ONE Sotheby’s International Realty wishes you a Happy New Year. To get 2026 off to the right start, please enjoy our tips on new wellness destinations and a beloved charity run. The month also brings wonderful family events, an international film festival, and outstanding musical talent to the region.
Wellness Center
Ponte Vedra Beach welcomes a new wellness destination as the Brown Family YMCA celebrates its 25th anniversary with a $4.1 million renovation. Enhancements include a new cycling studio with bikes, a resurfaced pool deck, a modernized KidZone, upgraded audiovisual and sound systems, Recovery Room amenities ranging from red light saunas to a HydroMassage chair, and an Airnasium—an outdoor, multifunctional space with turf and ceiling fans designed for a variety of sports.
fcymca.org
An idyllic oceanside enclave 18 miles south of Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach is often discovered while watching The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass or vacationing at the iconic Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. Many visitors fall in love with its quiet, chic lifestyle and choose to make it home. Fancy living here? Discover more local details and property listings below.
Ponte Vedra Beach
More Fitness Finds
Stone Climbing, based in St. Augustine, opens a new 16,000-square-foot gym in Jacksonville featuring abundant natural light, 50-foot lead walls, bouldering terrain, a MoonBoard, a fitness center, and a recovery area. Improve your tennis and pickleball skills at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s Mouratoglou Tennis Center, founded by Serena Williams’s longtime coach. Local Pilates studio HiReformance Institute offers Reformer, Cadillac, Xformer, and Hot Mat Pilates Sculpt classes at City Center.
stoneclimbing.com | mouratoglou.com/en | hrifit.com
Jacksonville, the largest city geographically in the contiguous United States, offers an incredible mix of green spaces, beaches, and waterfront stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the St. Johns River, framed by its iconic bridges. Its diverse neighborhoods and islands invite nonstop adventure. Fancy living here? Explore more below.
Jacksonville
Part of the Sea Island archipelago in the southeastern United States, Amelia Island tops many vacationers’ bucket lists. Eight flags have flown over this centuries-old destination, whose quiet beaches and premier resorts—including the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island—continue to attract residents and visitors alike. Fancy living here? Discover more below.
Amelia Island
January Events
The 16th annual Saint Augustine Film Festival brings international screenings and special events to the Ancient City from January 5–11, including Asado Life’s Italian dinner and the Markland House Wrap Party. Browse watercraft and gear at the Jacksonville Boat Show at the Prime Osborn Convention Center from January 23–25. Donna Marathon Weekend returns January 30–February 1, offering races from a 5K to an ultramarathon in support of breast cancer research.
staugfilmfest.com | boatjax.com | breastcancermarathon.com
Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the United States. Known as the Ancient City, it continues to charm residents and visitors with historic architecture, more than 42 miles of barrier coastline, and a thriving hospitality scene. Fancy living here? Discover more local details and property listings below.
St. Augustine
Dining Around
Inspired by Nice, Saleya Riviera Café in San Marco serves Provençal and Ligurian cuisine alongside a classic aperitivo menu. Amelia Island Restaurant Week runs January 16–25, opening and closing with special dinners at Omni Amelia Island Resort’s Nonna Mia and the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s Salt. Known for tacos, Tumbleweed Tots, and coffee, St. Augustine’s Calico Cactus expands to Murray Hill. Popular PopUp Bagels also opened a new location in Town Center.
saleyacafe.com | ameliaisland.com | calicocactus.com | popupbagels.com
Family Fun
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey return with the 148th edition of The Greatest Show On Earth at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena from January 16–19. Theatreworks presents an hour-long adaptation of Alice in Wonderland designed for K–5 audiences at the Florida Theatre on January 29. Visitors can also explore Jacksonville Zoo’s new J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Manatee River Habitat, created to rehabilitate rescued manatees before their release into the wild.
ringling.com | floridatheatre.com | jacksonvillezoo.org
Concert Calendar
The Florida Theatre hosts Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass on January 14 and violinist Itzhak Perlman on January 26. At the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts, enjoy performances by Diana Krall on January 18 and the Glenn Miller Orchestra on January 26. Ponte Vedra Concert Hall welcomes Judy Collins and the Beach Boys on January 14 and 26, respectively. The Florida Chamber Music Project performs works by Dvořák at the Beaches Museum Chapel on January 25.
floridatheatre.com | pac.jaxevents.com | pvconcerthall.com | flchambermusic.org
Part of Jacksonville’s 22 miles of coastline, Jacksonville Beach is the largest of the city’s beach communities. Officially named in 1925, it serves as a hub for outdoor recreation and entertainment, with attractions including the Jacksonville Beach Pier and Seawalk Pavilion. Fancy living here? Discover more local details and property listings below.
Jacksonville
