St Augustine
Recently, on a road trip to the Keys (that post is coming soon), we were able to stop in St Augustine, Florida. It was at least the 3rd time I had been there. Last time I had visited was with a great friend who was attending Flagler College. I remember having some pretty pictures of the town and it being very charming. But this last time I visited, I enjoyed it even more. I am working on plans to go back for a long weekend to relax and enjoy the old town.
A couple of websites that could be helpful in planning a trip to St Augustine:
St Augustine’s official tourism site: http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/
The City of St Augustine’s website: www.ci.st-augustine.fl.us (has some good history info)
I would think the best way to stay in St Augustine would be a Bed & Breakfast. There are many in the area and B&Bs lend themselves to a relaxed experience. A couple that I found online that look like good choices are:
Casa de Solana - http://www.casadesolana.com/ or
The Victorian House B&B - http://www.victorianhousebnb.com/index.htm
But there was also a neat hotel downtown on King Street,
Casa Monica Hotel - http://www.casamonica.com/
Hope to see you soon in St Augustine!
It is a great place to walk around and explore. Since it’s the “Nation’s Oldest City” the big focus is the history. There’s the old Castillo de San Marcos with a walking shopping district not far from the visitor’s center. The website for the City of St Augustine says in the, “Historic Colonial District, there remain thirty-six buildings of colonial origin and another forty that are reconstructed models of colonial buildings”.
It’s a very touristy area but I think it’s done well. It’s not a huge town so you can stay downtown, near the historic district, and never need to get in the car. But if you do want to drive somewhere, there are other attractions, like the beaches or outlet shopping or a zoo, that aren’t too far away. I would recommend going on the off-season. I believe peak season is February through the end of May. Off-peak is June through early February (this is according to a B&B website). I would think that the best time to go would be October or possibly September. Near the end of hurricane season and the weather is probably cooling off. I’m sure it would also be nice early June or other times of the year. Depends on what you would like to do while there.
If you're only going for a short trip, I would recommend going to the visitor’s center first. If you want to park and walk around, they have a free parking garage (which I appreciate!). You can also go inside and grab brochures for the attractions that interest you. I believe you can also sign up for some of the tours or trolleys that can take you around St Augustine.
From there, you can make your way down the pedestrian walk way/shopping area on St George Street. There are some touristy shops and restaurants. There are also some neat places, if you look for them. There’s a Greek Orthodox National Shrine that only takes a couple minutes to check out (http://www.stphotios.com/). And there’s a shop that I just loved called, Market to Market (www.markettomarket.net). They sell hand painted pottery for all kinds of uses in your home. Really neat store.
If you keep walking across the green space (Cathedral Pl and King St), you’ll get into the “Old Town” area. I believe, from St George St. east, that has some of the oldest homes and buildings in St Augustine. It’s a neat place to walk around (and is home to some B&Bs). There’s also a maps and prints store called, “Bouvier Maps and Prints in Old Town St Augustine” it’s at 11-D Aviles St. A great place to buy a souvenir or gift or just spend time browsing. There’s a lot of history in just a few blocks.
It’s a very touristy area but I think it’s done well. It’s not a huge town so you can stay downtown, near the historic district, and never need to get in the car. But if you do want to drive somewhere, there are other attractions, like the beaches or outlet shopping or a zoo, that aren’t too far away. I would recommend going on the off-season. I believe peak season is February through the end of May. Off-peak is June through early February (this is according to a B&B website). I would think that the best time to go would be October or possibly September. Near the end of hurricane season and the weather is probably cooling off. I’m sure it would also be nice early June or other times of the year. Depends on what you would like to do while there.
If you're only going for a short trip, I would recommend going to the visitor’s center first. If you want to park and walk around, they have a free parking garage (which I appreciate!). You can also go inside and grab brochures for the attractions that interest you. I believe you can also sign up for some of the tours or trolleys that can take you around St Augustine.
From there, you can make your way down the pedestrian walk way/shopping area on St George Street. There are some touristy shops and restaurants. There are also some neat places, if you look for them. There’s a Greek Orthodox National Shrine that only takes a couple minutes to check out (http://www.stphotios.com/). And there’s a shop that I just loved called, Market to Market (www.markettomarket.net). They sell hand painted pottery for all kinds of uses in your home. Really neat store.
If you keep walking across the green space (Cathedral Pl and King St), you’ll get into the “Old Town” area. I believe, from St George St. east, that has some of the oldest homes and buildings in St Augustine. It’s a neat place to walk around (and is home to some B&Bs). There’s also a maps and prints store called, “Bouvier Maps and Prints in Old Town St Augustine” it’s at 11-D Aviles St. A great place to buy a souvenir or gift or just spend time browsing. There’s a lot of history in just a few blocks.
One of my other favorite sights in St Augustine would be,
Flagler College - it used to be a hotel that has since been converted to a college. It was originally built by Henry Flagler and was named the Ponce de Leon Hotel. You can go on tours of the campus and the original hotel part. I’m definitely jealous of their students! http://www.flagler.edu/
One place I’d like to visit next time is the St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. http://www.alligatorfarm.us/ It looks like a lot of fun and they have a zip line that goes through the zoo. That cracked us up when we saw that.
Flagler College - it used to be a hotel that has since been converted to a college. It was originally built by Henry Flagler and was named the Ponce de Leon Hotel. You can go on tours of the campus and the original hotel part. I’m definitely jealous of their students! http://www.flagler.edu/
One place I’d like to visit next time is the St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. http://www.alligatorfarm.us/ It looks like a lot of fun and they have a zip line that goes through the zoo. That cracked us up when we saw that.
A couple of websites that could be helpful in planning a trip to St Augustine:
St Augustine’s official tourism site: http://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/
The City of St Augustine’s website: www.ci.st-augustine.fl.us (has some good history info)
I would think the best way to stay in St Augustine would be a Bed & Breakfast. There are many in the area and B&Bs lend themselves to a relaxed experience. A couple that I found online that look like good choices are:
Casa de Solana - http://www.casadesolana.com/ or
The Victorian House B&B - http://www.victorianhousebnb.com/index.htm
But there was also a neat hotel downtown on King Street,
Casa Monica Hotel - http://www.casamonica.com/
Hope to see you soon in St Augustine!
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