St. Augustine, Florida
Sand+sun+water…what else could you ask for on a summer vacation? St. Augustine, Florida has all of this to offer. The oldest town in the United States, discovered in the 15th century has a creole, Spanish vibe that will leave you wanting to enjoy all of its attractions.
We planned this adventure for our first trip to travel by plane and first couples getaway. I have to say, it was a great choice. So much history wrapped up in this town. The charming brick streets, historical sites, inviting boutiques and divine dining choices makes this a great place to explore. It really is a step back in time to experience Florida’s colonial-era living.
Best Places to Go:
Get ready to walk a lot because in order to see a lot you’re going to have to do it. First, you must go down St. George Street. It is absolutely beautiful! Also, visit all of the streets in between and nearby. There are a variety of shops in this area as well as some great touristic spots.
As a elementary school teacher, my greatest memory was visiting the oldest school house in the United States. This little house still stands to how it did when it was being used. The small house housed the teacher and her family upstairs allowing the downstairs to be the classroom. The kitchen was a separate building outside of the house to prevent any fires from burning down the school. The cutest thing about this tour was that when you finished, you received a complimentary diploma. For only $5 for entry cost, this was a great place to walk through and experience.
The Fountain of Youth is another must to see and experience while here too! Take a sip of Ponce de Leon’s spring water while seeing some peacocks. There is lots to see here. Inside this park, we visited Navigators Planetarium, Discovery Globe and the Spring House. We also walked the grounds and learned about the history of the region. You won’t regret coming here. It is clean, organized and worth your time.
Visiting the beach is a must. There is something about seeing the ocean that just feels so wonderous. You can’t see land beyond the waves, but you know its out there. Its fascinates me to think that where I stand on the shore is the end of land until I sail away. But really, the beach is very pretty. Put your feet in the water, enjoy the sunshine or sunset, ride bikes on the beach and collect some shells.
Where to Eat
The food in St. Augustine just about anywhere is exquisite. I recommend to taste the sangria from Mi Casa Cafe on the beautiful St. George Street. It could have been that I was just really hot and thirsty, but out of all the places that I tried the sangria, this place was the best. Not to mention, this place had some good music playing and live bands ready to go on stage.
A good place we ate lunch was at Hooked on Harry’s. It was delicious! I had the mahi arugula which was quite delightful. It wasn’t a heavy meal while we continued to do some site seeing afterwards. My husband had the crab cakes which was also an A+ dish to order. Just make sure if you plan to go here, you get there before the lunch crowd. We arrived just in time to get a table before the huge lunch rush came and you had to wait for a table.
Another foodie place to try right on the water is Culinary Outfitters. A waterfront gourmet restaurant right before a boat ride was perfect on the day we went. I highly recommend the culinary classic salad with dixie chicken on top. After filling up on delicious food, we went on a nice boat tour through Sabrage Charters. This had to be one of my favorite experiences of the trip. Great ride with a pleasant staff and good drinks to have along the ride. For an hour and half we were shown beautiful places and learned some of the rich history.
One of the places we saw was the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. If you want to learn even more history of this great city and its Spanish influence, then standing in line to tour this fortress needs to be put on your list when you come here. We did not tour the inside of the oldest masonry fort in the U.S. because the line was outrageously long, but we did go around the whole outside. Its really quite beautiful and amazing to think how the coquiel shell is what this whole thing is built out of.
If you want a great place to relax but have a good time and learn a little, St. Augustine, Florida is where it is at. This was our first trip to Florida and we absolutely loved it! We’re bringing our kids out here later this summer to experience these beautiful beaches.
