Posts tagged tourism
The Fall 2013 Flagler College Community Lecture Series begins on Sept. 17
Aug 28th
Flagler College Art Professor Catherine McFarland will discuss the Aesthetic Movement of the 19th century, placing the National Historic Landmark in the historical context of the movement.
The Aesthetic Movement is an art movement supporting the emphasis of aesthetic values more than social-political themes.
“John Ruskin, the art historian, critic and philosopher, was the inspiration for this hugely important movement,” said McFarland. “We teach Ruskin at Flagler College, partly because of his influence on the aesthetics of the old hotel.”
McFarland’s lecture, “The Aesthetic Movement in America,” will feature approximately 60 images, including some pre-Raphaelite paintings, and will include anecdotes about the artists and writers.
Professor McFarland earned an M.A. in Art History from Emory University and a B.A. in Art History from Smith College. She received studio instruction in painting, sculpture, printmaking, design and photography from Atlanta College of Art and has completed post-graduate work at Emory University.
In honor of the 125th anniversary of the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, the 2013 Community Lecture Series is focused on “The Hotel Ponce de Leon Deconstructed: Building the Future for Modern America.”
The series features a lineup of historians and scholars discussing Henry Flagler’s vision for St. Augustine, social classes and American politics during the late 19th century, and the influence of art, music and literature during the Gilded Age.
Tickets to the lecture are $5 per person. Active military personnel may attend at no charge. Lectures begin at 10 a.m. in the Flagler Room at Flagler College, 74 King St. The lecture will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a coffee and pastry reception.
This year, thanks to VISIT FLORIDA’s Cultural Heritage and Nature Tourism Grant Program, Flagler College is offering complimentary admission to the fall 2013 Flagler College Community Lecture Series for any St. Johns County tourism employee. Tourism employees interested in attending the lecture will need to present their employee name tag or ID at the lecture series registration table.
Reservations for the lecture series are required due to limited space. Call (904) 819-6282 for reservations or more information. To watch a live stream of these lectures, visit ustream.tv/channel/community-lecture-series.
Source: Flagler College
Public meeting scheduled for St. Augustine Multimodal Transportation Center Study
Aug 28th
The public is invited to attend and share with the TPO review location options and share preferences.
With the potential to restore Amtrak service on the FEC rail line and to develop regional commuter rail, the North Florida TPO is evaluating potential sites for a future transportation hub where people can connect to rail through many transportation options. A new multimodal center will enhance economic development and tourism, while providing new mobility choices to connect the St. Augustine area with the North Florida region.
Site options were selected by a GIS-based suitability analysis using weighted criteria. Factors considered include population, employment, accessibility via rail, plane, car, bus, trolley and bike, and environmental impacts. A stakeholder working group was formed with government officials, economic development experts, community activists, rail historians and interested citizens. The group has worked to identify potential sites, weight selection criteria and evaluate parcels ensuring a thorough and objective assessment.
For more information, contact Marci Larson, North Florida Transportation Planning Organization at 904.306.7513.
Source: City of St. Augustine
Numbers Show Upswing in Visitation to Florida’s Historic Coast
Oct 23rd
“The data confirm the success of the work we’ve done to insure the continued growth of tourism on Florida’s Historic Coast,” said Richard Goldman, executive director of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. “Our marketing efforts over the past year, combined with great events, attractions and outstanding accommodations, have resulted in positive, measurable results – results we hope will continue into the future.”
Goldman said that for the fiscal year (October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012), occupancy of Florida’s Historic Coast accommodations was up 4.2 percent over the previous year – significantly higher than the 3.3 per cent increase registered for the entire state during the same period. For September, occupancy here was up 6.7 percent over September 2011. The average daily rate for accommodations increased 4.6 percent for the year – just slightly ahead of the 4.3 percent increase recorded statewide. The increase in revenue per available room was particularly impressive – up 9 percent for the year, well ahead of the 7.7 percent increase registered for the Sunshine State. Especially encouraging was the 9.8 percent increase is room revenue for September and an overall 9 percent increase for the entire year.
The upcoming Nights of Lights, selected last year by National Geographic as one of the Top Ten holiday light displays in the world, should further stimulate visitation to the area. The Nights of Lights, combined with 500th Anniversary of Florida events, including an impressive Picasso exhibit opening in February in St. Augustine, will hopefully insure the tourism future of Florida’s Historic Coast will be as bright as the nearly three million lights that will twinkle in St. Augustine’s historic district from November 17 through January 31.
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon on his historic 1513 discovery of the land he named La Florida.
For more information on events, activities, holiday getaways and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com.
Source: Visitors and Convention Bureau