The Best of the First Coast

But you already know all that. And you can easily check prices in our comprehensive directories. We’re looking for more eclectic, intriguing and offbeat reasons to choose our “Best of the First Coast” recipients.

So, here they are. As always, we offer a caveat: This compilation is subjective and is not intended to be the final, undisputed word. In fact, there are so many unique communities in the region that there could have been multiple winners in most every category. In fact, there could have many more categories.

We just hope you’ll use this admittedly unscientific roundup as a starting point to find out what’s “best” for you and your family.

Best at Sticking to the Plan
Nocatee has continued to unfold just as planners promised—despite the persistent recession and problems in the real estate market. While others hibernated, this 9,000-acre “new coastal town” in Ponte Vedra added a Town Center and broke ground on a water park and an amenity center. That sends a strong signal about The PARC Group’s confidence and commitment.

Best Private Golf Community
Amelia National Golf & Country Club in Fernandina Beach touts itself as being “among America’s great private golf clubs.” With a signature Tom Fazio course, a spectacular French Provincial clubhouse and some of the nicest single-family homes on the First Coast, who are we to argue?

Best Newcomer
Stokes Land Group’s Madeira, located in St. Augustine at the site of Henry Flagler’s former Ponce de Leon Resort, pays homage to its roots by adopting the Spanish Mediterranean architectural style for which the Oldest City is known. The goal, according to Basham & Lucas Design Group: “To capture the romantic ambience of the oldest European settlement in our country. We focused on Flagler’s lavish attention to detail as well as the charm and charisma that historic St. Augustine brings to mind.” We like it because new projects that actually enhance an historic area’s appeal are rare indeed.

Best Total Golf Package
If you’re a golf fanatic, you’d have to try awfully hard to top World Golf Village, with its two courses—The Slammer & Squire and The King & The Bear—and the World Golf Hall of Fame on site. And you can relax like the pros at the PGA Tour Spa Laterra.

Best Place to Double Your Fun
Durbin Crossing in Jacksonville" target=_blank>St. Johns County offers not one but two incredible amenity centers—North and South—both of which include an Olympic-sized pool, a waterslide, a state-of-the art fitness center, basketball and tennis courts plus a clubhouse with a full kitchen and conference room.

Best Gated Sanctuary
Privacy and exclusivity highlight The PARC Group’s Pablo Creek Reserve, located near the Intracoastal Waterway. Miles of private walking/jogging paths wind their way through the community, with four-and-a-half-acre Central Park serving as the trailhead. But it’s the classically designed entryway, with a gatehouse staffed 24 hours a day, that lets you know you’re coming home to a truly special place.

Best Place for Locks (and Maybe Bagels)
In addition to its other luxurious amenities, Queens Harbour Yacht & Country Club offers homes abutting a deep freshwater lagoon, which is connected to the Intracoastal Waterway via an ingenious navigational lock system.

Best Place to Park Your Yacht
How about in your own backyard? Harbour Island, a yachting neighborhood within Marsh Landing Country Club, offers backyard docking facilities for large boats. And the Yacht Basin, which connects to the Intracoastal Waterway, is surrounded by a promenade.

Best Location for Nature-Lovers
?St. Joe’s RiverTown is located on 4,170 pristine acres with 3.5 miles of increasingly rare St. Johns River frontage. The project will feature hundreds of acres of parks, playing fields and nature trails.

Best Neighborhood Feel
There are several notable Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs) in Northeast Florida, but nowhere has the concept been more faithfully executed than at refreshingly retro Amelia Park in Fernandina Beach. It’s as charming and fun/funky as the historic city in which it’s located.

Best Hideaway
Istoria—derived from the Latin word for “history”—is an apt name for this carefully conceived, 50-homesite community taking shape along the Tomolato River and Casa Cola Creek near St. Augustine. Coastal Vernacular and British West Indies architecture is the rule. And because it’s surrounded by marshes and nature preserves, arriving at Istoria, developed by Michael Antonopoulos and Associates, truly feels like taking a trip back in time.

Best Marina Community
There are several world-class marina communities in Northeast Florida—but Canterra Interests’ Oyster Bay Harbour has an especially enviable location. Nestled at the convergence of Lanceford and Soap creeks only minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway, the community’s marina boasts state-of-the-art floating docks manned by a Harbormaster and dock attendants. Also in the top tier is MLG Development’s Ortega Landing, a condominium community tucked inside one of Jacksonville" target=_blank>Jacksonville’s most prestigious established neighborhoods. Ortega Landing? is basically a peninsula, bordered on the east by the St. Johns River and on the north and west by the Ortega River. It’s an ideal setting for an ideal marina community.

Next Best Thing to Summer Camp
Heritage Landing, located near World Golf Village, is home to Camp Central, a spacious clubhouse with a multi-purpose Heritage Room, men’s and women’s bathhouses, a fitness facility, an open air picnic pavilion with a fireplace and a grill, a catering kitchen, a bar and a viewing terrace. The Camp Activity Area in the amenities center includes an outdoor storytelling area complete with a campfire, an outdoor movie screen, volleyball, horseshoes, shuffleboard and bocci ball—not to mention the water park.

Best Parks and Trails
When construction on Palencia began, developer Hines promised an eco-friendly community—and delivered one. A stroll along the Tomolato River Boardwalk or an afternoon spent gazing at the marshfront views from the community’s estate neighborhoods confirms the fact that “nature” and “development” don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Best Saturday Excursion
The Farmer’s Market at Nocatee has emerged as a popular weekend activity for Northeast Floridians. The market features fresh, local vegetables and fruit; flowers; baked goods; and a variety of creations by local artists. It’s held on the third Saturday of each month, noon to 4 p.m.

Best Water Park/Kid’s Play Area
If you’re a kid—or if you’re a grownup with kids—it’s hard to beat Eagle Landing by East West Communities. It boasts a fabulous Swim Park with children’s and adults’ pools, a water playground, a thrilling water slide, a diving well and a cabana bar. There’s also a Kids’ Club, Garden Golf, an amphitheater, parks and playgrounds as well as a Tree House, a Lake House and a Birthday Pavilion.

Best Place to Watch Fireworks
The Peninsula on the Southbank, which overlooks the St. Johns River and offers panoramic views of downtown Jacksonville" target=_blank>Jacksonville, is the region’s tallest residential building. So it stands to reason that seeing fireworks displays at just about eye-level would be a pretty memorable experience. And residents have plenty of opportunities to do just that. The Jacksonville" target=_blank>Jacksonville Suns offer Family Fireworks on Fridays and the city sponsors big displays on New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July.