Where do you swim laps at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club this winter? Where do the kids splash, where do you hit a tennis ball, and where do you rent a beach chair? Until last month, all four answers pointed away from the Inn's own oceanfront. As of the Oct. 26 ribbon-cutting, the first answer is a heated rooftop pool at 240 Ponte Vedra Blvd. The other three are still a shuttle ride or a short walk down the boulevard.
The resort is aiming to open the reimagined Surf Club in spring 2027, so the season ahead is the last one built on interim arrangements. It's also the first season with the new Sports Club open as the hub that ties them together.
240 Ponte Vedra Blvd Is Where the Day Starts Now
The Ponte Vedra Recorder describes the new Sports Club as an 84,000-square-foot facility, and General Manager Michael Gordon called its opening "the first major milestone in a broader transformation." Inside are Technogym strength and cardio equipment, a dedicated golf training area, a three-story rock wall, and a heated six-lane saltwater lap pool on the roof overlooking the Atlantic. Recovery gets dedicated space too, with a steam room, sauna, cold plunge and recovery suites.
The Sports Club page lists the class lineup as yoga, barre, HIIT, dance cardio, strength and conditioning, Les Mills, mat and reformer Pilates, cycling, and select hot yoga and hot Pilates sessions. The resort's renovation page says the building is open to members and resort guests.
"Fitness today is about the whole experience: movement, nourishment and recovery."
Gordon said that to the Recorder at the opening, and the building's hours bear him out. Some parts of it run on different schedules:
- Fitness center: Monday through Saturday 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Rooftop lap pool: dawn to dusk, which means a shorter swim window in December
- Rock-climbing wall: daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The Reef nursery, ages 6 months to 10 years: Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sandpiper Cafe: daily, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., with breakfast until 11 a.m. and lunch and dinner after that
Sunday is the day to plan carefully. The gym stays open until 8 p.m., but The Reef closes at 2 p.m., so a parent counting on childcare should book a morning workout. Sandpiper Cafe fills the gap left by the oceanfront restaurants. It serves brick-oven pizzas, grain bowls, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, matcha and specialty coffee. Reservations aren't required, the dress code is athleisure or resort casual, and the cafe is open only to members and resort guests.
The Pool, the Courts and the Beach Are Still at Other Addresses
The Sports Club covers fitness. For everything else this winter, the map looks like this:
| What you want | Where it is this winter | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Beach chairs, showers, Kids Camp | Interim Surf Club at Atlantic House, just south of the old Surf Club site | Walk along the boulevard |
| Oceanside cocktail | The Bar at The Driftwood House, next to the Interim Surf Club | Walk |
| Family pool and splash park | The Lodge & Club Ponte Vedra Beach | Complimentary shuttle for Inn guests |
| Tennis | The Racquet Club, 290 A1A N | Complimentary shuttle |
The Interim Surf Club has beach rentals, changing rooms, restrooms, showers, a dedicated Kids Camp room, a large outdoor deck, grab-and-go food and a small retail shop.
The Lodge & Club sits 1.5 miles south, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. It has two heated pools. One is adults-only. The family pool has a mini splash park and a zero-entry wading area for small children.
Tennis is the farthest away. The Racquet Club has 12 Har-Tru Hydro courts about three miles from the Inn. Tennis courts do appear in the resort's renderings of the Sports Club, but that building doesn't list any working courts yet.
Dinner is spread out too. The resort has added hours and expanded menus at the Inn Dining Room, the Golf Club Dining Room and The Tavern, and The Dune covers grab-and-go.
How the Map Got This Way
The four-address setup is the deliberate middle stage of a long plan. St. Johns County commissioners approved the Inn & Club and Lodge redevelopment 4-1 on Nov. 7, 2023, Jacksonville Today reported. The approved plan covers about 90.5 acres in six phases over 30 years, and the Sports Club is part of Phase 1.
The two biggest pieces were built at the same time. The county issued the Sports Club building permit on Nov. 20, 2024, at a reported project cost of $65 million, according to the Daily Record. Eleven days later, on Dec. 1, the old Surf Club closed. The new one, at 261 Ponte Vedra Blvd, got a $44 million building permit on March 6, 2025, for 94,343 square feet, as the Daily Record reported.
Contractor Brasfield & Gorrie marked the Surf Club's topping out on March 5, 2026. The Recorder's opening story says the new Surf Club will have two pools, new dining venues and oceanfront event spaces.
Until it opens, Inn guests reach a pool with a splash park by taking the complimentary shuttle 1.5 miles south to The Lodge & Club.
The Last Holiday Season Before the Surf Club Returns
The Inn's holiday calendar has events from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Eve. Several are limited to resort guests and club members, so confirm eligibility, start times and booking with the resort before you plan around them.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 27 | Crafted for the Holidays | $80 per person, ages 18 and up |
| Dec. 4 | Gingerbread Reveal | Followed by an outdoor holiday movie on the Croquet Lawn |
| Dec. 5 | Photos with Santa | $55 per 10-minute reservation |
| Dec. 6 and 20 | Santa Hayrides | $30 per person, 30-minute slots |
| Dec. 12 | Family Gingerbread Decorating | $45 per adult, $55 per child ages 3 to 12, extra kits $25 |
| Dec. 19 and 20 | Breakfast with Santa | $48 per adult, $30 per child ages 4 to 10 |
| Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve Dining | $130 per person prix fixe, Historic Inn Dining Room |
| Dec. 31 | Starlight Soirée | $160++ per person, ages 21 and up, with Who Rescued Who and a midnight champagne toast |
Both New Year's Eve events have a seven-day cancellation policy. A December Saturday could fit both buildings into one day. Start with a morning class and Reef drop-off at the Sports Club, then head to the Croquet Lawn or the Inn Dining Room once The Reef closes for the evening.
Tyler Ackland and Susan Fort are based in Ponte Vedra Beach, and they keep track of how each phase of the Inn & Club plan changes daily life in Old Ponte Vedra. If you'd like to talk through what the Sports Club, the 2027 Surf Club or the rest of the 30-year plan means for a home near the Inn, Tyler Ackland is glad to sit down with you. Schedule Your Private Consultation.
