8 Great Things to do in St Augustine Florida • McCool Travel

6 min readMay 2, 2018

Please see the original article on McCool Travel to view all of the photos.

St Augustine Florida is USA’s oldest city, the longest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. San Agustin was originally settled in 1512 when King Ferdinand of Spain sent Ponce de Leon to explore the New World.

Things to do in St Augustine Florida include exploring and experiencing history, architecture, and outdoors, and savoring a growing culinary and craft cocktail scene.

Julie and Charles McCool were hosted guests of Florida’s Historic Coast but this content is carefully crafted with the McCool Travel audience in mind.

Castillo de San Marcos

The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and only surviving 17th century military structure. The Castillo was painted red and white to warn others that it was Spanish territory and faint remnants of red paint can still be seen on the exterior walls. After several prior wooden forts were destroyed by raids, the Spanish spent 23 years (1672–1695) building Castillo de San Marcos out of coquina (sea shell) as a stalwart defense to protect St Augustine.

St Augustine Alligator Farm

The St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park celebrates its 125 anniversary in 2018 and is the only place in the world where you can see every member of the crocodilian family. View rare albino alligators, African birds, and Florida reptiles. Zip line over crocs if you dare.

The rookery at St Augustine Alligator Farm is absolutely amazing where thousands of migratory tropical birds return each year. It is a safe place for them because there are no ground predators. Check out the Live cam from the bird rookery. Florida’s Birding & Photo Fest, every April, brings together top professional wildlife photographers and passionate amateur birders.

St Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum

The St Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum property features four distinct operations: the lighthouse, keeper’s residence, LAMP marine archaeology, and traditional wood boat building. The lighthouse is the main draw and be sure you climb the 219 steps to the top for remarkable views. Please watch my video below — it was a windy day. The keeper’s residence is unique because it is brick, Victorian style, a duplex, and has a basement. All four of these features were rare in Florida homes before 1900. The Wrecked! exhibit acknowledges the area’s role in the Revolutionary War with shipwreck finds, including the world’s second oldest known cannon (1782).

Ponce de Leon Hotel — Flagler College

Historic Ponce de Leon hotel opened in January 1888 after a quick but incredibly lavish 18 month construction period. Thomas Edison oversaw the electricity system and installed a clock encased in the largest piece of white onyx in the western hemisphere. Take the fascinating student-led tour to learn the clock’s secret. The hotel property is now Flagler College, which has been selected as USA’s most beautiful college.

McCool Travel tip: Also visit the Lightner Museum across the street, formerly the Alcazar Hotel, home of the world’s largest indoor pool. These two ultra-luxury hotels built by Henry Flagler, charged guests the equivalent of $75,000 today for a three month stay. Spend time exploring the eclectic collections and see what the pool area looks like today.

Red Train Tour

One way to get an overview of Ancient City is on the Red Train Trolley Tours. A train appears every 15 to 20 minutes and a full circuit lasts 90 minutes. Riders can get off at any of the 22 stops and catch a later train. Check the Red Train website for special deals.

Eco Tour

See St Augustine from the water and learn more on a St Augustine Eco Tours sailing. The tour highlight was undoubtedly watching two separate groups of dolphins playing right in front of the boat. St Augustine Eco Tours educate visitors about wildlife and habitat and our captain is an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin researcher. So, not only did we watch the dolphins play but we learned insights into the hows and whys of the dolphin lifestyle. During the nearly three hour tour, we learned a lot about St Augustine history, especially as related to the water features.

Pirate and Treasure Museum

Located directly across the street from the Castillo, St Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum displays historic pirate artifacts, including the oldest Jolly Roger flag, oldest wanted poster, and only surviving pirate treasure chest. The family-friendly attraction offers a treasure hunt for children of all ages and the gift shop is a favorite draw.

Ghosts & Gravestones Tour

Hopefully you can appreciate the USA’s oldest city having countless ghost stories to share. St Augustine Ghosts & Gravestones Tour transports guests on a themed trolley and makes three stops — at the Old City Jail, Potter’s General Store (oldest wax museum), and a cemetery.

Where to Eat in St Augustine

Catch 27 — named for the fresh seafood catches and for Florida being the 27th state — serves amazingly fresh seafood (of course) and creative cocktails. Columbia Restaurant is in a convenient central location in the Old City and is an upscale outpost of the classic Tampa flagship.

Mojo’s Tacos is a fantastic lunch stop near the Alligator Farm or Lighthouse; they also have a food stand at St Augustine Amphitheatre if you catch a show there (we saw Willie Nelson!). The Reef is a rare oceanfront dining experience and serves fresh seafood and produce (try their orange cake). A sticky bun from The Bunnery is a sweet way to start any day. Rype & Readi Farm Market offers hyperlocal fresh local produce, baked goods, crafts, and prepared foods, and is across the street from the St Augustine Distillery.

Where to Stay in St Augustine

There are 28 historic inns in downtown St Augustine. During our recent visit we stayed at the gorgeous St George Inn.

Construction is currently underway for 10 new rooms. Some will have epic, unblocked views of the Castillo. Five new rooms can be booked as of April 1, 2018 and five others will be available starting May 1, 2018. McCool Travel tip: book rooms now in the soon to open property.

Next to St George Inn main lobby is Bin 39, serving highly rated wines by the glass.

A nice property a bit outside the historic district is Jaybird’s Inn. The hotel is located in Uptown St Augustine, right behind the main station for the Red Train Tour (mentioned above). Guests can choose between a complimentary continental breakfast or full service in the onsite restaurant. Rooms are spacious, smartly designed and decorate, with updated modern bathrooms.

Getting to St Augustine: the small St Augustine airport is served by direct flights from Charlotte, North Carolina twice a week. Otherwise, fly into Jacksonville (1 hour drive), Orlando (2 hours), or Daytona Beach (1 hour).

For more information please see 7 Scenic Drives in Florida