EXPLORE
Ponte Vedra Beach
Ponte Vedra Beach is just 20 minutes north of St. Augustine and features
top-rated golf and tennis resorts, is home to the PGA and ATP tours and
exclusive residential neighborhoods where one of the most prestigious
golf tournaments in the world, THE PLAYERS Championship, is held.
If golf and tennis don’t pique your interests, perhaps
the wonders of natural Florida will. The Guana
Tolomato Matanzas National Esuarine Research Reserve
(GTM Research Reserve) in South Ponte Vedra Beach
is home to 73,000 acres of protected forests, tidal
lagoons and coastal dunes. If you are sporting but
golf isn’t your game you’re sure to find something to
do at Ponte Vedra’s 138-acre Davis Park, complete
with fishing ponds stocked for children’s catch and
release, dog parks, a playground, and playing fields for
soccer, football, softball and baseball.
Culture and entertainment combine to provide the
luxury traveler a diverse experience in northeast St.
Johns County. Whether taking in a culinary experience
at one of the area’s acclaimed restaurants, catching an
unforgettable performance by your favorite musicians at
the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall or catching an exhibition
at an area art gallery you are sure to have a memorable
time in one of the Nation’s top family destinations.
In Ponte Vedra, the community of Nocatee is one
of the fastest-growing, master-planned, unincorporated
towns in the Country, and it also offers a popular
farmer’s market and other outdoor events such as the
Ponte Vedra Auto Show that is sure to be fun for the
entire family.
Ponte Vedra Beach History
Ponte Vedra Beach has a rich and unique history. Ponce
de Leon, a Spanish explorer best known for his pursuit
of the legendary “fountain of youth,” is believed to have
landed on what would later become Ponte Vedra Beach
on April 2, 1513. A small settlement begins to take
shape in the Ponte Vedra Beach area. Haciendas were
built and the roots for gracious living were planted.
The area remained sparsely populated through the
late 19th century. In 1914, minerals were discovered,
and a community known as Mineral City grew up around
the mining operations there. Titanium extraction was
significant, as well as that of zircon and rutile. These
minerals were recovered from beach sands by a private
commercial firm called National Lead Company, directed
by Henry Holland Buckman and George A. Pritchard.
During World War I titanium was a component of poison
gas, and therefore a strategic mineral.
After the war, mineral demand dropped, so the
National Lead Company changed its focus to building
a resort community. The name of the community
was changed to Ponte Vedra, apparently after the
city of Pontevedra, Galicia, (Spain). The actual reason
is unknown, but there was a rumor that one of the
developers read a newspaper article that erroneously
claimed Christopher Columbus was born there.
In the early 1920s, the National Lead Company
built a 9-hole golf course and 12-room clubhouse
constructed of logs for the use of their employees. After
the company left Ponte Vedra, that real estate became
the foundation of the Ponte Vedra Club. Stockton, Whatley,
Davin & Co. was a developer of Ponte Vedra Beach
in the early 1930s and owned the Ponte Vedra Club.
Today, Ponte Vedra Beach is home to THE PLAYERS
Championship golf tournament and its world headquarters
for the PGA Tour, thanks to a now-legendary 1978
deal in which developers Jerome and Paul Fletcher
“sold” PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman 415
densely wooded acres. The purchase price: one dollar.
In addition, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP
Tour) also calls Ponte Vedra Beach home, bringing even
more national and international attention to the area as
a recreational Mecca.
LET’S GO TO THE BEACH
PONTE VEDRA BEACH ACCESS POINTS
BETWEEN 311 & 313 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 333 & 335 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 343 & 345 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
San Diego Rd BETWEEN 351 & 401 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
Solana Rd BETWEEN 423 & 501 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 505 & 507 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 513 & 515 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 519 & 521 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 527 & 529 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
BETWEEN 541 & 545 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
Micklers Landing Pavillion (Parking available / Facilities
include: Restrooms, showers, handicap accessible, grills)
Walkover BETWEEN 1109 & 1111 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
GTMNERR North ACROSS FROM 1600 PONTE VEDRA BLVD
(Parking available)
GTMNERR Middle ACROSS FROM 2000 S PONTE VEDRA
BLVD (Parking available)
GTMNERR South ACROSS FROM 2200 S PONTE VEDRA
BLVD (Parking available)
GTMNERR Store ACROSS FROM 2700 S PONTE VEDRA
BLVD (Parking available)
SPV Park 2993 S PONTE VEDRA BLVD (Parking available
/ Pavilions with picnic tables, beach access.)
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