We stayed in St. Augustine for a month and my dad was able to join us for a week. Although it’s Florida, it was cold, windy, and rainy during most of our stay.
St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement within the borders of the continental United States.
Coastal Florida was a major field of conflict as European nations fought for control in the New World. As part of this struggle, Fort Matanzas guarded St. Augustine’s southern river approach. Fort Matanzas National Monument is one of the few free attractions in St. Augustine. The tour includes a short ferry ride across the river from the visitors’ center to the monument.
The St. Augustine Light Station is a private-aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse. The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built between 1871 and 1874. To tour the lighthouse is $13/person. We decided to skip the tour.
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US. Possession of the fort has changed six times, all peaceful, among four different governments: Spain, 1695–1863 and 1783–1821, Kingdom of Great Britain, 1763–1783, and the United States of America), 1821 (during 1861–1865, under control of the Confederate States of America).
The Old City Gates were erected to protect the town and citizens from foreign marauders.
The Bridge of Lions, a pair of copies of the marble Medici lions, guard the bridge. It spans the Intracoastal Waterway and connects downtown St. Augustine to Anastasia Island across Matanzas Bay.
Flagler College is a private four-year liberal arts college. It is a beautiful example of Spanish Renaissance architecture.
Another free tourist activity is the St. Augustine Distillery. We went for a tour and a tasting. They are very generous with the samples.
Nights of Lights
This is the local winter holiday celebration in St. Augustine where each historic downtown business and many residents participate by lighting up their buildings. The celebration was chosen by National Geographic as one of the ten best holiday lighting displays in the world. This year there were more than 3 million white lights.
We took a boat ride to view the lights from the water.
8 thoughts on “Chillin’ in St. Augustine”
Looks awesome! I hope yinz are doing great.
We really like the city. Wish the weather was better. Hope you are enjoying the new position. Take care.
You guys look great Love you. G
Love you too. Happy Holidays!
Enjoyed the beautiful photos. We visited there many years ago and hope some day we may repeat the visit to the
area. Have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2019.
Happy Holidays to you and your family as well!
Where did y’all stay..was it expensive? Thanks for the info and pics
Stephanie we stayed at Stagecoach RV Resort while in St Augustine. You can view their rates on their website: https://www.stagecoachrv.net. We stayed for a month so the rate was very reasonable. The park was nice and close to downtown.