Palm Valley Tutors Come To You

Not far from downtown Jacksonville, Palm Valley, Florida is considered one of the city’s best suburbs by the real estate website Niche. Not long after Christopher Columbus’ fateful voyages to the “New World,” another intrepid navigator, Juan Ponce de León, founded Florida for Spain. In 1565 the Spanish established their capital at St. Augustine in northeast Florida along the Atlantic coast. Fast forward more than 150 years when another Spaniard, Don Diego Espinosa started a cattle ranch in what would become Palm Valley, just a few miles north of St. Augustine. Afraid of attack by Native Americans, Espinosa fortified his living quarters with 15-foot walls and the place came to be known as Fort Diego. A few years later, Espinosa became embroiled in what history calls the War of Jenkins Ear (yes, it does involve a severed ear) when his ranch and fort were attacked by a British colonial force led by James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia. Oglethorpe marched an army of colonists and natives numbering almost 500 into northern Florida with the purpose of capturing St. Augustine. After days of skirmishing with Oglethorpe, Espinosa realized he was badly outnumbered and finally surrendered. St. Augustine, however, successfully defended itself and Oglethorpe was eventually driven back into Georgia. In 1819 the Spanish gave up their hold on Florida and ceded the territory to the United States. By 1908 a canal had been built linking the old Espinosa ranch with the San Pablo River, spurring cattle ranching, farming and logging. Today, Palm Valley is an affluent suburb which receives an overall grade of A+ by Niche with a median household income exceeding $80,000 a year.

It’s certain that a Palm Valley tutor will be able to keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can enjoy Jacksonville and the surrounding areas. Palm Valley is the proud home of the Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, one of the nation’s best and most important golf courses. TPC Sawgrass hosts the annual Players Championship in May. The Stadium Course is famous for its narrow fairways, intimidating hazards and the iconic 17th hole “Island Green.” World famous golfers such as Greg Norman, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have taken home the Players Championship trophy in recent years.

With more than 450 years of history, St. Augustine is a popular tourist destination in northeast Florida. One of the main historical sites is Castillo de San Marcos, a 315-year old masonry fort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There are a variety of things to do at the Castillo including a visit to the large courtyard interior and gun deck with outstanding views of the city. Fort Matanzas also stands as a remnant of the Spanish past. Visitors can take a brief ferry ride to the fort which periodically stages reenactments and living history demonstrations. Opened in 1938, Marineland, then known as Marine Studio, was the world’s first oceanarium. Today, its Dolphin Adventure features an interactive experience with visitors able to touch, feed and swim with the park’s bottlenose dolphins.

It’s just a short drive north from Palm Valley to Adventure Landing in Jacksonville Beach. Opened in 1995, Adventure Landing was the first of nine such amusement parks built throughout the United States. A combination land and water park, Adventure Landing and Shipwreck Island features miniature golf, go-karts, water slides and log rides. Ghosts and goblins invade Adventure Landing at Halloween at the park’s annual haunted house. During Christmas, the park becomes a winter wonderland.