The past and future meet on “Florida’s First Coast,” site of Europe’s first New World settlement as well as one of the country’s fastest-growing counties.
Meanwhile, the present is fabulous in this inviting region of historical treasures, natural pleasures and lots and lots of golf courses.
Jacksonville
The big-city center of Northeast Florida straddles the banks of the St. Johns River, where high-rise convention hotels share waterfront space with restaurants, clubs, attractions, parks, and performance venues. Yet minutes away, golden beaches front the Atlantic, pristine wilderness settings sweep civilization away, and green golf courses seem to go on forever.
Facilitating business is a priority in this grand Southern metropolis, and the meeting places are plentiful, starting with the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, which was originally built in 1919 as the Jacksonville Union Terminal, the railroad gateway to Florida, and today offers 265,000 square feet of function space.
Nearby, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena has 27,000 square feet of column-free space for trade show booths, while the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts offers three main theaters and a number of meeting and lobby areas for banquets and receptions. Not big enough for you? There’s always the 82,000-seat Alltel Stadium, home of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars.
On the hotel side, Jacksonville’s mix of upscale resorts, downtown hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfast properties includes the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront and the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, along with luxury beach properties and a range of other nationally flagged hotels in the city’s Southpoint Business District.
It’s not all business in this convention hub, though. Jacksonville’s huge park system includes more than 73,000 designated areas, including the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, whose 46,000 acres are home to bald eagles, ospreys and manatees, which can be viewed on nature walks, hikes and kayak tours.
Delegates also can explore nature at Big and Little Talbot Islands, offering miles of undeveloped beaches, a driftwood forest and hiking trails, or go cultural at venues like the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, and the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum, which is available for group rentals.
One of the area’s premier cultural locales, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, is also one of its most popular off-site group venues. Noted for its priceless works of art and spectacular formal gardens, the museum offers its Uible Loggia, Hixon Auditorium and Terry Gallery for receptions, lectures, presentations, and seminars.
St. Augustine
Founded in 1565—42 years before the English colonized Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth—St. Augustine has weathered the march of time with a stunning array of historic sites and buildings that almost make you forget the 21st century is right around every corner—that is, until you catch sight of the championship golf courses, lavish spas and state-of-the-art convention facilities the area has to offer.
In fact, within the region’s kingdom of golf—the massive resort and residential complex known as World Golf Village—is where you’ll find its largest convention venue, the St. Johns County Convention Center, which, together with the adjoining Renaissance Resort and the World Golf Hall of Fame, offers 76,000 square feet of meeting space.
St. Augustine and nearby Ponte Vedra Beach also feature a range of hotels and resorts with conference and event space, from historic and boutique-style hotels in the Old City to national-brand hotels and destination properties with extensive amenities and meeting facilities.
The Fountain of Youth (and beautiful beaches, no doubt) were what drew Ponce de Leon to this area in 1513. They’re still drawing people today—the beaches, that is—although a few days spent along the shell-sprinkled shoreline, being pampered in a resort spa, might make the attendees in your group feel much younger.
Plan on spending at least a day, though, in the 17th century. That’s how far many of the structures in St. Augustine’s Old City historic district date back, including the impenetrable Castillo de San Marcos (1695), the nation’s oldest masonry fortress; the Oldest House (1720); the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse (1763); the Oldest Store Museum (1840); and the Old Jail (1891). Even the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, established in 1893, is one of the area’s longest-running attractions and also happens to make a great setting for off-hours events.
Amelia Island
Once you cross the bridge from the mainland to Amelia Island, it’s impossible not to relax. The only territory in the U.S. to have been under eight flags of domination during the past five centuries, the island was bypassed by industrialist Henry Flagler’s railroad—which opened Northeast Florida to the rest of the country in the late 19th century—and has remained an authentic Victorian seaport, home to fleets of shrimp boats, unspoiled beaches, eco-activities, and resort retreats.
At just 13 miles long by two miles wide, you’re not going to find a huge convention center on Amelia Island. What you will find are a number of hotel- and resort-based facilities, including those at Amelia Island Plantation—which can host a meeting of up to 1,000—and the charming Amelia Hotel and Suites, which can host 50. Well-known chains like Ritz-Carlton, Best Western and Hampton Inn are also represented here, along with a variety of independent hotels and inns.
The island’s 13 miles of unspoiled, white-sand beaches invite strolling, horseback riding, bird watching, and even turtle watching during nesting season, while inland ponds, marshes and tidal creeks beckon anglers to cast their lines for a variety of freshwater and saltwater fish.
In addition to its extensive natural gifts, Amelia Island’s northern end is a historical gateway to pre- and post-Civil War America. Fort Clinch State Park, a well-preserved fortification that stood guard during the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War II, is complemented by hiking trails, fishing sites, campgrounds, and beaches.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere is decidedly Victorian in nearby Fernandina Beach, a port town whose 50-block historic district is lined with ornate mansions, each one more lovely than the last. Many are available for group events, either inside among the antiques or outside on their well-manicured lawns.
Palm Coast/Flagler County
Officially incorporated Dec. 31, 1999, Palm Coast is part of one of the fastest-growing counties in the country—Flagler—according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Furthermore, the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research predicts Flagler County will experience one of the highest job growth rates in Florida between 1995 and 2010. Tourism officials hope the meetings industry will be a big part of it.
With smaller meetings, incentives and executive retreats as its main marketing focus, Palm Coast offers resort-based meeting space ranging from 50,000 square feet down to intimate boardrooms. A variety of national-flag and independent properties also welcome small groups.
“Leisure” is the operative word in Flagler County, whether it’s golfing, canoeing, bird watching, hiking, biking, or stretching out on a beach. However, if you must get somewhat dressed up, the Flagler Auditorium hosts symphony, big band and theater productions.
