The balance between man and nature is in perfect harmony at Sawmill Creek, with acres reserved for green space that include a vast 230-acre hardwood wetland preserve and our breathtaking Audubon-certified golf course designed by Jim Furyk. To the delight of walkers, joggers and bikers, an extensive system of trails meander and will connect strategically to Sawmill’s outstanding amenities. At designated points, the paths take you beyond our boundaries to adjoining destinations - including linear park’s retail shops, a supermarket and scenic Princess Place, a historic landmark from the 1800’s once owned by a Russian princess.
By kayak or canoe, explore the wetlands at Sawmill Creek that will take you through the Intracoastal Waterway to beautiful Princess Place Preserve, home to diverse ecosystems, hiking trails, fishing sites and an equestrian campsite with riding trails.
Sawmill Creek’s extraordinary location has its own fringe benefits. Connecting to Sawmill Creek is Princess Place, a 1,500-acre nature preserve once owned by the wife of a Russian prince and nestled along the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River. The waterways are treasures themselves, with Pellicer Creek celebrated as one of the most pristine estuarine systems in Florida and the Matanzas River touted for its wildlife, fishing and boating. In a canoe or kayak you can travel through the wetlands from Sawmill Creek through Pellicer Creek to arrive at Princess Place…or just to enjoy the views.
With acres of pristine nature inside the borders of Sawmill Creek, our scenic walking trails are natural amenities that will provide pedestrian-friendly routes, great exercise and awesome views. From the trail system, you can head out to linear parks along for more recreation and great shopping.
If you love a good mystery, you may set out to find a trace of Old King’s Road, built before the American Revolution for the British and charted by an Indian named “Grey Eyes.” The road was once the main route into Florida and the bustling seaport of St. Augustine. Today, historians have determined that it runs along the same route, or parallel to, US Route 1, just outside of Sawmill Creek. Constructed during the British Colonial period and until it ceased operations some 40 years later, Hewitt’s Sawmill (for which Sawmill Creek was named) used the road to haul lumber to St. Augustine. The mill ran on water power supplied by adjacent Pellicer Creek, today designated as an “Outstanding Florida Water.”
Step within the 300 acres of the new Florida Agricultural Museum just next door and see the area’s history come to life. In partnership with the Museum, the developers of Sawmill Creek donated land that includes the ruins of Hewitt’s Sawmill. The Museum plans to build a working replica of the historic sawmill, as well as real-life vignettes of five different historical periods.
