Guana River plein air

What: Guana River - plein air paintout
When: Saturday, April 5, 9 AM to 1 PM
Where: Guana River Environmental Center, 2690 S. Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Tomorrow is the day! It's time for our bi-monthly plein air paint-out. We'll be meeting at the Guana River Environmental Center on A1A, in Ponte Vedra Beach. Guana is one of my favorite places in all of NE Florida. If you are coming north on AIA you will pass a Gate gas station on your left, and the turn to the center is just past the station on the left. If you are coming south you will travel through wonderful wild natural habitat, and will pass markers like the North, Middle and South beach accesses - and will then see signs for the Environmental Center on the right. If you reach the Gate gas station on the right you have gone just a bit too far. Turn around! 

When you turn onto the road the actual Environmental Center is on the left, but continue straight to the pay station. There is a $3 daily fee to get into the fishing area and beyond, so if you choose to carpool you can save a penny or two. The first parking area is where the fishermen congregate, continue past it down a gravel road and you will come to a second parking area. This is where we will meet. There is a covered picnic area there as well where we can meet for lunch.

From here you can go off down the trails and into the woods. Bringing a walking stick is a good idea as you may encounter snakes, including pgymy rattlers, along the way! If you go far enough you can reach the Tolomato River.

But before you get that far there are lots of lovely woodland glades to explore as well. 

If you are a seascape person you have that option as well. There is a spot you can park directly north of the Gate gas station, just before the turn into the Environmental Center, where there is beach access too, also part of Guana. 

But the salt marshes along the Guana River, which you first see as you come to the first parking area, are my absolute favorite as far as plein air choices go. I love the salt marshes and the creature that inhabit them, and could watch them all day long.

And there is plenty of wildlife too. You may not get a heron or egret to pose long enough for you to paint them on the spot, but bring a camera. You might get some cool reference  photos for future work as well.