Someone needs to remind Mother Nature that it is October and it’s time to send in the cooler temperatures. But despite the heat, the rain, and the humidity we are currently experiencing in Northeast Florida – it is FALL! That means all things pumpkins, pumpkin spice, pumpkin flavors, and pumpkin patches! Most of us wouldn’t actually give up our year-round temperate weather we experience on the First Coast for the bitter cold months our neighbors north of us endure. And while it would be pleasant to enjoy fall-like weather and leaves changing colors there are a few places we highly recommend to enjoy the fall season (even if you do have to wear tanks, shorts, and flip-flops.)

Travel over to Green Cove Springs and enjoy a full day of fun at Amazing Grace Family Farms www.agcropmaze.com which is open Fridays and Saturdays through October 31st. The list of activities available at Amazing Grace Family Farms will keep children of all ages busy enjoying the adventures and will likely have them sleeping on the way home. From their pumpkin patch worthy of family photos to the enormous jump pad that will completely exhaust any kid or even kid-at-heart, there’s plenty to see and do. The crop maze will challenge the adventurers with its many twists and turns. The BarnYard Ball Zone will have the crowd going wild. The Tug-O-War brings just the right amount of competition for the family (or maybe family vs. family). And a highlight every year is the farm animal petting zoo where children are able to experience real life on the farm with these precious animals. Parents, be sure to have your phones ready because this beautiful farm provides plenty of picture perfect moments to capture the wholesome fun you’ll enjoy outdoors making memories.

Next on our list, is CONNER’S A-MAIZE-ING ACRES. This small family farm packs in a HUGE and exciting day. Located in Hilliard, CONNER’S A-MAIZE-ING ACRES is a local favorite for many reasons. With 125 acres of a working family farm, during October and select days in November, Conner’s A-MAIZE-ING ACRES is open to the public for people to enjoy their sweet farm animals, wagon rides, playground, ride horses, pumpkin patch, and most importantly the incredible corn maze that changes from year to year. With last year’s maze shaped with The Wizard of OZ theme, this year’s maze will have you lost in a web…Charlotte’s Web, that is! Be sure to bring your appetite, too. Conner’s A-MAIZE-ING ACRES offers plenty of eating options perfect for your day on the farm. For more information visit www.connerscornmaze.com

Rounding out our TOP 3 is SYKE’S FAMILY FARMS. The Sykes Family has more than 50 years of farming experience and provides their guests with a tradition people can enjoy year after year. The 9-acre corn maze is filled with twists and turns and will have families laughing and navigating as they enjoy the outdoors together making memories. Syke’s Family Farms also provides a play area, farm animals, cow milking, hayrides, pumpkin patches, cow train, teeter-totters, duck races, and plenty of wholesome entertainment to keep the family busy for hours. For more information about hours of operation and tickets visit www.sycofarms.com

All three locations are operating under state recommendations and providing COVID-19 precautions. Please contact the locations prior to your visit for a better understanding of how each farm is operating.

 
 
No Comments  

Are you noticing things around St. Augustine seem to be slowly getting back to normal? While the pandemic and precautions are still part of our everyday lives, an overwhelming majority of St. Johns County students are back in school and for most of us that looks like a slight return to normalcy, bus routes in the morning and afternoon, and fewer crowds in our favorite spots. Let’s get out in our great city and safely enjoy the best that St. Augustine has to offer. Grab your bags Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and empty nesters! It’s time to act like a tourist and hit Davidson Realty’s Top 3 Places to Visit in St. Augustine! While it was very difficult for us to narrow it down to just three, our Davidson Realty team focused on a few that aren’t often found on everyone’s list like Leisure Group Travel Magazine and U.S. News & Travel.

St. Augustine Distillery 

As Americans seemed to experience the great hunt for toilet paper and hand sanitizer, one local St. Augustine company stepped up in a big way to help with the shortage of hand sanitizer across the First Coast. The St. Augustine Distillery is located in the historic district of St. Augustine in an old ice plant. Known for their vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey, you can find their labels on the shelves of local liquor stores. But you can also take a free tour of the distillery while also enjoying a sampling of their spirits. The St. Augustine Distillery is operating under CDC guidelines and accommodating tours every 30 minutes with no reservations but on a first-come-first-serve basis. Open Monday through Friday from 10 am until 6 pm, St. Augustine Distillery is a place we highly recommend touring and enjoying a cocktail.

Trolley Tours

With a couple to choose from (and we don’t want to single either one out) we highly encourage you to hop aboard one of the trolley tours in this historic St. Augustine area. Even in the hottest of temperatures, the movement along the bank and through the streets of downtown provides a breeze and a little bit of relaxation as you get a St. Augustine History 101 tour and learn about Ponce de Leon and the early settlers. The Trolley Tours are also a great way to navigate some ideal and popular dining spots. Hop on and hop off as you view the beautiful buildings, experience the historic charm, and enjoy the ride. 

Vilano Beach

With so many beautiful choices of sandy beaches in St. Johns County, our Davidson Realty team selected Vilano Beach as one of our favorite places to visit. It’s important to know the history of Vilano Beach to fully appreciate why it’s one of our favorites. The prestige of this beautiful stretch of shoreline dates back to the late 1800s when Henry Flagler would host his millionaire friends at Vilano Beach. A quaint little beach village, Vilano offers some of the area’s most charming restaurants, shopping, and plenty of rentals to enjoy a “staycation” in your own backyard. Vilano Beach offers a casual, laid back atmosphere, beautiful natural surroundings, and some of the best sunset views. Pack up the car because Vilano Beach also allows four-wheel drive vehicles on the beach making it so convenient to spend a day on the sand.

