St. Augustine was founded by Spanish Admiral and conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, in 1565. The “Castillo de San Marco” (Castle of St. Mark) was built on the Matanzas river, beginning in 1672, to protect both the city and the state of Florida from various possible invaders. It is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, and today is a major tourist attraction. My wife and I have been there many times, and count St. Augustine as one of our favorite nearby weekend vacation spots.
The Old City sits on an island, and is full of history. Many old buildings still exist from the earlier Spanish settlement, plus more modern commercial buildings; a famous Catholic Cathedral and other historic churches; a marina, and old hotels that now serve as museums and as the home of Flagler College. It is a very walkable town, but various tours are available: busses, trams, and horse-drawn carriage rides.
The St. Augustine Art Association used to sponsor semi-annual arts and crafts shows, one each in the spring and in the fall, which we often tried to attend. Those shows always attracted a large number of artists and visitors from across the Southeast, and grew in popularity over the years.
It was originally held in the big park on King Street, next to the Bridge of Lions leading across Matanzas Bay, and in front of the Cathedral, but eventually had to move to the much larger St. Francis field, north of downtown. It finally just got to be too much work to put on, and was discontinued a few years ago. Which we were very sorry to see. We always enjoyed going, even if we didn’t always buy much.
However, art galleries abound, from small shops on side streets to the major galleries on King Street.
We always try to visit as many as we can, when we go down for weekend visits, as there are always many interesting pieces to view, whether paintings or sculpture, in all mediums and price ranges.
St. Augustine is also home to many wonderful restaurants: American, Greek, Cuban, Spanish, etc.
There is no lack of gastronomic variety in that town! Something for everyone, in all price ranges.
Charleston, SC, is often called the “Holy City” because of the abundance of churches in its downtown area. I believe downtown St. Augustine equals Charleston, in that regard; we have enjoyed attending services in most of them, over the years.
Flagler College’s main building was originally a fancy hotel for well-heeled folks from “Up North,” who would come down for the winter, and is well worth a visit. The Casa Monica Hotel, across the street, has been refurbished and is now a high-end hotel. Many other hotels abound, along with numerous inns and B&B’s, so there is a wide range of places to stay in the old downtown area.
Some of the more interesting places to visit are a newly-opened Pirate Museum; a Ripley’s “Believe It Or Not” museum; and St. George Street, which stretches from King Street on the south to St. Francis Field on the north. It is filled with various shops and restaurants, some in very old buildings. Always worth a visit.
And of course the Castillo de San Marco, a huge five-pointed fort built of coquina shells. The fort changed hands five times over the years after it was first built, during four different governments (Spain, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederate States of America). However, notably, “Owing to its strategic cannon placement and star-shaped design, the fort was never breached or taken by force throughout its various stages of sovereign ownership.”
Just across the Matanzas River from downtown is Anastasia Island, home to miles of beaches, a tall lighthouse, and an alligator farm. Depending on the season, hotels on Anastasia Island may be less expensive than ones in the downtown area -- or moreso! It all just depends.
We have climbed to the top of the lighthouse, and been amazed at the 360-degree view; and also enjoyed a visit to the alligator farm – another unique experience.
In short, there is far more to see and do in St.
Augustine than I can relate here. I can only hit the highlights. Go see for yourself! You won’t be sorry you did.
Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia. He and his wife are both long-time Rotarians, and live in eastern Liberty County with their changing passel of orphaned rescue cats. He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_semmes@ yahoo. com.