Another vacation thread - Saint Augustine

[Liberty Belle]

I'm almost certain now we're going for spring break.

I haven't been since I was a child, but remember loving it.

We definitely plan on visiting the big fort and the free one you take a ferry to (sorry, can't remember the name). We also plan on visiting the state park and its beach at least a couple of days. The Fountain of Youth thing looks hokey, but I think it would be fun and great for souvenirs to bring back home to family (I read they sell bottles of the spring water).

A couple of other things we'd like to do are the haunted tour (not sure what it's called) and Marineland, though they're both kind of expensive and I'm not sure if they'd be worth it.

I've been researching hotels/motels and reviews are so varied it's hard to tell which are nice and which aren't. We're on a budget and if I can stay in a nice, clean place and not pay over $100, I'd prefer it. If it takes more than that for a decent, clean stay, I'd rather pay a little extra and stay somewhere upscale.

I have no idea about restaurants or other places of interest.

What do those of you who've been to Saint Augustine recommend? We'll be driving from Lexington, KY, and will need to stop a couple of times, at least, on the way. Any good rest areas, parks, etc, we should stop at?

I'd love any advice/experience/memories/etc you could give.

TIA!

 

[Pembo]

We stayed at the Hampton Suites Oceanside. It was a little farther out of town but right on the beach. Also we went to Fort Matanzas. It was a short boat ride to the fort. It was a very fun, inexpensive trip and the park is beautiful.

We went to St Augustine a few years ago for spring break. The Comfort Suites at Worldgate has an indoor pool. We discovered this one year we travelling to Disney. We got a coupon from the Roomsavers flier you pick up at the rest areas. A beautiful hotel, good breakfast and that indoor pool came in handy. Also go to the outlets at St Aug...they have a Disney outlet.

 

[charming23]

We stayed in St. Augustine this past September on our way down to Disney. We stayed at a very nice Days Inn over by the outlet malls. It was clean and I felt very comfortable there.

We spent the morning down at the beach and it was wonderful. We even got to drive on the beach. We visited the lighthouse and the fort.

 

[ksjayhawks]

When we were there we stayed at the KOA campground--convenient to lots of stuff, but not for everyone of course.

You can buy a "ticket package" that will give you guided tours of so many of the historic areas in St. Augustine. We enjoyed it. I believe it was good for two or three days, so you could do it at your leisure. We also went to the alligator farm, beach, etc. We enjoyed eating at all the local spots rather than the chains.

 

[budmonster]

We love St Augustine, we only live 2 hours away and visit it frequently. We like to stay at the Holiday Inn on A1A its just outside of the city which makes it very affordable to stay. It's also right on the beach and a short drive to the historic part of St. Augustine. As for thing to see in the historic part of the city don't forget about the old churches some of them are just amazing, even if you not religious, also chech out the college they have the largest collection of original Tiffany windows in one building. Don't forget all the little unique stores in the heart of the city, my favorite is the fudge shop. Whatever you do you'll have a great time there.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I'm going down in 2 weeks for a mini vacation. I'll let you know how the haunted tour is. It's a definite do this time.

Granted, I'm not worried about the hotel thing, my grandparents retired down there. So I'm staying in Grandma's guest room and using her car. It's going to be a huge budget vacation.

And you have to do Ripley's. That and chick-fil-a are my only must haves when I'm down for a few days.

 

[Wendy31]

Love, love, love St. Augustine!!!! It's my favorite city!

When we stay for a week, we normally stay in a condo on the beach. My new favorite is The Coquina which is actually on Crescent Beach, a little further down - but close to Marineland. My parents like Spanish Trace which is on St. Augustine Beach.

When we are staying for a couple of nights only (usually on our way to or back from Disney World), we stay at The Hampton Oceanside - very nice, oceanfront rooms w/ free breakfast.

We really enjoyed the boat ride to Fort Matanzas. We also like Castillo de San Marcos (the fort in town). We usually spend an afternoon shopping on St. George Street as well. The Spanish Bakery on St. George Street is a must-do for us. Ripley's Musuem is fun! The Fountain of Youth is a little "hokey" but kind of a must-do for a first time visit. We also like the Lightner Musuem - very cool Victorian art, furniture, etc. Walking along the bay w/ an ice cream cone is also quite fun! Oh! And I almost forgot the lighthouse!! That's nice too - especially if you walk all the way up! Our kids enjoyed the Alligator Farm - we actually like the Alligator Farm better than Marine Land.

For Ghost Tours, we like the Original Haunted Ghostly Walking Tours - really interesting & cool - not silly & "cheap" like some of the others! Last time, we tried to do the Ghostly Pirate Ship, but the weather was too iffy so they weren't taking the boat out. But that's definitely on our list!

We've done the Scenic Boat Tours as well - the late afternoon/early evening boat rides are the best.

For restaurants, we love Salt Water Cowboy's, Creekside, Barnacle Bill's (downtown), & the Columbian (on St. George St). My former favorite, Fiddler's Green, is no longer there! I loved eating my dinner while watching the ocean!

We can't wait to go back this summer!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I remember my family going to see the fountain of youth when I was a kid. All I remember is some life like figures of Ponce De Leon and a water faucet.

My more recent experience of St. Augustine is their outlet malls. If you like to shop, there are two upscale outlets on each side of I95. The one on the NB side has a Disney Outlet.

 

[Planogirl]

Don't forget the haunted lighthouse!

We really enjoyed St Augustine. It was fun just to walk around and check out some of the old buildings. Our ghost tour was great but I can't recall which one it was. Be careful, they have several, some with similar names.

 

[Golf4food]

If you do head to Fort Matanzas and Marineland, if you go just a mile or two farther south you come to Washington Oaks State Park, which is a nice place to walk around - it has a beach side with some cool coquina rocks on the sand and an intracoastal side that has a rose garden, fountain, walking paths, etc. Great place to take a picnic lunch or take photos.

Lots and lots of places to eat in St. Augustine, just depends on your tastes. Best local seafood is at O'Steen's on the island not far from the lighthouse/entrance to Anastasia Island State Park.

Do NOT, I repeat, NOT waste your money at the restaurant by the bridge that is on the docks out over the water - the Santa Maria. It is hugely overpriced and not very good. Giant waste.

Everyone else has covered pretty much everything else. We live an hour away and go quite often (was there a couple of weeks ago, will be there this Saturday, and will probably be there again later in January). PM me if you have questions. St. Augustine is a great little town. I'd be quite happy to just move there and have it done with, lol. Would certainly save on gas.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We went last April with my daughter's Spanish Immersion school. One of my favorite meals was at The Spanish Bakery. It is located behind a chocolate shop. www.thespanishbakery.com. I had the Picadillo-chili without beans served over rice. It was great to eat authentic Spanish food. It's cheap and a lot of locals eat lunch there.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Thank you all! I'm getting so excited!