With so many options to choose from that include the Castillo de San Marcos, the Lightner Museum, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and so much more, sometimes it’s fun to tour the road less traveled. We encourage you to tour our Top 3 Places to Visit in St. Augustine, maybe for the first time but likely for a repeat visit, and let us know what you think!

 
 
1 Comment  

Amid our ever-expanding world of online networks and social media groups, it can seem more and more difficult to connect with the actual people in our community. Nextdoor has created a great way to use social media to shrinkour network to only include our neighbors!

The website and app, which launched back in 2011, are available for free and only require your email to sign up. They also need your street address so you can be placed in the correct neighborhood group.

Once you join, you’ll find real messages from your neighbors—unlike other platforms that offer ads and reposts by people you barely know about their co-worker’s cousins’ 50thbirthday party.

Plus, there is no need to send requests to connect! You will immediately be connected with all of your neighbors who are members. Since it’s an established platform, you’ll be surprised how many people you know are already members!

So, what will you find on Nextdoor?

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Calling all literature enthusiasts: The 2018 Florida Heritage Book Festival is coming to St. Augustine on Saturday, September 15! The free festival is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Flagler College’s Ringhaver Student Center. Attendees can sit in on presentations by locally-renowned authors and visit a book marketplace and author signings.

A free shuttle will run from the Visitor Information Center on Castillo Drive to the festival from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Attendees will enjoy author panel discussions as well as scheduled talks and readings by numerous writers like Cathy Salustri, Judy Lindquist, Karen Harvey,  Mark Woods, Laura Lee Smith, Ben Montgomery, Larry Loftis, Bruce Horovitz, Jeff Klinkenberg, Sylvia Whitman, Andre Frattino, Richard Wickliffe, Sharon Scholl, Ann Browning Masters, Robert Macomber, Ashley Lear, Daniel Schafer, James O. Born and Julie Hauserman.

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Davidson Realty agent Mirtha Barzaga recently held back-to-school drives at the King & Bear Amenity Center and Heritage Landing Amenity Center in World Golf Village. Mirtha collected school supplies to benefit kids in need at several St. Johns County Schools.

The turnout was fantastic at both events, helping lots of students to start the school year off right! Generous donors delivered essential supplies like backpacks, notebooks, folders, markers, crayons, scissors and more.

“Many local students don’t have the basic things they need for school, which makes academic success all the more difficult for them,” said Mirtha. “These supplies help give students the confidence they need to learn, knowing they have the necessary tools.”

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Look no further for your 4th of July fireworks plans! Head over to the Old City to take in the impressive bayfront light show known as Fireworks over the Matanzas.

Plan to arrive early to stroll down St. George Street, browse shops, enjoy a cold treat and take in the live music at the Plaza de la Constitución, which will play from 6 to 8 p.m.

Then, make your way over to the waterfront between Castillo de San Marcos and the Bridge of Lions to get a good spot for the show! Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. The spectacular 20-minute display is choreographed to patriotic and pop music.

 

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

Despite the introduction of new communities all over the First Coast, World Golf Village remains one of the area’s best places to find low-maintenance, high-quality living options. With the addition of The Cottages, those options continue to expand.

Situated just off Royal Pines Parkway within walking distance of World Golf Village’s hub, The Cottages offers an optimal location for buyers seeking a serene atmosphere while remaining close to amenities.

The community’s featured builder DreamFinders plans to build 56 homes, most of which back up to wooded preserves or the community’s pristine lake. Buyers may select between seven floor plans that vary from 1,600 to 2,700 sq. ft.

 

read more +

 
 
No Comments  
Apr
 
23
 

Phyllis & Brian Benson with one of their treasured grandchildren

For Brian Benson, it was the draw of an active 55+ community near the beach. For his wife Phyllis, an avid traveler, it was more about access to planes, trains, ships and highways. What drew the couple to World Golf Village was that it offered both!

The Bensons, who bought a home in The Cascades, have certainly made the most of life in their new community. We recently caught up with Phyllis to learn more about them.

What do you like best about living in The Cascades?  No yard work! The Cascades offers beautiful and well maintained facilities, an active community life, and friendly neighbors. The first time we walked into our house it felt like coming home for both of us. 

We have attended several functions and met many new friends since joining The Cascades community.  We recently learned that we are part of a growing “younger” crowd moving into The Cascades; the more the merrier.

read more +

 
 
No Comments  
Apr
 
10

Good Growth – Invest in Your Place

Posted by: Rick Pariani in News
 

One of our nation’s premier professional land planning and development institutions, the Urban Land Institute, says that “Growth is inevitable and desirable, but destruction of community character is not. The question is not whether your part of the world is going to change. The question is how”.

How indeed. In our neck-of-the-woods, significant change is underway. It is rapid – more so in the residential realm than commercial and mixed-use (but that too is following and will continue to do so). It isn’t whether change will come and when – it is already here on a daily basis.

read more +

 
 
No Comments  

It is hard to believe that there was a time that the World Golf Village consisted of only a sales trailer, guard shack and burgeoning infrastructure, but Davidson Realty’s employee Judy Hagen-Kashou remembers that time well.
Judy and her late husband, George Kashou, moved to the World Golf Village in August of 1998 from Chicago, but they had been coming to St. Augustine long before that as Judy had family in the area and they had been reading all of the press releases on what was to come and were excited about the project.  In effect, they watched the World Golf Village grow and they decided that they wanted to be a part of it.  With this decision made, their Panitz home was the third home constructed in Turnberry in the Neighborhoods of World Golf Village.

read more +

 
 
No Comments