There’s a colorful new roadway sign in town, and it represents some of the best kept secrets of Ponte Vedra’s stretch of State Road A1A.

The sign, adorned with a rosette spoonbill and the words “Welcome to St. Johns County,” hails from the Friends of A1A, an organization that, among other initiatives, has implemented a cell phone audio tour for area A1A drivers.

This free tour — although, your standard cell phone fees apply — tells listeners historic tales of several Ponte Vedra landmarks and beyond.

All landmarks are points of interest on the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, which runs from Ponte Vedra Beach to Flagler Beach.

“It’s a treasure hunt in your own backyard, basically,” said Sallie O’Hara, program administrator for Friends of A1A.

Via the audio tour, listeners at Ponte Vedra stops will learn that Mickler’s Landing was the site of a German U-boat landing of enemy soldiers June 16, 1942.

You’ll also learn that Bird Island Park contains a maze in the shape of a sea turtle.

And did you know the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve area has been home to people for at least the last 6,000 years?

Two pre-recorded tour guides will share those stories and dozens more as you make scenic stops along a stretch of highway considered one of the most scenic in the country.

The byway itself is 72 miles and meanders through nature preserves, historic sites, cities and residential areas.

According the Friends of A1A website, 45 landmarks make up the tour. More stops are planned to be added.

As instructed by the tour guides, listeners can type in the landmark code located on a sign marker at each location. That code number will prompt the guides to share information on that particular landmark.

There is no need move through the tour from the beginning, and you can start or end the tour at any time, all depending on the landmark where you’ve stopped.

As stated on the Friends of A1A website, the tour is not intended for listening and driving simultaneously due to safety concerns.

Besides Mickler Landing, Bird Island Park and the Guana Reserve in Ponte Vedra, other particularly interesting lesser-known sites highlighted via the audio tour include Surfside Park, the Whitney Laboratory and Beverly Beach, stops 151, 350 and 425, respectively.

The tour also includes information on big-name landmarks such as Castillo de San Marcos, Marineland and the Bridge of Lions.

O’Hara said the whole idea behind the free audio tour is to help both locals and out-of-town visitors appreciate the historic coast of Florida that A1A runs through.

“We need to educate the visitors to maintain and preserve what we have,” O’Hara said.

Friends of A1A is a non-profit, volunteer-led organization that works to protect and promote the natural, historic and cultural features of the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway.

For a copy of the audio tour map with landmark codes, visit the Friends of A1A website here. For the tour itself, dial in at (904) 596-0029.

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