©St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches VCB

St. Augustine

There just might be some truth to the Fountain of Youth after all. The oldest city in the U.S. celebrates its 459th birthday in 2024, and it’s never looked better. 

In lively St. Augustine, tourists sip sangria from upstairs balconies and bands play live on the bay and inside St. George Street courtyards. Costumed guides lead spirited ghost tours nightly. From visiting historic sites to spending time by the ocean, there’s much to see and do. 

What’s Old is New Again

Through the centuries, St. Augustine has reinvented itself time and time again. The Fountain of Youth has evolved into a living-history museum and park. Tales of 18th-century pirates have materialized into a popular bayfront museum for families. The five-star resort built by Henry Flagler is now home to 3,000 college students. 

In April 1513, explorer Ponce de León landed near St. Augustine, staking a claim for the Spanish crown and christening the land la Florida in honor of his country’s Easter Feast of the Flowers. He sent word back to the old country that Florida was an ideal place for a new colony, and in 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés returned to the very spot and established the first permanent European settlement in the United States, predating Jamestown by 94 years and Plymouth by 107 years. 

Over the centuries, St. Augustine was the center of Spanish and then British Colonial life in America and, in the 1880s, a vacation destination with the addition of a railroad and three luxury hotels developed by Henry Flagler. The daily rate at the Hotel Ponce de Leon for guests staying the winter season was $39, which equates to $2,000 today. Among the famous guests were Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph Pulitzer, Mark Twain and Babe Ruth. 

Today, the city attracts 2.5 million tourists annually—families, history buffs and beach bums alike who want to experience the rich history, local flavor and lively atmosphere. 

©St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches VCB

Epicurean Dreams

Every eatery from tiny, Spanish bakeries to oceanfront seafood shacks and elegant dining rooms in Victorian mansions are serving up innovative cuisine that’s at once respectful of the past and on-trend. Foodies will find a melting pot of Southern, Spanish, Caribbean and Floribbean cuisines featuring local seafood and farm-fresh produce. 

The Historic Downtown is the oldest part of the city, with buildings dating back to the 1700s. It is here you’ll find the majority of St. Augustine’s restaurants. Columbia Restaurant is legendary for Cuban cuisine and a true don’t miss. Diners rave about the Pollo Valenciana (chicken and yellow rice). The chic Cordova Coastal Chophouse & Bar is a fine-dining restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oenephiles will love the wine collection. Find amazing views of the bayfront and authentic Irish cuisine at Meehan’s.

©FloridasHistoricCoast.com

How to Explore the City

After enjoying a taste of the city, tourists take to the streets with a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour. Visitors can choose from a dozen more historic sites to relive the story of St. Augustine, from obvious sites such as the massive Castillo de San Marcos and the bustling St. George Street to hidden gems like the ivy-covered Chapel of Our Lady of La Leche. St. Augustine offers a plethora of attractions for children as well, from the country’s original Ripley’s Believe It or Not and first wax museum (Potter’s) to an 1874 lighthouse and the country’s first alligator farm, which is well worth an afternoon’s visit. 

Finally, no visitor to Florida can forget the beaches. It was, in fact, the beautiful safe harbor and smooth shoreline that drew those first explorers to the area more than 500 years ago. The rest is history.

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