29 Amazing Things to do in St Augustine
Florida is home to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US. The economy of St. Augustine is centered on tourism, services, manufacturing (including the modification of airplanes and the production of aluminum goods and boats), as well as commercial and sport fishing.
Families, couples wanting a retreat, and those searching for a little adventure can all find enough to do in this charming city. This post will give you an overview of the things to do in St Augustine.
Best Things to do in St Augustine
- World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum
By presenting interesting, interactive stories and hosting exhibitions with artifacts, works of art, music, video, and photographs important to the history of golf and its participants, the World Golf Hall of Fame and Museum operates as a custodian of the sport.
A golf simulator, two putting greens, a challenge hole, and 35,000 square feet of museum space are all available at the Hall of Fame.
The 13 event spaces available for hire at the Hall of Fame are ideal for your upcoming reception, wedding, rehearsal dinner, company trip, business conference, or special occasion.
A modernized digital 3D projection technology is used in the IMAX Theater of the World Golf Hall of Fame. New Hollywood films as well as informative documentaries are available at the IMAX Theater.
- Potter’s Wax Museum
The founder of the museum, George L. Potter, was mesmerized by the careful precision and fine detail of the wax figurines he saw while on vacation in London as a young man. He was motivated to preserve the likenesses of notable American politicians and leaders for future generations. The best wax from France, the best hair from Italy, and the most skilled artisans were then sought after by him to give everything shape and form.
The figures to study here range from Roman Centurions to celebrities, athletes, and political people. This is the country’s first wax museum. Even a section for scary movies is included.
- St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is a beautiful and instructive maritime museum. It may be found on Anastasia Island, at a height of 165 feet, and offers views of Matanzas Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. A stunning view of the city and ocean may be seen by visitors who ascend the St. Augustine Lighthouse’s 219 stairs to the summit.
You may discover how the Lighthouse protected the shore during World War II, as well as information on the significant work of the Lighthouse’s marine archeologists. The grounds also include a natural hammock, a kids’ play area, boat construction demos, and more.
Access to the gift shop, which has a distinctive selection of nautical and regional mementos, is not restricted by a ticket.
- St. George Street
Visitors may discover some of the city’s renowned bakeries, restaurants, galleries, and historic sights here.
At the far north end of St. George Street is where you’ll find the Old City Gate. The coquina pillars and a wall were constructed by the citizens of St. Augustine in 1808 as a defense measure. The Old City Gate is now a noteworthy location and a fantastic photography spot.
A particularly unique attraction, the Medieval Torture Museum is also located on this street. The museum features exhibits, sets, and manikins that are all accompanied by descriptions of the many types of medieval torture.
Additionally, St. George Street boasts a booming nightlife culture that draws both tourists and residents. It’s a terrific idea to get a beer at the Mill Top Tavern. They provide a deck view of the Castillo of San Marcos and live music every day.
- St. Augustine History Museum
Visit the St. Augustine History Museum to learn more about the development of Florida. Learn about the four distinct countries that ruled over this sleepy seaside town’s culture and personality as you stroll through a variety of displays and exhibitions.
A Spanish treasure chamber with a remarkable collection of objects discovered on genuine sunken ships is located at the St. Augustine History Museum. An insider’s view of how the first immigrants lived and made a livelihood may be found in a Timucuan Indian Village and a Florida Cracker Trading Post.
- Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
A 15-acre privately owned park, The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is situated across Hospital Creek, a section of the Intracoastal Waterway, near St. Augustine, Florida.
It’s a lovely place to unwind, take in the views of the river from the Observation Tower or the 600-foot Founders Riverwalk, sip some water from the natural spring, and feed the wandering peacocks.
Visitors may enjoy a variety of performances and live historical reenactments at The Fountain of Youth while also learning. In addition to being a dog-friendly site, it provides free parking for visitors while they explore.
