St. Augustine: Florida's finest jewel

[Blackford Oakes]

Oh ... one more thing! UTS, there is a tour of the college that lets you in to the dining hall. I highly recommend it. Ours was guided by a very knowledgeable communications student who had a great schpiel and tour guide presence.

The Dining Hall is also off limits (unless you're on the tour), well, because it's the dining hall and so they probably don't want people interrupting lunch and dinner for the students.

Take the tour next time you go ... it's worth it!

Ya. Classes were in session during each of our visits so the tour wasn't offered.

Enjoyed the hall pics you shared on Twitter.

[Maria de los Angeles]

My Flickr pictures are up!

St. Augustine & Ponte Vedra - a set on Flickr

Stories coming soon.

[Lizy]

Wow, Maria, great pics! I love this place more and more, can't wait to visit! It seems very European, but from the American point of view - I don't know if this makes any sense, this is just a feeling I got when looking at your pictures. Do you know of any budget accommodation there? (I mean really budget, like under $50 per night) Thanks! And how can you get there if you're not driving?

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Lizy! St. Augustine is indeed European (or more Spanish, rather). It was founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. It's said to have been "discovered" by Ponce de Leon in 1513, though some scholars think other Spaniards, possible slave traders, may have made landfall here even earlier.

It's the oldest European colonized established city in the US, with many "old" firsts, like the oldest street, oldest wooden schoolhouse, oldest military hospital, oldest fortification, etc; -- all of which are still standing. It was also here that Henry Flagler built his hotel empire before he reached Palm Beach and Miami as he made his way to the Keys.

When people say Florida has no history and that you can only find authentic history up in the northeast, they are clearly not aware of Saint Augustine! It's funny how Spanish history in the US tends to get erased after the British pilgrims landed. And of course, there was plenty of history here before white people from Europe arrived. "History" did not begin with European settlers. Florida is rich in archeological sites -- closer to Miami you can explore some of that at the Deering Estate.

When you walk down certain streets in Saint Augustine, you really feel like you're in Spain! They've done an incredible job of restoring and preserving the historical look and feel. It's very unique.


Saint George Street

Staff member at La Taberna del Gallo (established 1734) cleaning up some red wine sangria somebody had spilled on the wall the night before.


Avilés Street (oldest street in the US) which has been recently restored and reopened -- there are no electric lines in sight anywhere. The sidewalks were widened to accommodate outdoor café seating. There are some seriously great art galleries here, plus some shops and restaurants.

[Lizy]

I totally agree with you Maria, I didn't know that Florida had such a rich history. I just read that Florida actually belonged to Spain at one time? Or I misunderstood something?
Anyway, this place looks like someplace full of old-world history of the South, I can easily imagine the Vampire Diaries or some other folklore-lit show being placed in these surroundings (BTW, the VD is my favorite show this days, maybe that's the reason why St. Augustine made me think of it. Must be the mystery of the South

[Maria de los Angeles]

Wow, Maria, great pics! I love this place more and more, can't wait to visit! It seems very European, but from the American point of view - I don't know if this makes any sense, this is just a feeling I got when looking at your pictures. Do you know of any budget accommodation there? (I mean really budget, like under $50 per night) Thanks! And how can you get there if you're not driving?

To answer your specific question:

I flew to Saint Augustine from Miami International Airport. It's a very short flight ... one hour and 15 minutes. You land in Jacksonville and then have to drive about an hour to the old city.

Word on the street is that the Saint Augustine regional airport might open up flights for tourists, but that isn't confirmed yet.

The drive is only 6 hours, less if you avoid traffic. If you leave Miami before sunrise and are out of the West Palm Beach area by morning rush hour, I think you're good to go and can make even faster time.

From Miami you could take Metrorail to Tri-Rail to Amtrak station (West Palm Beach) to Jacksonville, or take Amtrak directly from Miami to Jacksonville.

Then of course, there's also Greyhound bus.

Train and bus takes a very long time though and the bus may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Let me find out more for you regarding ground transportation options. I had someone pick me up at the airport, so I'm not sure about buses or shuttles to and from the airport.

Also, let me find out about accommodations as well. There are probably some budget accommodations (national chain motels and hotels) outside of the historic quarter, but I'm not sure.

St. Augustine is known for great outlet malls if you're into discount shopping.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Lizy, here is the official visitors and convention bureau site: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches Florida Official Visitors Site - Find St Augustine FL History, Golf, Hotels, Restaurants, and Attractions | Your Florida Getaway - FloridasHistoricCoast.com

Yes, Florida belonged to Spain until 1763 after the Seven Year's War. Spain ceded Florida to Britain and Spain got Cuba back from the British.

[Lizy]

Thank you so much Maria for all this info, I appreciate it! Perhaps some other forum members would like to join me for a road trip to St. Augustine... I def will take time for trips like this when I arrive to FL. (Gosh, can't wait, weather is getting cold and depressing here

[Blackford Oakes]

Cool stuff Maria ! How did the culinary aspect of your trip go.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Thank you so much Maria for all this info, I appreciate it! Perhaps some other forum members would like to join me for a road trip to St. Augustine... I def will take time for trips like this when I arrive to FL.

When are you coming? I'm planning a road trip for November, though it is kind of "work" ... I'll be following the trail of the pirates from Key West to St. Augustine!

[Maria de los Angeles]

UTS ... I just posted!

Eat Your Way Through Historic Saint Augustine - Tripatini

sex and the beach: Travel: Culinary Delights Await Foodies on St. Augustine

Obviously, for editorial reasons, I couldn't talk about EVERYTHING I ate in St. Augustine, but I'll be posting more soon. There were other fabulous restaurants.

[Maria de los Angeles]

(BTW, the VD is my favorite show this days, maybe that's the reason why St. Augustine made me think of it. Must be the mystery of the South

I'm not sure what the show is like, but geographically speaking, St. Augustine does feel like the South. You will love the oak trees covered with Spanish moss. (We have those in Miami too, but not as abundant and only in certain sections -- none in Miami Beach, that I know of.)

The old quarter of St. Augustine does feel like a movie set but it's all "real" and not fake like Disney. There are people who work as re-enacters (they are actors who recreate historical scenes) and they sometimes walk around in costume after "work". My favorite part was having a sangria at the Rooster Tavern and seeing a "pirate" walk in ... LOL!

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Lizy! Here you go. I'm copying this from an email sent to me.

Visit the website www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com for accommodations. At the top of the page, click on Hot Deals for current offers from accommodations, attractions and more.

There is scheduled shuttle service from JAX airport to St. Augustine: http://yellowcabflorida.com/ Click on "northeast"

Here are other transportation options:

FloridasHistoricCoast.com

http://www.ifly.com/jacksonville-international-airport/JAX-airport-shuttle

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi everybody! I just posted a general recap of my trip in our news section. Enjoy! Visit St. Augustine: Florida’s Jewel of a City - Miami Beach 411

[sydney123]

Great pics of the fort!