This Weekend in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches

Lots of exciting events coming up to thrill you at St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, & The Beaches this weekend:

Friday, Saturday and Sunday: April 20-22

Sawgrass Wine Festival

Taste and learn about wines and spirits at the luxurious Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort.   Enjoy special dinners, wine and spirit tastings and seminars, entertainment and food.  Wine vendors with more than 200 different wines will be on hand to provide tastings. In addition to the wines and spirits, there will be a gourmet tent where participants can sample culinary delights plus  several area restaurants will be serving samples of their signature dishes.  A retail outlet for wines and wine accessories will be open. It all takes place at the Marriott Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa, located at 1000 PGA Tour Blvd., Ponte Vedra. For more information, call 904.285.2004 or visit SawgrassWineFestival .

Children of a Lesser God at Limelight Theatre

See this dramatic performance about a renegade teacher at a school for the deaf challenges a bitter young deaf woman who works there to learn to talk, romance-and conflict-develops. But will their strong wills tear them apart or be the very glue that binds them together? Performance times are Thursday through Saturday at 730 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 13, All performances take place at the Limelight Theatre, located at 11 Old Mission Avenue in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $20 for students and military. For more information, call 904.825.1164 or visitLimelight Theatre.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday: April 20-22

Sawgrass Wine Festival

Taste and learn about wines and spirits at the luxurious Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort.   Enjoy special dinners, wine and spirit tastings and seminars, entertainment and food.  Wine vendors with more than 200 different wines will be on hand to provide tastings. In addition to the wines and spirits, there will be a gourmet tent where participants can sample culinary delights plus  several area restaurants will be serving samples of their signature dishes.  A retail outlet for wines and wine accessories will be open. It all takes place at the Marriott Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa, located at 1000 PGA Tour Blvd., Ponte Vedra. For more information, call 904.285.2004 or visit SawgrassWineFestival .

Children of a Lesser God at Limelight Theatre

See this dramatic performance about a renegade teacher at a school for the deaf challenges a bitter young deaf woman who works there to learn to talk, romance-and conflict-develops. But will their strong wills tear them apart or be the very glue that binds them together? Performance times are Thursday through Saturday at 730 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 13, All performances take place at the Limelight Theatre, located at 11 Old Mission Avenue in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $20 for students and military. For more information, call 904.825.1164 or visitLimelight Theatre.

Saturday: April 21

Treasure Chest Quest

Yield to your inner pirate and go sailing with the crew of the Black Raven on a quest to capture Blackbeard’s Treasure Chest. The Black Raven will exchange cannon fire with Queen Anne’s Revenge while children learn proper sword play techniques in anticipation of a boarding. If you’re brave enough, there will booty for all! And if you’re not, you’re sure to capture a lifetime of memories.  The Black Raven sails from St. Augustine Marina on this quest at 12:15 and 2:15 p.m. Tickets are $34.95 for adults and seniors, $24.95 for children. For more information, call 877-578-5050 or go towww.PirateShipBlackRaven.com

Low Tide Bike Ride

Get a great cardio workout on one of the most awesome beaches in Florida. This Ranger led event will start with a 3 ½ mile low tide bike ride and bird watch.  Participants will enjoy an ecology talk at the point of Conch Island and then start the return trip. The ride starts at 2 p.m. Meet at the Island Beach shop and Grill pavilion 15 minutes prior to the event. Bring at least one pint of water, bicycle, snack, binoculars, and sunscreen. This program is free with paid park admission.  Anastasia State Park is located on A1A on Anastasia Island in St. Augustine. Admission to the park is $8 per vehicle up to 8 people, and $2 per additional passengers. Pedestrians and bicyclist admission is $2. For more information, call 904.461.2033.

Tolomato Cemetery Tours

Come explore the historic markers at the oldest extant cemetery in Florida. The self-guided and docent led tours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. TheTolomato Cemetery, an historic cemetery is located on Cordova Street, the site of an earlier Franciscan Indian mission (Our Lady of Guadalupe of the Tolomato) in St Augustine. Burials officially ceased in 1884. Visits are free of charge, but visitors are encouraged to offer a donation.  All money goes to the preservation and restoration of the cemetery. For more information, visit Tolomato Cemetery

World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX 3D Opening: Into the Arctic

Celebrate the opening of the World Golf Hall of Fame new IMAX film “To The Arctic 3D” with a family friendly event. The event will have several promotional activities connected to the movie and fun events for the family. Narrated by Oscar® winner Meryl Streep, To The Arctic 3D takes audiences on a never-before-experienced journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her twin seven-month-old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home. For more information, go to World Golf Imax .

Magic and Comedy at the Pioneer Barn

Laugh and be amazed at the comedy and magic of Mark Alan! His high energy Las Vegas style of performing has made him one of the funniest standup comedy magicians you will ever have the pleasure of watching. Mark’s shows are fast, funny, CLEAN, filled with audience participation, comedy mind reading, hysterical escapes and best of all APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES!!!. Tickets are $8 for adults; $6.50 for kids ages 6-13. Door open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. The Pioneer Barn is located inside Fort Menedez, 259 San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine. For reservations of more information, call 904-824-8874.