- St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum
The St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum whisk visitors back in time to the age of pirates and their exploits. They also entertain them with interactive displays that are interesting.
The earliest genuine treasure box ever discovered is among the more than 800 items in the museum’s collection. One of the three genuine Jolly Roger flags, Blackbeard’s blunderbuss, and money from his ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, are also on display.
Visitors are led on an exciting journey through the Golden Age of Piracy and the lives of that era’s most notorious figures, some of whom attacked St. Augustine in the 17th century. The unique collection of genuine pirate artifacts and interactive technology contribute to this.
- Castillo De San Marcos
The oldest masonry fortification still standing in North America’s continental territory is preserved by the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, which also interprets more than 450 years of cultural exchange. It was built by the Spanish near St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route.
As the country’s oldest remaining masonry castle, Castillo de San Marcos is both aesthetically and culturally noteworthy since its stone walls stand as a witness to the persistence of this country’s Latino heritage and to the various ethnic groups who have contributed to its history.
Visitors can tour the fort, take part in a ranger program, see videos, or watch re-enactors perform a demonstration.
- San Sebastian Winery
San Sebastian is a leading producer of premium, sparkling, and dessert wines from Muscadine grapes and is considered one of Florida’s top wineries. Near the heart of old St. Augustine, in Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway Building, is where you’ll find San Sebastian Winery.
Vinifera wines are manufactured and marketed in addition to blended and sparkling wines created from locally grown Muscadine grapes. Additionally manufactured and marketed under the San Sebastian name are port and cream sherry dessert wines.
The Cellar Upstairs Bar and Restaurant, which is located on the rooftop of the Winery building, is a neighborhood favorite. The venue is only open on the weekends and offers fantastic live music from a variety of great local and regional bands.
You may also watch a brief audio-visual presentation in the theater upstairs to learn more about the fundamental elements of their stainless steel tanks, which are used to ferment and store wine until it is bottled.
- Classic Car Museum
The Classic Car Museum is a 30,000 sq ft museum, special events venue, and facility for storing vintage cars. These settings provide something fresh, something distinctive, and something within your grasp, from a vintage vehicle backdrop to an outside groomed grass and pond to an upmarket banquet area.
The majority are private automobiles, but there are also several fire trucks and other service vehicles on exhibit. All have been meticulously repaired and may be seen with vintage components, petrol pumps, and other historical items.
Weddings and other special events can be held in the museum.
- Anastasia State Park
With a variety of thrilling recreational opportunities, Anastasia State Park is ranked as the sixth finest state park in the country. At Anastasia State Park, you may go camping, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing, and sailing.
The skies are ruled by osprey and eagles, and painted buntings and warblers frequently fly through the hammock woodlands.
You may enjoy a wildlife-watching experience with the monthly guided bird walks provided by trained professionals. The park is one of the most significant locations for beach-nesting birds along Florida’s east coast, and it is home to threatened species including black skimmers, Wilson’s plovers, and least terns.
From a canoe or kayak or while hiking the Ancient Dunes Nature Trail, visitors may view animals along the shore.
- St. Augustine Distillery
In the distinctive setting of St. Augustine’s former ice factory building, St. Augustine Distillery produces award-winning whiskey, rum, gin, and vodka and provides free tours and tastings to tourists visiting St. Augustine.
Visitors can learn not just about the spirits produced at the distillery but also about the applications for the ice that was produced there in the past. They can also discover how crucial ice is in creating the best cocktails.
- Ximenez-Fatio House Museum
For his wife Juana Pellicer, Don Andres Ximenez constructed this lovely three-story coquina house in 1798.
Today, this historic home museum gives insights into the history of a little-known era in Florida history. Through portraying its splendor during Florida’s first tourism boom, which lasted from the 1830s to the 1850s, it was extensively researched and authentically reconstructed.
The museum keeps artifacts like a dry sink, unusual fans, and an antique foot warmer on display that highlight the building’s past as a boarding house. The house and museum give a fair idea of what it was like to live in St. Augustine when it was still a U.S. colony.
