Saint Augustine, Florida, is town that is well prepared for tourism and a great stop for food and scenery in north Florida. In addition to normal 'tourist sites', I enjoyed walking the downtown area and taking in the older Spanish-influenced architecture. The Basilica of St. Augustine is in the cover photo. Other notable buildings include the town hall, Flagler University, and the Treasury on the Plaza, an old bank building from 1928.
St. Augustine Town Hall
Flagler College, Downtown St. Augustine
Treasury on the Plaza (1920s bank, now even hall)
Making the transition from architecture to tourist site, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument bridges the gap nicely. The structure is right on the waterfront on a 20 acre park and claimed to be the oldest masonry fort in the USA. The iconic turret appears on many old post cards and souvenirs.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
The waterfront in St. Augustine is more of a bay than the ocean. It makes for a great park right across the street from the Old Town section and shops. Nice gentle breezes and plenty of boats to watch.
Castillo de San Marcos and surrounding public park
St. Augustine Florida Bay across from the shops
When I visited this town, I took all these photos during a walking tour of the same area. Nothing is that far apart. There is a good selection of restaurants, hotels, and gift shops right across the square from the area shown above.
Saint Augustine Florida downtown water views
All within a few blocks, there are streets and pedestrian malls with more of the same, including the Colonial Quarter, a museum of Colonial-Era living. I also found a couple of parks with plenty of shade to rest under.
Saint Augustine Old Town Shopping
St. Augustine Old Town Park
If you wanted to venture out and see more of the tourist sites, check out one of the trolley tours that visit the most famous sites: Castillo de San Marcos (shown above), Old Jail, Potter's Wax Museum, churches, museums, distillery, chocolate factory... and the Fountain of Youth! My complete set of photos is at my Saint Augustine Florida Photos page.
A Trolley Tour in St. Augustine Florida
