Generally known as the oldest metropolis in america, St. Augustine is a mixture of colonial Spanish roots and northern Florida appeal. It’s excellent for a day journey from Jacksonville, Orlando, and Daytona — or, keep an entire weekend there! In the event you’re restricted on time, listed below are the most effective issues to do in St. Augustine in sooner or later.
Breakfast at The Kookaburra
Kick off your St. Augustine day journey at this native espresso and pie store downtown.
This cute little spot provides off all the emotions of that neighborhood hangout and serves up various home specialty coffees. Its identify is a nod to its Australian-American roots, which involves life within the pies they promote. They vary from egg-based “brekkie” pies and conventional minced meat pies to creative ones like Thai hen chili pies.
Extra of a candy breakfast individual? No worries, they’ve the standard baked items as nicely.
Go to Castillo de San Marcos
Earlier than the day will get too sizzling, go to St. Augustine’s fort: Castillo de San Marcos.
Constructed within the late 1600s, the fortress is the oldest masonry fort within the nation and likewise the oldest construction in St. Augustine. Over its 300+ yr historical past, it’s been underneath the management of Spanish, British, and American forces.
The fort reminded us of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena, Colombia. This one had many extra instructional components although, together with ones about its darkish historical past as a spot of oppression for Native People within the space.
Try cannons from varied intervals across the park, and for those who’re visiting on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, don’t miss the cannon firing demonstration!
Stroll round Flagler School
Then head over to Flagler School, aka Ponce de Leon Lodge. This prime instance of Spanish Renaissance structure from St. Augustine’s heyday contains contributions from a number of well-known architects and designers.
You may discover the courtyard and rotunda by yourself, or be a part of a twice-daily tour and see the constructing’s many Tiffany stained glass home windows and Edison clocks in nearer element.
The unique eating corridor serves the identical goal at present — fairly opulent for a university eating expertise!
Graze on St. George Avenue
Whilst you can’t eat underneath the gorgeous Tiffany stained glass home windows like Flagler co-eds, St. Augustine nonetheless has many choices to give you.
For lunch, I’d extremely recommend strolling down St. George Avenue, the town’s pedestrian-only thoroughfare.
This road reminds of Previous Wild West cities’ predominant streets, of Disney’s Primary Avenue. It’s filled with boutique retailers and eating places, so it’s straightforward to search out one thing for everybody’s style.
My favourite is to pop in for a chunk right here and there. Is it essential the town’s finest meals? No. Nevertheless it’s all a part of the expertise.
Along with grabbing lunch, you’ll be able to discover the colonial structure of the Pena Peck Home, see the Oldest Picket Faculty Home from the 1700s, grimace inside a medieval torture museum, and go to a Greek Orthodox shrine, amongst different points of interest.
Whilst you’re there, don’t overlook to take a look at the Previous Metropolis Gates on the north finish of St. George Avenue. Passing via these hanging columns was as soon as the one method to get into the town.
Discover the Fountain of Youth
After lunch, select your personal journey between varied points of interest round city.
Need to see extra attention-grabbing structure and artwork from St. Augustine’s previous? Think about Villa Zoraya Museum, a U.S. Nationwide Register of Historic Locations website with an unlimited assortment of antiquities. For many who have been to Andalusia, the villa’s unique inspiration was Granada’s Alhambra!
Or, head over to the Lincolnville Historic District, and discover one of the vital distinguished southern communities established by freed of us after the Civil Warfare. Lincolnville additionally performed a job within the Civil Rights Motion because the homebase for activists preventing to ending segregation in public services and colleges within the space.
Interested by seeing the legendary fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon spent his life looking out? Go discover the nature-filled Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
These are simply three recommendations of dozens to select from! It’s also possible to hop on a trolley tour and hit up greater than a dozen points of interest alongside the way in which.
Have a day drink at an outdated ice plant
When you’re carried out with the energetic exploring and need to take a breather, stroll west in the direction of a much less visited a part of city. There, you’ll discover the St. Augustine Distillery.
This award-winning distillery is housed within the metropolis’s first energy and ice advanced, inbuilt 1907. Right this moment, you’ll be able to tour the power in free excursions that cowl each a quick historical past of the ice plant and dig into at present’s booze-making operations.
The tour ends in very beneficiant tastings, extra so than any beer/wine/liquor tour that I’ve carried out. They serve mini tastings of 4 signature cocktails made with their bourbon, gin, rum, and vodka, respectively.
Then — yep, it doesn’t finish there — they serve limitless tastings of the liquors straight so you’ll be able to style the great things in all their purity. These limitless tastings are hosted within the reward store…so, may one say they get returns on their tastings?
Not one for liquor? It’s also possible to style locally-made wine just some blocks away on the San Sebastian Vineyard. In truth, the 2 locations collaborate, with the distillery typically growing older liquors in used barrels from the vineyard.
Take pleasure in southern delicacies at The Floridian
As soon as the distillery tasting has whet your urge for food, head over to The Floridian for a satisfying southern meal.
This kitschy however adorably Floridian restaurant presents a enjoyable ambiance and pleasant service. The meals is wonderful as nicely.
Their shrimp and sausage maque choux and the biscuits and braised pork stomach platter had been each completely heavenly. And naturally, I couldn’t skip a possibility to have some fried inexperienced tomatoes.
Get spooky on a haunted St. Augustine tour
Because the oldest metropolis within the nation, St. Augustine has its justifiable share of ghosts and spooky tales. So finish your day journey to St. Augustine with a haunted tour.
There are a few completely different choices. We selected the Ghost & Gravestones trolley tour and had a good time visiting haunted cemeteries, the Previous Jail, the outdated drug retailer, and extra.
Our information did an ideal job making the expertise entertaining and regaling us with tales alongside the way in which. And sure, there have been undoubtedly some freaky and scary moments alongside the way in which!
Regardless of dwelling in Florida for a few years, I hadn’t visited St. Augustine till greater than a decade after leaving Florida. There was undoubtedly far more number of enjoyable issues to do in St. Augustine than I anticipated.
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