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Things to Do
The Best Things To Do in St. Augustine, FL
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St. Augustine, Florida, has a fascinating past dating back to its Spanish discovery in 1565. Today, it’s home to some of the most breathtaking colonial Spanish architecture and is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. Often referred to as the “Old City,” St. Augustine is a magical city where old meets new and is a fantastic vacation destination for all ages.
A busy tourist hub, the Historic District is home to Spanish-Colonial landmarks like the 1600s Castillo de San Marcos, overlooking Matanzas Bay, and the González-Alvarez House. Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is the site of a celebrated spring and reconstructed settlements. Quaint shops on St. George Street sell local crafts and candy, while casual restaurants serve Southern and Spanish fare.
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Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a national monument in Florida that is run by the National Park Service.
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida.
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Lightner Museum
The Lightner Museum is a museum of antiques, mostly American Gilded Age pieces, housed within the historic Hotel Alcazar building in downtown St. Augustine. This 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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St Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
The St. Augustine Light Station is a private-aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida. The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built between 1871 and 1874. The tower is the second lighthouse tower in St. Augustine, the first being lit officially by the American territorial government in May 1824 as Florida’s first lighthouse.
However, both the Spanish and the British governments operated a major aid to navigation here including a series of wooden watch towers and beacons dating from 1565. The current lighthouse tower, original first-order Fresnel Lens and the Light Station grounds are owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Inc., a not-for-profit maritime museum. The museum is open to the public 360 days a year.
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St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is one of Florida’s oldest continuously running attractions, having opened on May 20, 1893. It has 24 species of crocodilians, and also a variety of other reptiles, mammals and birds, as well as exhibits, animal performances and educational demonstrations.
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Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is a privately owned 15-acre park in St. Augustine, Florida, located along Hospital Creek, part of the Intracoastal Waterway. It has been touted as the likely 1513 Florida landing site of Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, although no evidence has been found to substantiate this claim. Recent research by amateur historian Douglas Peck has placed another possible landing site in the vicinity of Melbourne Beach in Brevard County.
The park contains a well claimed to be the freshwater source referred to by Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas in his Historia general de los hechos de los castellanos en las Islas y Tierra Firme del mar Océano and supposedly sought by Ponce de Leon, but there is no supporting evidence. Archaeological excavations made by Dr. Kathleen Deagan on the park’s grounds in the 1990s uncovered remains of the first Spanish settlement and its fortifications in St. Augustine.
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Anastasia State Park
Anastasia State Park is a 1,600-acre state park in Florida, United States. Its location is on a peninsula on Anastasia Island across Matanzas Bay from downtown St. Augustine along the Atlantic coastal plain. This park has a variety of wildlife, birds and plants in a setting of beaches, tidal salt marsh, and marine and upland hammock.
It is also home to the Old Spanish Coquina Quarries, an archaeological site from which the coquina stone used in the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine was mined, earning it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Acquired by the state of Florida in 1949, Anastasia State Park has long been a favorite playground for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
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St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum
The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum is a museum dedicated to pirate artifacts. Formerly known as the Pirate Soul Museum, the museum was located at 524 Front Street, Key West, Florida, United States. It was announced in February 2010 that the museum was being moved to St Augustine, Florida. It reopened there on December 8, 2010, as the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum.
The museum houses 48 individual exhibit areas, and over 800 artifacts inside. It has been proclaimed as the largest and most authentic collection of pirate artifacts ever displayed under one roof.
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Saint Augustine Distillery
Working distillery in a restored circa-1907 ice plant offering tours & tastings.
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Old Jail Museum
The Old Jail is a historic jail in St. Augustine, Florida. It is located at 167 San Marco Avenue. On August 27, 1987, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The St. Johns County Jail now serves as the Old Jail Museum.
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Bridge of Lions
The Bridge of Lions is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida, United States. A part of State Road A1A, it connects downtown St. Augustine to Anastasia Island across Matanzas Bay. Learn about the history of Bridge of Lions.
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Colonial Oak Music Park
Though positioned on the busiest street in the Nation’s Oldest City, Colonial Oak Music Park is a hidden gem that’s just enough off the beaten path. A multi-faceted attraction and destination, the park is part music venue, part private event space and a unique reprieve for individuals, couples and families looking to experience a piece of Old Florida.
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Saint Augustine Amphitheater
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater located on A1A in St. Augustine, Florida, United States. The venue seats over 4,000 persons, and is managed by the St. Johns County Parks & Recreation department.
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Florida Springs
While Florida is renowned for its sun-soaked beaches and bustling nightlife, it also harbors lesser-known gems that offer a different kind of allure—the springs. Particularly around St. Augustine, these crystalline water bodies are nature’s hidden showcases, presenting both locals and visitors with a truly unique experience. But when is the ideal time to discover these aquatic wonders? Read on to explore the springs’ individual charms and how the seasons affect their magical appeal.