Visit St Augustine

If you are looking for a cute and Covid friendly trip I have got the perfect place for you! Located on the Notheast coast of Florida you can find the beautiful and old city of St Augustine.

The city is full of history and stunning architecture. I was so impressed by how well kept and clean it was.

FUN FACT: It is the oldest city in the US.

Discovered in 1565 on August 28, which happens to be the feast day for St. Augustine hence its name. Spanish Conquistadors found the land and settled there, which is why there is a lot of Spanish influence in the names of landmarks and the style of architecture.

Where to stay?

First off if you are coming in from out of state via plane there are a few airports you can fly into. Closest three would be Jacksonville (JAX), Daytona Beach (DAB), and Orlando (MCO). Each are 45 minutes – 2 hours via car!

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There are plenty or hotels or B&B in the area such as 44 Old Spanish Inn. Even if you don’t stay here pass by it since it’s really cute outside.

PRO TIP: if you drive in and are looking for parking there are lots in the area for $10-$15 for the day. Check out this list of parking lots if you want easy access to available lots.

What to see:

On the north end of the main city you will find two sites: Old Spanish Trail Zero Mile & Old city gates.

The stone sphere marks the end of the old spanish trail, a road that once connected San Diego to St Augustine! It began construction around 1915 and was meant to give vehicles a way to connect between the southwest coast and southeast coast. Now you can drive along a similar path on highway 80 & 90.

Make sure to walk down St George Street. Here you will find tons of pretty buildings and touristy shops.

I noticed so many ice cream shops, which is perfect because the weather can hot and its a great treat to enjoy while walking around.

At a souvenir shop I found an adorable ornament for my collection of the lighthouse. You can walk down this street enjoying all the tourist shops and restaurants.

Eventually you will stumble upon Ponce de Leon Circle where there is a lovely park in the heart of the city.

When you walk through the park you may also check out the oldest Catholic Church in the city (Cathedral Basilica St Augustine). Here you will see the Spanish influence in the church’s architecture.

You will also walk past the Governors House, which now stands as a museum and historical center.

Flagler College:

You will want to head a block west to check out Flagler College. Unfortunately we could not go in to tour because of Covid, but from outside it is spectacular.

The liberal arts college was once Ponce de Leon Hotel. Built and owned by wealthy developer Henry M. Flagler.

On a trip to Florida, Flagler thought it would be a great spot for wealthy vacationers to visit and enjoy the warm Florida weather.

Built in a Spanish Renaissance style, you will definitely want to go visit this site.

Across the street you will also find The Lightner Museum. This was also a hotel created by Flagler and was once named the Alcazar. It was intended to be a less expensive stay for middle class travelers.

Tickets range from $8-$15.

Check out Casa Monica Hotel, which was not built by Flagler but later purchased by him.

Aviles Street.

From here take a stroll down Aviles Street, the oldest street in the nation!

This was the original arts district in the city. Lofts were created in the 1930s for artists to occupy.

On this street you can also find Ximenez- Fatio House Museum. You can visit a colonial style house with authentic interior meant to showcase Florida in 1830-1850s.

Lighthouse.

Drive across the Bridge of Lions to visit the light house!

Don’t you love the black and white stripes?!

You can pay to enter and walk up the 209 steps to the viewing platform.

The cost is $12.95 or $10.95 for seniors/children. Purchase ahead of time online and get 15% off.

Castillo de San Marcos.

It is closed due to Covid, but you can still walk around the grounds. You might even get lucky and hear them shooting the canon!

It happens to be the oldest structure in the city of St Augustine and is 315 years old.

Eats:

You may have noticed above I mentioned coffee and ice cream so here are a few places to check out:

At Crucial Coffee an old wooden building where you can grab a drink to have and walk around with. I enjoyed an iced maple spice latte.

I can’t find the coffee shop we went into,but it is near St Greorge Street & Fort Alley intersections. It was cute inside and the coffee flavors sounded amazing!!! It is in the plaza with the water wheel. You can get lattes with flavors like PB & J and pink donut.

Unfortunately they did not have decaf and I avoid caffeine so I did not get to enjoy one. My boyfriend bought a coffee ice cream bar and was in love with it!

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St. Augustine, Florida