- St. Augustine Wild Reserve
Since 1995, St. Augustine Wild Reserve has offered unwanted exotic animals a haven and a lifelong home. The Wild Reserve does not breed animals; rather, they strive to provide unwanted wild and exotic animals with a suitable environment in which to spend the rest of their lives.
Visitors get a unique chance to view spectacular wild creatures in the St. Augustine Wild Reserve. More than 50 big animals, including tigers, lions, and leopards, as well as bears, hyenas, ligers, and wolves, are kept in this institution.
- Lightner Museum
The museum, which is situated at 75 King Street in the center of the city’s historic downtown, is open every day except on Christmas.
Otto Lightner, a Chicago publisher, founded the Lightner Museum in 1948. Lightner’s unique collection of Americana, fine and decorative art, and natural history specimens are on display here. The Lightner Museum now hosts interesting exhibitions and activities. The historic Alcazar Hotel now serves as the museum’s home.
The wide and amazing collection that makes up the Lightner Museum’s core today includes Louis Comfort Tiffany lamps, American and European artworks, geological specimens and shells gathered from all over the world, and mechanical musical instruments from the Victorian era.
- Colonial Quarter
The Colonial Spanish Quarter opened its doors in 1963. The Colonial Quarter, which is situated on St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine’s historic area gives tourists a look into life in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
The building of a ship, musket exercises, leatherworking, and cannon shooting demonstrations are among the events that visitors may see.
Although you are free to wander the grounds on your own, the tour guides share fascinating historical anecdotes that give you a thorough understanding of life in colonial St. Augustine.
- Alligator Farm Zoological Park
Exotic albino alligators are among the first displays the visitors come across, brought from Louisiana’s bayous.
Florida’s oldest attraction, this multi-award-winning zoo constantly appears to be brand-new. It is the ideal family outdoor excursion and is open every day.
In this area, you may see Marabou storks, Cape Griffon vultures, hooded vultures, and other interesting vultures. The plains are also dotted with West African crested cranes for a splash of color.
The zoo’s exotic settings, amazing animals, and vibrant birds provide countless photo possibilities. The finest images shot at the zoo are recognized in an annual photo contest, which offers photographers a perfect platform to display their work and is evaluated by a seasoned nature photographer.
- Oldest Wooden School House
Visitors are welcomed to the distinctive Minorcan homestead of Juan Genopoly, built in the late 1700s, at the Oldest Wooden School House Historic Museum & Gardens.
The Oldest Wooden School House welcomes guests to visit the grounds and learn about colonial school-children’s everyday routines.
You may visit the kitchen and gardens, as well as display copies of vintage textbooks and school materials from the eighteenth century.
- Memorial Presbyterian Church
For his late daughter Jennie Louise Flagler, who passed away in 1889, Henry Flagler constructed the Memorial Presbyterian Church. He went with Carrere & Hastings, who also designed the Ponce de Leon Hotel. Its architecture was influenced by St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice.
The lovely church is open to guests for self-guided tours.
- St. Johns County Ocean Pier
It is located in St. Augustine Beach and is a well-known meeting spot. The Pier area, located south of Anastasia State Park on A1A Beach Blvd., provides services such as pedestrian ramps, beach access, a splash park, a covered pavilion, showers, restrooms, and parking for ordinary cars as well as spaces designated for people with disabilities.
The pier is close to numerous beach and swimwear stores, waterfront restaurants, and coastal hotels. It also features beach volleyball courts and bocce courts.
The pier also offers tide tables and a bait and tackle shop where guests may buy fishing supplies like ice and snacks to keep them fueled throughout the day.
- Villa Zorayda Museum
Franklin Webster Smith built a masterwork of architecture with the Villa Zorayda Museum in 1883.
