For us, St. Augustine, which is probably most well known as being the oldest city in the U.S., is a tale of two cities…one historical, and one amazingly tchotchke.

On the historical side, the city is technically “the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the United States”. (Say that five times fast!) However you want to title it, it is old. It was founded in 1565 meaning it was over 200 years old when America won its independence.

As you walk the historic downtown, you feel that age all around you. The architecture is impressive. The streets are narrow, and the oldest buildings give off that old European town feel, while later landmarks leaned more specifically into the city’s Spanish heritage.

Flagler College

One of the most impressive sites is Flagler College. This small, liberal arts college was started in the former Ponce De Leon luxury hotel. It has since grown beyond that space, but the original building is still incredible to see. You are free to walk a small portion of the building and grounds, or they offer guided tours which allow you to go deeper and see more.

Directly across the street from the college, the Lightner museum occupies the site of another former luxury hotel, the Hotel Alcazar. In the 20’s and 30’s, as the eight-hour workday and five-day work week became more common, “advocates for public morality grew increasingly concerned about how people were spending their leisure time.” Seems they were worried people might fill their weekends with drinking and gambling! So, they began promoting hobbies as a better life choice. Otto Lightner shared this belief and amassed an amazing array of artifacts focused on hobbies and collecting. Wishing to share his collection with others, he purchased the Hotel Alcazar and converted it to a museum to house his collection. The building is really beautiful and the collection is quirky to say the least. We saw early bicycles, a taxidermized lion, a dinosaur egg, an early medical device used for shock therapy, crazy cool furniture, sculptures, paintings, tiffany lamps and more! Worth a visit!

St. Augustine lighthouse

We also visited the St. Augustine lighthouse. While there are records of a “lighthouse” in St. Augustine dating back to the late 1500’s, the current incarnation dates to the 1870’s and is still in operation today. The lighthouse is surrounded by a museum, a lab for the conservation of recovered artifacts, and a very cool shipbuilding demonstration workshop. You can climb to the top of the tower for great views of the surrounding area.

Castillo de San Marcos

The final stop of our historical excursion was Castillo de San Marcos which is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US having been constructed starting in 1672. The fort is in great shape and has some really good displays tracing its history from its beginnings to now.

The flipside of the St. Augustine coin is the touristy side. There are multiple trolley tours, the required pirate museum, a Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum, and, at the top of the heap, the famed fountain of youth! Once we realized the fountain of youth neither makes you younger NOR stops you from aging, we decided to pass. We also passed on the other overtly touristy options, but many of them get really good reviews!

North Beach

We also got to walk on the beach every morning and some afternoons. No matter where we are, a walk on the beach is always a great way to start or end your day!

Foodie Alert

Catch 27 is in the heart of St. Augustine and just celebrated its 10th year. Christina had read some reviews and decided to check it out. It’s a small casual atmosphere that includes a lovely patio option if the weather permits. The chef Joshua Smith combines a unique menu of delectable Southern style cuisine with a focus on fresh food. I would highly recommend the deviled egg with the southern fried oysters. John isn’t a fan of oysters and said it was the best deviled egg he’s had.

St. Augustine, FL