St. Augustine, Florida

For our first USA adventure Drew and I decided to head up to St. Augustine. Funny thing, St. Augustine is only 2 hr and 45 minutes away from where our families live...and we've never been there! My brother was wonderful enough to give us one of his free nights from an IHG hotel, there is a Holiday Inn in the Historic District of St. Augustine, we took it as a sign and decided to go to St. Augustine. The first time I ever stayed at a Holiday Inn was in Europe, so this was my first experience with a stateside one...but the Holiday Inn hotels in Europe, are much better than the one we stayed at in St. Augustine.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself. We decided to visit St. Augustine because of it's history, St. Augustine is the oldest city in America! Who could pass up the opportunity to see that?!

Our first stop of the day was to Fort Matanzas National Monument, it is about 15 minutes outside of St. Augustine. The monument consists of a 1740 Spanish fort called Fort Matanzas. Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard Matanzas Inlet, the southern mouth of the Matanzas River.

Our next stop was to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. The Lighthouse is St. Augustine's oldest surviving brick structure, and today the site is restored to colors and materials used the year 1888. The St. Augustine Lighthouse rises 165 feet above sea level and contains 219 steps that are climbed by visitors.

For our first meal in St. Augustine we decided to eat at A1A Ale House. It is a seaside brewery that offers seasonal beers plus sandwiches & steaks and seafood. We opted to eat outside since it was so nice out. For dinner, Drew got the Mahi Burger, and I got shrimp tacos.

Can you tell he loves it when I take pics of him?

The next morning, we headed to Ponce De Leon's Fountain of Youth. Contrary to belief, you can't just walk in and see the fountain of youth. The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is a 15-acre, waterfront historical attraction, where visitors can learn about the first Spanish settlers who came here in the 1600s. 

The Fountain of Youth offers a variety of shows and living history reenactments designed to entertain and educate visitors. Free parking is available, and the park is pet-friendly. The Fountain of Youth Archeological Park is the site of the first Spanish settlement in the new world.

Apparently it's a rare site to see a female open it's wings!

Male Albino Peacock!

Drew and I went straight for the Fountain. It wasn't what I thought it would be. I was expecting an actual fountain! But of course, we had to try some of the water...it tasted like hose water (and that's the nicest thing to say).

We explored the Park for a bit, we even got to see a cannon demonstration! I think that was Drew's favorite part of the day.

From the Fountain of Youth, we headed off to see the Castillo de San Marcos. It is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. It costs $10 pp to enter, but because the Castillo is a part of the National Park Service, they offer free Military annual passes to Active Duty service men/women, and up to 3 adults, or the car that they are in. I thought that was pretty cool.

  

I can't take him anywhere!

We explored the Fort, we climbed to the top and got some great shots. The only thing that sucks is that you can't sit on the Fort. It's made of Coquina, a limestone consisting almost entirely of shelly fossils. Apparently it's very fragile. Which sucks because, there isn't enough benches to sit on and take pictures.

After visiting the Fort we decided to head into town to grab some food and wander around. It's my favorite part about going to a new city! I think I'm Europeanized, because I didn't want to sit down and eat lunch, I wanted to keep exploring. There was NOTHING to grab an go.

After searching for half an hour we found a place that served loaded fries. We even met a family who was stationed in Germany a couple years ago! It's really a small world.

 The Teacher in me had to stop off to get a peak at the oldest wooden school house in the USA!

From there we walked around the city checking out the major landmarks before finally calling it a day and heading home.

I can honestly say that I enjoyed visiting St. Augustine and am still amazed that we've never visited before! I think our time in Europe has expanded my desire to travel. I never thought of Florida as anything special. But it goes to show you that something new is always right around the corner!

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St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Florida

Before getting to our hotel, our next stop was to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. The Lighthouse is St. Augustine's oldest surviving brick structure, and today the site is restored to colors and materials used the year 1888.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse rises 165 feet above sea level and contains 219 steps that are climbed by visitors. At the top, the original, first order Fresnel lens still serves the beacon, but today is lit by a 1000 watt bulb, and maintained by the museum and volunteers. The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the past and keeping alive the story of the nation's oldest port.

The cost is $13 per adult to visit, *Fun little fact, St. Augustine is very military friendly! Drew was able to get a discounted admission for being an active duty servicemen (perk of being back in the states!) For those who aren't military related, you can get 15% off tickets if you order online, or there are free coupon books at every major attraction, with the book you are able to get discounts from $1-$5 or 10-15% off! When travelling every little bit helps!

Drew really wanted to climb up to the top of the lighthouse, I was skeptical...219 stairs, I had flashbacks back to Kotor and climbing up to the Fortress! This wasn't as bad. I think almost 1400 steps vs 219 steps is cake walk. This time it was only 8 landings and on every landing, there was something fun to play with! The view from the top was worth the climb. If you've ever been to Florida, you know that everything is flat, it was an amazing view from the top, it made me remember why I love Florida.

After climbing down the stairs, we decided to check out the Inn Keepers home where the museum is located. I'm not a museum person, but it was still nice to check out. We walked around the area for a bit before heading out. 

It's been so nice to be able to continue travelling like we did in Germany! I can't wait to share our St. Augustine Adventure!

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Cost: $13 Adults Seniors & Children (Over 12): $11 | 15% off tickets if purchased online

Military Discount

Hours: 9a-6p

Parking Free

Not Stroller or Pet Friendly

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Fort Matanzas National Monument

Our first trip since being back in the states was to St. Augustine, Florida. On our way up to St. Augustine we decided to stop off at Fort Matanzas National Monument, it is about 15 minutes outside of St. Augustine.

The monument consists of a 1740 Spanish fort called Fort Matanzas, and about 100 acres of salt marsh and barrier islands along the Matanzas River on the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard Matanzas Inlet, the southern mouth of the Matanzas River. The only way to get to the Fort is to take a ferry across. To visit the Fort and to ride the ferry is absolutely free! Unfortunately it isn't stroller or pet-friendly.

Fort Matanzas National Monument is open to the public from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM every day of the year except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Boarding Passes are required to ride the ferry. They are issued for free in the visitor center. The ferry leaves 30 past the hour. The ferry to the fort carries 35 people on a first come, first served basis and leaves the Visitor Center.

 

 When we arrived at Fort Matanzas, we just missed the ferry and had to wait about 40 minutes for the next one. The rangers showed us an 8-minute video about the history of the Fort, then we wandered around the park for a bit until the ferry boat arrived. 

Once across another park ranger gave us a guided tour of the Fort (~10 minutes), then gave us some free time to explore. The Fort itself is pretty small. If you're with a large group it might take you a little bit longer to maneuver through the crowds. There is a little ladder that will take you to the top of the Fort. It was a tight fit, I was scared that the ladder was gonna break when I climbed it. But the views from top were beautiful.

From the time you get on the ship, to when you're expected back on the ship is about 40 minutes. Both Drew and I really enjoyed the fort and hearing about the History and the importance of this place! It's a nice place to spend a couple hours on a beautiful day.

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