Getting Touristy in St. Augustine - Castillo de San Marcos, Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth, & Lighthouse
We just got back from a quick trip through Saint Augustine on the way to a cruise that was leaving our of Port Canaveral. We spent some time just walking around the city and visiting the local shops and art galleries.
We stayed 2 nights in a super cute, historic hotel, The Collector. The houses had tons of original features. The house we were in was the oldest on the property. But they had all been updated with modern features.
We made time to do the 3 "must see" attractions in St. Augy.
1) Castillo de San Marcos
I'm not much of a history person - but my husband loves it. I don't mind walking around and checking out these old places. The coolest part was the canon firing. We got there just in time to watch it, and I managed to get a pretty good spot. We went first thing in the morning - which seemed to be less crowded than when we left. It was inexpensive to visit and the staff was very knowledgeable on the history of the fort. They also had staff "in character" to try to give you a bit of the experience as it would have been years ago.
2) Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth
Can you say "tourist trap" seriously!? If you read some of the signage when you arrive, it says they found a cup that they "think" belongs to Ponce de Leon and that they "think" maybe this is what he thought the fountain of youth was - or just another spring in his quest. They've taken the spring, treated it, and it comes out a glorified garden hose. LOL
That said - the experience there was fine. They had an old burial ground that was on site. They also have some really cool peacocks. They had their own canon firing, but it wasn't as cool as the one in the fort. They had alot of activities for kids and a huge amount of land you could explore. We ate lunch at the onsite BBQ place - which was fine, neither good nor bad. We walked there from the fort (from our hotel). It was a bit far, but considering we were getting on a cruise a few days later, I was happy to have the exercise. It was worth the trip to see the white peacocks - which I've never seen in person before.
By the way - I'm not any more youthful now than I was when I drank this. I thought maybe it took a while to work, but I've given up hope at this point...(LOL)
2) St. Augustine Lighthouse
This was my favorite thing that we did while in St. Augustine. It was inexpensive, and there were a number of things to do on the property. We went first thing in the morning, so it wasn't too busy (that seems to be the key with everything, doesn't it?) The first thing we did was climb to the top of the light house. Sadly, according to their sign, it was only burned like 25 calories going up and like 11 down. It felt like way more :) They had great signs about some of the history on each floor. There were several buildings on sight and a super cute snack shop called the Tin Pickle. The original house where the lighthouse keepers lived had some cool displays, and there was a section for kiddos.
We stayed 2 nights in a super cute, historic hotel, The Collector. The houses had tons of original features. The house we were in was the oldest on the property. But they had all been updated with modern features.
We made time to do the 3 "must see" attractions in St. Augy.
1) Castillo de San Marcos
I'm not much of a history person - but my husband loves it. I don't mind walking around and checking out these old places. The coolest part was the canon firing. We got there just in time to watch it, and I managed to get a pretty good spot. We went first thing in the morning - which seemed to be less crowded than when we left. It was inexpensive to visit and the staff was very knowledgeable on the history of the fort. They also had staff "in character" to try to give you a bit of the experience as it would have been years ago.
2) Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth
Can you say "tourist trap" seriously!? If you read some of the signage when you arrive, it says they found a cup that they "think" belongs to Ponce de Leon and that they "think" maybe this is what he thought the fountain of youth was - or just another spring in his quest. They've taken the spring, treated it, and it comes out a glorified garden hose. LOL
That said - the experience there was fine. They had an old burial ground that was on site. They also have some really cool peacocks. They had their own canon firing, but it wasn't as cool as the one in the fort. They had alot of activities for kids and a huge amount of land you could explore. We ate lunch at the onsite BBQ place - which was fine, neither good nor bad. We walked there from the fort (from our hotel). It was a bit far, but considering we were getting on a cruise a few days later, I was happy to have the exercise. It was worth the trip to see the white peacocks - which I've never seen in person before.
By the way - I'm not any more youthful now than I was when I drank this. I thought maybe it took a while to work, but I've given up hope at this point...(LOL)
2) St. Augustine Lighthouse
This was my favorite thing that we did while in St. Augustine. It was inexpensive, and there were a number of things to do on the property. We went first thing in the morning, so it wasn't too busy (that seems to be the key with everything, doesn't it?) The first thing we did was climb to the top of the light house. Sadly, according to their sign, it was only burned like 25 calories going up and like 11 down. It felt like way more :) They had great signs about some of the history on each floor. There were several buildings on sight and a super cute snack shop called the Tin Pickle. The original house where the lighthouse keepers lived had some cool displays, and there was a section for kiddos.
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