St.
Augustine is known as the “Nation's Oldest City”.
It is the longest continuously occupied settlement of European
decent in the United States.
Historians credit
Juan Ponce de Leon with the discovery of Florida on March
27, 1513 which was Easter Sunday. He claimed the territory
for the Spanish and named it Florida after the Easter season,
known in Spanish as Pascua Florida. The claimed territory
extended north and west to include most of the land known
as North America.
 On
August 28, 1565 Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles first sighted
the coast of Florida. Twelve days later on September 8,
1565 Menendez set foot on the Florida shoreline with his
crew of soldiers and voyagers. Menendez renamed the land
“St. Augustine” in honor of the “Feast
Day of St. Augustine” which was the day Menendez first
sighted the new land.
In 1672, construction
began on the fortress known as the Castillo de San Marcos.
The fort was completed in 1702. It was completed just in
time to protect the attack by the British from the Carolinas.
Only Castillo de San Marcos survived the destruction of
the city by the British invasion. In 1763, the Treaty of
Paris gave St. Augustine to the British and in 1783 the
second Treaty of Paris gave the city back to the Americans.
The Americans returned the city back to Spain as a reward
for their assistance in the war against England. In 1821
the Spanish turned over Florida to the United States.
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In 1886 Henry
Flagler, one of the partners of the Standard Oil company
owned a railroad company that linked St Augustine with cities
of the northeast. In 1887 Flagler’s company began
construction on two large and ornate hotels, the Ponce de
Leon and the Alcazar. A year later, Flagler added a third
hotel, the Casa Monica. This hotel had been originally started
by another developer. The richest people stayed at the Ponce
de Leon, which was the grandest of the hotels. Flagler created
a winter resort for the wealthy which became the winter
tourist capital of the United States.
St.
Augustine
Today
Today,
St Augustine continues to thrive and prosper as it proudly
proclaims its four centuries of history. The city of St
Augustine celebrated its 400th anniversary in 1965.
More
than 2 million people visit the city annually to discover
the unique history of the city. Throughout the city, thirty-six
buildings of colonial origin and another forty have been
reconstructed from the colonial buildings. Visitors can
only appreciate the rich heritage that makes St Augustine
a unique getaway.
Visitors of St. Augustine
may explore the city’s history by visiting the many
museums in the city to see the life of the early Spanish
immigrants. Visitors may enjoy the history of the city by
strolling the narrow streets and balconied houses that are
identified by the architecture introduced by the Spanish
settlers of the old world. Stroll the famous St. George
Street which is pedestrian-only. Visit some of its unique
shops. St George Street and its adjacent streets are lined
by 18th century buildings which are historic landmarks.
You may visit some of the many museums throughout the city.
You can also visit some of the beautiful churches that were
built centuries ago.
St Augustine is also
the home of some of the best restaurants in Florida. There
are a number of different choices which include casual,
small and quaint, semi-formal, and elegant restaurants.
You may choose French, Italian, Greek, Asian, Continental
and Seafood cuisine. Fine dining is only minutes away from
Waters Edge. St. Augustine offers visitors some of the best
tasting food in the world.
St.
Augustine Attractions
St.
Augustine, America's "oldest city" is a delightful
town to explore. Discover the history of St. Augustine
by visiting some of the cities attractions. Numerous
interesting buildings and streets bring history alive for
children and adults alike. Water's Edge is only two miles
from Historic Downtown St. Augustine.
During
your visit to St Augustine, you may choose to take one of
the tram or trolley tours to see the city. You can
also discover St. Augustine by water as its original founders
had centuries ago in one of the many cruises throughout
the city. You may choose to take a turn-of–the-century
horse and carriage ride to see the city and the waterfront.
You can also take a guided bike tour around the city.
There are also helicopter tours to see the oldest city.
At night you can take one of the haunted ghost tours.
There are many
things to see and do when you are touring St. Augustine.
Some of the sites you may wish to visit may include:
The St
Augustine Lighthouse is where you can climb 165 feet
to the top and enjoy the stunning views of the ancient city
and surrounding water
The
Fountain of Youth has a spring
where guests are invited to sample the water. This is where
the Spanish first came ashore and Ponce de Leon put his
cross of 27 stone slabs, (15 in the staff and 13 in the
beam) to indicate the year of his visit, 1513.
The Flagler
Hotels include the “Ponce de Leon”
which is now Flagler College,
the “Alcazar”, which now houses the Lightner
Museum and the “Casa Monica” which is
now the St Johns County Courthouse.
The
Old Jail has tours guided by deputies and inmates.
Here you can see the original inmate cells, the maximum
security area, and a large collection of guns which were
used in actual crimes of the past.
The
Oldest School House which was built prior
to 1763 still stands in its original state. Here you can
see some of the rare old school books of the time.
The
Old Drug Store has a fascinating collection of turn-of-the-century
merchandise
The
Oldest House is the oldest surviving Spanish colonial
house.
San
Sebastian Winery offers guided wine tours,
award winning wines and complimentary wine tasting.
The Alligator Farm
celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1993. It is the only
place in the world that you can view 23 species of crocodiles
in one location.
Marineland
is the world’s first oceanarium where you can view
dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and other marine life.
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