-to-be-launched restaurant, The American Gator Club.

 

 

> More Hotels on horizon: As Florida’s Historic Coast has grown in popularity as a vacation destination; the need for new hotels and properties has grown. Between the Fall of 2016 and winter of 2018, there will be several hotel properties coming available in the destination. Some of these include:

The Cordova Inn set to open late summer 2016 in historic downtown St. Augustine. Once the Dow Museum of Historic Houses, the Cordova Inn will encompass eight restored houses for a total of 30 one-bedroom well-appointed suites. The property will also feature quiet gardens and seating areas, a wading pool and the Jesse Fish Tavern, where craft cocktails and small plates will be served.

In mid-2017, the Vilano Beach Hotel will open. This boutique hotel will feature 66 guest rooms and easy access to historic St. Augustine.

In the fall of 2016, the Wyndham Garden Inn located on St. Augustine’s San Sebastian River, The hotel will feature 95 guest suites, many with spectacular views of the San Sebastian and the historic St. Augustine skyline.

In late 2017, Embassy Suites will open on St. Augustine Beach. The oceanfront resort will feature 180 guest rooms.

> For nearly three decades, the nonprofit St. Augustine Lighthouse has been known internationally as a leader in historic preservation. But under the new moniker of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum the Smithsonian Affiliate organization aims to enhance its reputation in the field of maritime history and research as well. In the spring of 2016, the museum will be launching a new exhibition entitled “Wrecked” to tell the story of a Revolutionary War-era shipwreck off St. Augustine’s coast. In order to continue researching and conserving St. Augustine shipwrecks, the Museum will be breaking ground on a 2,500 square foot Maritime Archaeology & Education Center. The Center will provide new public education programs that give visitors an exclusive look at archaeology and conservation in action. The exhibit will also introduce Star Waters, an illustrated underwater archaeologist who will teach the more than 43,000 school children who attend the Museum annually about the science, technology, engineering and mathematics behind shipwreck research.

 

 

> The St. Augustine Outlet Mall has completed an extensive $7 million interior remodel and added new stores and merchandise. Improvements include bright new flooring, inviting soft seating areas, attractive lighting enhancements, Wi-Fi throughout the mall and touch screen directories. In 2015, new stores opened including H&M, Old Navy, Papaya, and Christopher & Banks.

> Augustine Premium Outlets opened three new stores in 2015. Torrid, which sells trendy plus-size clothing for women who wear sizes 12 to 28; and Swarovski , which sells high-quality crystal product collections such as jewelry, accessories, decorative items for the home, ornaments and figurines; and TaylorMade Golf Factory Store, which sells off-season product lines and gear from TaylorMade, Adams Golf, Adidas Golf, and Ashworth.

> In March, 2016 The World Golf Hall of Fame announced the opening of a new, interactive exhibition “Major Moments: Celebrating Golf’s Greatest Championships.” The exhibition recants the story of the four men’s Major Championships – the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship – through colorful accounts and priceless Hall of Fame member artifacts. The Major Moments exhibit includes new artifacts and interactive features, including a leaderboard that allows guests to put their name on top of a most impressive leaderboard, take a photo and share with others. Also new is a digital touchscreen kiosk where guests learn details around the four Major Championship trophies, such as their history, height, weight and past winners, and even engrave their own name onto the Hall of Fame Inductee crystal.