Florida’s Historic Coast has much to offer planners looking for a distinctive meeting and event experience, says Susan Phillips, president and CEO of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau. “We offer the culture and history of America’s oldest continuously occupied European settlement. You will find smaller crowds here, a relaxed vibe, and restaurants and historic sites within walking distance of downtown,” Phillips says. “We have easy drive-in access, and Jacksonville International Airport is only 35 minutes from Ponte Vedra Beach. Plus, we have 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches with wonderful year-round weather and over 300 days of sunshine.”
The area offers kayaking, world-class golf, sunset cruises, fishing, and unique attractions, including The Classic Car Museum of St. Augustine, which doubles as an event venue for themed parties.
“Golf here is special,” Phillips notes. “Ponte Vedra Inn & Club’s Ocean Course is one of Florida’s oldest and most iconic courses. And enjoying the PLAYERS Championship, with the world’s best golfers competing at TPC Sawgrass, is the thrill of a lifetime.”
The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club recently unveiled the rebuilt Ocean House and Peyton House, with 41 new oceanfront guest rooms and suites, along with a full renovation of the Ocean Course and refurbishment of the Lagoon Course. The resort has 14,017 square feet of event space. On Vilano Beach, Hampton Inn & Suites completed recent renovations, and two new hotels have opened: a 50-room Holiday Inn Express and a 120-room Hyatt Place, with 7,200 square feet of event space.
Major convention hotels in St. Augustine include the 301-room Renaissance World Golf Village Resort, with 36,849 square feet of meeting space, and the 138-room Casa Monica Resort & Spa, with 9,200 square feet of function space. At the beach, the 514-room Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa has 61,000 square feet of meeting space; the 217-room Embassy Suites by Hilton has 7,150 square feet of event space; and The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra has 66 guest rooms and 6,000 square feet of function space.