In addition to the building’s stunning architecture, the collection of antiquities and fine art includes paintings, furniture from the seventeenth century, lovely hanging brass lamps, oriental carpets, and an Egyptian rug that is over 2,400 years old and was originally stolen from one of Egypt’s pyramids.
On a few evenings during St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights event, the Villa Zorayda Museum provides its yearly candlelight tours of the museum. Beautiful Christmas decorations may be seen at the Villa Zorayda. The Candlelight Tours have been held yearly and have developed into a seasonal custom in the area.
- Oldest Store Museum
The Oldest Store Museum recreates the first general store in St. Augustine, which C.F. Hamblen ran in 1908.
There are hundreds of historical artifacts on exhibit. The ancient warehouses were restored utilizing interiors from the original structure, and a turn-of-the-century general shop was recreated using historic store counters, displays, and items.
- Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille
It is located in 46 Avenida Menendez. Their outside eating area is always vibrant and has live music every day.
Traditional Louisiana dishes including jambalaya, etouffee, gumbo, and red beans & rice are available at Harry’s.
Popular casual eating spot Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille is also a local favorite for a nice dinner date with someone.
- St. Augustine Aquarium
This landlocked aquarium, which can be found on Rt. 16 less than a mile from I-95, has a lot to offer, including indoor and outdoor displays as well as a snorkeling excursion in a tank packed with dozens of Florida reef fish, including angelfish, blue-lined grunts, and high-hats.
Visitors are welcome to explore the water and its creatures, look for seahorses hiding in the seagrass, and get up and personal with starfish, horseshoe crabs, and other invertebrates.
- Flagler College
The well-known Flagler College, which has been in operation for more than 50 years, is a historic college that prioritizes offering liberal arts education. It was one of the most upscale resorts of its day and is regarded as one of the greatest examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture.
The old Ponce de Leon Hotel, listed as a National Historic Landmark, serves as the focal point of the college’s 19-acre campus. The hotel was renowned for its lavish settings and extravagances. Millions of dollars have been used to renovate and restore the old buildings, and both tourists and students spend a lot of time simply taking in the atmosphere.
If you buy a ticket, you may go on a historical tour of Flagler College. You may take one of the two daily tours to learn more about Henry Flagler and his contributions to St. Augustine and to view the meticulously restored elements of the historic hotel, such as the dining room’s 79 Tiffany stained-glass windows.
- St. Augustine Boat Tours
You may take boat tours of St. Augustine’s attractions. From bachelorette parties to brief business getaways, St. Augustine Boat Tours can accommodate your group’s demands and design a trip around your interests.
- Old Jail Museum
Henry Flagler provided funding for The Old Jail Museum to help clear property in St. Augustine on which he planned to construct one of his opulent hotels. Costumed characters who entertainingly recount the significant history of the jail bring the stories about the convicts and the era to life.
Visiting the museum is a good way to obtain a better understanding of the artifacts and history.
- Spanish Military Hospital Museum
The oldest street in the United States, Avilles Street, is where the Spanish Military Hospital Museum is situated.
Visitors are introduced to displays of vintage surgical tools and medical equipment during guided tours. They may also learn about conventional treatments and the botanical roots of contemporary drugs in the pharmacy and garden.
The museum is a fascinating and unique place to visit, with exhibits ranging from hospital beds to surgical instruments and even the mourning chamber where patients’ final rites were performed by priests.
- St. Augustine Beach
The well-known St. Augustine Beach has a fishing pier, beachside pavilion, sand volleyball field, and beachfront park, so there is something for everyone.
Spend some time relaxing on the sand, or get some exercise by going for a paddle, surf, or bike ride. There are numerous tropical coastal eateries worth checking out after working up an appetite.
Final Note
St. Augustine which is most renowned for being the oldest city in the United States will appeal to all kinds of tourists.
For those who want to be close to the city’s top attractions, the downtown area, which is also St. Augustine’s historic district, is the best place to stay.
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