Saturday and Sunday: April 21 & 22

16th Annual Flower & Garden Expo

Celebrate the arrival of spring in the Nation’s Oldest City with two days of flowers, friends and fun. Growers, educational seminars, nurseries and artisans from around the state offer gardeners everything they need to make spring bloom at this popular Flower and Garden Expo. Admission is $ 5 (which is good for both days) and children under 11 are admitted free.  Ticket includes discount to several St. Augustine Attractions. The Expo takes place at the St. Johns County Agricultural Center, 3125 Agricultural Center Drive, located off SR 16 in St. Augustine. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 904.829.3295 or visit EPIC Community Services.

Earth Day Celebration

Help support environmental citizenship by participating in this annual event that works toward a healthy planet The Earth Day Celebration takes place at Washington Oaks State Gardens, located at 6400 North Ocean Shore Blvd (A1A South) in Palm Coast. The celebration takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Special Earth Day admission to the Park is $10 per vehicle. For more information, call386.446.6780.

Children’s Museum of St. Johns Just TRI IT! Kids Triathlon and Healthy Kids Expo

A fun and challenging event for kids in grades K-7, Just TRI It! offers young athletes a lap swim followed by a safe bike and run on roads or paths around the Calhoun Center in St. Augustine. The Early registration is $20 per child, $30 day of race. The Healthy Kids Expo and registration desk will be open on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. The race starts on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. It all takes place at the Soloman Calhoun Center, located at 1300 Duval Street in St. Augustine. For more information, visitwww.CMSJKidsTriathlon.org

Prevatt Artwork in Hastings

See Gail Prevatt’s beautiful artwork of local Hastings Farms on display through April 28 at the Hastings Branch Library located at 6195 S. Main Street in the Historic Hastings High School Building. For more information, call 904-827-6970.

National Park Week at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Take advantage of free admission all week to St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos during National Parks Week. Built by the Spanish military between 1672 and 1692, the Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fortification in the U.S. Friday through Saturday visitors can experience living history during Spanish Military cannon firings. The Castillo is located on Avenida Menendez, overlooking Matanzas Bay in historic St. Augustine. For more information, visit www.NPS.gov/casa.

Sunday: April 22

EMMA Concert Series: State Street Ballet – Jungle Book

Travel to the fabled jungle of Rudyard Kipling’s India in this visually delightful production performed by State Street Ballet, a vibrant, innovative professional dance company based in Santa Barbara,California. The performance takes place at 2 p.m. in the Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada Street in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit EMMA Concerts  or call 904-797-2800.

Tour De Farm

Join Slow Food First Coast as they celebrate our local bounty and those who grow and prepare it. Tour De Farm is for anyone who wants to learn about local food production – where the food comes from, and the people who produce it. You can attend an educational farm workshop, meet great chefs, taste produce right from the field, take a walking tour of the farm, and lots more. Tour De Farm takes place from noon to 5 p.m. and is open and free to the public. There are four rural regional tours to choose from: JAX & Beyond; Along Bartram Trail; Our Rural Heritage; and Old Florida. For more information, including maps and tour tips, visit Tour de Farm.

Earth Day Kayak Tour at Faver-Dikes State Park

Reconnect with nature and develop a real sense of place this Earth Day on a kayak journey exploring the remote and serene Pellicer Creek from Faver-Dykes State Park.  Leave behind the hustle-bustle and enter an aquatic landscape that took shape after the last ice age.  An interpretive naturalist will teach proper kayaking technique and guide the participants on a 3 hour environmental expedition through this vast and seldom seen “Real” Florida aquatic landscape from 11:30am to 2:30pm. Reservations required. The tours depart from Faver Dykes State Park, located at 1000 Faver-Dykes Rd, off US 1 at I-95 Exit 298. The cost is $55 per person and includes admission into the park and all kayaking equipment. For more information, call 904-347-1565 or visit Ripple Effect Eco-Tours.

Earth Day Movie Night

Bring the whole family to watch an amazing, powerful movie regarding plastics in today’s culture called “Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic?”. Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health. The film explores issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Admission to the film is free, but reservations are required. It takes place 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the GTM Environmental Education Center, located at 505 Guana Road, Ponte Vedra Beach. For more information, call 904-823-4500, or visit http://www.gtmnerr.org.

Local Resident Specials

NOTE: St. Johns County residents with a valid ID are always admitted free of charge to the Lightner Museum, the Fountain of Youth (special events excluded), the Ximenez-Fatio House, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, and the Spanish Military Hospital Museum. The daily tours and wine tastings at the San Sebastian Winery are free to everyone. Also, admission is free to everyone at the Authentic Old Drug Store, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Government House Museum,St. Photios Chapel, the Pena-Peck House, the Father Miguel O’Reilly Museum and the Mission Nombre de Dios Museum (donations are welcomed).

NEW:  St. Johns County residents who purchase full-price admisssion to the St. Augustine Lighthouse ($9.50 adults; $7.50 seniors and children 12 and under; free for children under 44 inches in height) can now receive a pass good for free admission for an entire year!  The Lighthouse is now open until 6 p.m. on  Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.. Also, on the first Monday of each month, St. Johns County residents are admitted free to the Dow Museum of Historic Houses, 246 St. George Street, St. Augustine.

For more information on events and activities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com or call 1.800.653.2489.