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See the Best First on Old Town Trolley Tours� of St. Augustine. The first thing to do in St. Augustine is take a fun and informative narrated tour of the Ancient City aboard the Old Town Trolley. You’ll catch all the important sights and get to know the city from a local’s perspective. It will also help you decide how to spend your time for the rest of your stay. On tour you can hop on and off at any of the 20 convenient stops to explore the area. As an extra bonus, you can ride FREE on the hourly shuttle service to Anastasia Island, stopping at the Alligator Farm, St. Augustine Lighthouse and St. Augustine Beach.
Climb through Castillo de San Marco, St. Augustine’s signature historic site, and the oldest masonry fort in continental North America.
Stroll down St. George Street, the quaint pedestrian-only walking plaza. Shop for unique souvenirs and art in at the myriad of shops housed in diminutive stone Spanish period buildings, with overhanging wooden balconies added during the British period.
Get a bird’s eye view from St. Augustine Lighthouse for a panoramic view of the Ancient City, the surrounding bay and marshes, and the Atlantic Ocean and beaches from the top of the black and white striped 161’ tower.
Tour the jewel of St. Augustine, Flagler College. You’ll be awed by its grandeur explained with great pride by well-informed students.
Spend a day in the “land of crocodiles,” the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Relatively small in size and privately owned, kids of all ages will enjoy one of the best attractions in Florida. There is far more to see than 23 species of crocodiles. All variety of Florida wading birds fly in to roost every evening in the native swamp exhibit, and it is also home to exotic birds and mammals from all over the world. Be there at 3:00 pm on Saturdays as massive, 15-foot Maximo emerges from the water to devour his meal!
Believe It or Not! at Ripley’s, the permanent home of founder Robert Ripley’s personal collection is the first of Ripley’s “Odditoriums, appropriately housed in “The Castle,” a Moorish Revival mansion built in 1887.
Experience haunted St. Augustine. Layers of history have created one of the most haunted cities in America. Discover why on the Ghosts & Gravestones of St. Augustine trolley tour along which you will stop to visit three of the most haunted houses in the city. Or, walk through the really ghostly areas of town on the Ancient City Tours Walking Ghost Tour.
Visit the Ximenz-Fatio House. Of the three dozen colonial era buildings remaining in St. Augustine, this circa 1798 coquina stone house on quaint Aviles Street is one of the finest.
Explore “Antique Alley”. On San Marco Avenue, just a couple of blocks south of the
Old Jail , explore an avenue of wonderful antique shops, used books, galleries, home interior shops, cafes and more.
See St. Augustine by Sea. Get out on the water and enjoy a different perspective of St. Augustine’s landmarks aboard the Victory III, whose legacy stems from one of the area’s first Minorcan settlers, or the Schooner Freedom, a replica of a 19th century blockade runner, both departing daily from St. Augustine’s Municipal Marina. For the thrill of offshore fishing or the intrigue of backwater fishing through the salt marshes, lagoons and rivers, charters depart from several marinas including the Conch House Marina and Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor.
Walk through a State Park, you have several wonderful choices.
- Anastasia State Recreation Area on Anastasia Island in a setting that includes beaches, salt marshes and Florida hammock, walk along nature trails, kayak through marsh, swim on the beach, fish, and birdwatch.
- Guana River State Park, a 2600 acre coastal reserve located off A1A in South Ponte Vedra Beach with both incredible natural and cultural resources is open daily for exploration. Fresh and saltwater marshes, tidal creeks and estuaries teem with sea life and over 230 species of birds. Extensive shell middens from pre-historic times are a testament to the longevity of this plentiful habitat.
- Faver-Dykes Park. Find real solitude15 miles south of the city on US1 in 1609 acres of wild landscape with nature trails and a creek for fishing or canoeing.
Try St Augustine’s hot little secret, the spicy heat of the datil pepper, brought to the area by the immigrant Minorcans in 1777. Mostly backyard-grown, it flavors foods in local restaurants, and bottles of the spicy condiment are found on restaurant tables throughout the area.
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