"You’re only as young as you feel” is an adage Northeast Florida takes to heart, as this historic corner of the peninsula—home of St. Augustine, which turned 450 this year—keeps pace with the rest of the Sunshine State when it comes to outdoor activities.
Attendees won’t need the Fountain of Youth—although that’s here, too—to feel energized. They can explore the GTM Research Reserve in St. Augustine, with its thousands of acres of salt marshes and mangrove wetlands; drop a lazy fishing line in one of Flagler County’s many freshwater lakes; or traverse the sands of Amelia Island by horseback.
And then there’s Jacksonville, where green space is the rule rather than the exception—more than 80,000 acres of green spaces, in fact, including nine state and national parks, and more than 400 city parks and gardens along with a host of outdoor adventures at places like the Timucuan Preserve and the Jacksonville Arboretum.
“Green really is Jacksonville’s color, no matter where you’re meeting,” says Patty Jimenez, leisure communications specialist with Visit Jacksonville. “You can walk outside your hotel in downtown Jacksonville and be next to the St. Johns River where you can spot dolphins and manatees or take a boat tour … and if you’re meeting at the beaches, you have 22 miles of eco-adventures at your disposal, from paddleboarding lessons to surfing trips, yoga classes on the sand and even biking and hiking excursions.”
Back in the Paddle
Natural coastal habitats of Northeast Florida are the destination on paddling excursions with Ripple Effect Ecotours, whose naturalist guides lead groups of up to 30 through the backwaters of the GTM Research Reserve, which straddles the eastern borders of St. Johns and Flagler counties and encompasses a number of parks and preserves, including the Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve.
“We have one of the most dynamic estuarine systems in Florida,” says Eric Ziecheck, Ripple Effect’s manager/assistant dockmaster, referring to the bays, lagoons and sloughs where fresh water mixes with salt water. “Getting out on the water is a stewardship opportunity, a way we can participate in preservation and connecting to nature.”
Ripple Effect is based at the venerable Marineland Dolphin Adventure in St. Augustine, and paddle tours include general admission to the park.
Can You Dig It?
Besides the natural wonders that exist today, take another look at Northeast Florida shores and you might see something thousands or even millions of years old.
It happens all the time on fossil-hunting expeditions hosted by Jacksonville-based Coastal Fossil Adventures, whose excursions have at times yielded up to a hundred fossilized shark teeth in one day. Teeth from mastodons, horses, bobcats and giant armadillos, as well as a variety of fossilized bones, also have been found on Coastal’s three-hour beach walks and six-hour kayak trips.
“There’s all sorts of stuff out there,” says manager John Owen, who leads groups of up to 20 fossil hunters along Ponte Vedra Beach and the St. Johns River. “Customized, private groups are my primary audience,” he adds. “But there are lots of benefits…you’re outside, you’re discussing natural history and getting some exercise.”
PageBreak
The Cat’s Meow
Or the cat’s roar, as the case may be. There’s a good chance you’ll hear a few on a tour at the Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, which bills itself as North Florida’s longest operating sanctuary and at press time was home to 41 residents, including 24 tigers.
“I tell people we’re kind of a retirement home for big cats,” says Jordan Joseph, volunteer coordinator and business partner coordinator.
The facility can host up to 500 for private tours and events, with 50 to 100 the average size for a private party. After-hours visits have a definite edge; these nocturnal beasts are often drowsy during the day but perk up after sunset, especially during nighttime feeding sessions.
Private catered receptions are welcome, but Catty Shack can also handle last-minute requests.
Night at the Museum
Groups can pitch a tent and spend a night on the farm at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast, which recalls Florida’s farming history with an actual period homestead and farm complete with rare cracker horses and cattle that are descendants of the first Spanish settlers’ livestock. Your night in 19th century Florida includes dinner, a wagon ride, a bonfire with s’mores and stargazing, followed by a hearty breakfast the next morning.
“We can do at least a hundred for an overnight,” says Debbie Milner, event rental manager. “We can also do a three-day camp, with groups working the farm. We’ll customize whatever the group wants.”
If an overnight isn’t on the agenda, meetings and catered receptions for up to 200 take on a down-home feel in the property’s dairy barn, which can be split into three sections for roundtable sessions. Cruise Control
Sit back and let nature come to you on water treks offered by Amelia River Cruises, which depart from Fernandina Beach’s historic waterfront and cruise past the salt marshes and Civil War forts of Amelia Island to Georgia’s Cumberland Island, where wild horses run on the beach. Two boats hold 49 and 85, respectively, with private group charters available.
More boating action is waiting with St. Augustine Eco Tours, whose many options include catamaran sailing experiences that stop at a small island for some teambuilding on the beach.
“We give everyone a chance to run the boat. It gets the team reacquainted and working together,” says Zach McKenna, owner and manager of St. Augustine Eco Tours.
But the teambuilding doesn’t end there. McKenna’s kayak tours include switching boats while still on the water and kayaking while blindfolded.
Groups may also find an unexpected surprise.
“The group thinks we’re picking up trash, which we always do, but one of the pieces will be a bottle with a message inside,” McKenna says. “Someone will unroll the scroll and it’ll say something like, ‘This is your mission, should you choose to accept it.’ All of these can be done in three hours or less,” he adds.
