St Augustine must do's...without breaking the bank?

[tmarquez]

We're going to St Augustine for a long weekend over the 4th of July weekend. Already have a place to stay. It'll be me, DH, DD (7) and her friend (8).

Do you have any tips?

Thanks!!

 

[ShiPooOwner]

We always take a side trip to St. Augustine when we're at DW. We love taking the "get on/get off" trolley ride. There's a green trolley and a red one and for the life of me, I can't remember which one we always ride. They are probably quite similar. I think the one we took had a few more stops.

With the one we always take, you actually get a ticket for two days of riding and although we've never been there two days to use it, you could take advantage of that little bonus feature. The drivers are knowledgeable and tell you all about St. Augustine's history and historical sites you pass or stop at so you can get off if you want. St. George's Street is so much fun to walk up and down with its quaint shops and restaurants along the way. The fort is fun to explore, too.

I think you're going to love St. Augustine.

 

[cjnix29]

We took a dolphin cruise the last time we were there and saw all kinds of dolphins. It was a little expensive, but SO much fun. My son, 5 at the time, LOVED it! eco tours or something like that. There is also some place near there (I'm sure if you googled it you could find something) where there is a great place to see manatees.

 

[tripletots]

St. Augustine is my favorite town to visit. It's so lovely. We visit every year, but aren't going this year. (kids starting college, I'll never get back). We never spend tons of money there, but we do visit the fort Castillo de San Marcos. Kids 15 and under are free and adults are $6.00. Tickets are good for a week. We also love shopping around St. George Street. Lots of lovely shops and our favorite place for breakfast is The Bunnery. There is a 10% coupon in the See St. Augustine mini magazine. At least there has been for the last 5 years. There is also a Disney outlet off of 95. We visited this for the first time last year. It was OK. We were able to get some trading pins fairly inexpensive.

 

[Golf4food]

The Castillo de San Marcos is a must.

If you are driving you can go down to the sister fort about 30 minutes south of St. Aug called Fort Matanzas - it is free and involves a free boat ride across the river to the island where the fort is located. Matanzas also has elevated boardwalk nature trails and is right by the beach. Marineland is a few minutes farther south and another minute or two from there is Washington Oaks State Park, which is very nice and cheap. Both forts frequently have Spanish or British reenactors on the weekends.

St. George street is the main shopping district in the Old Towne, but don't forget the streets on either side (Hipolyta, Spanish, Cordova, etc.) there are little shops and such on all of them. On St. George street is the Spanish Quarter living history museum.

Flagler College does tours and is fabulous architecture and history of Henry Flagler. Across the street from there is the Lightner Museum.

There are more than a few nice churches, especially the Presbyterian church where Flagler attended and helped to fund - amazing architecture inside and out and they are usually open and free.

The Alligator Farm is a nice zoological park - more than just alligators. There are always coupons available around town.

The Lighthouse is near the Alligator farm and you can get into it fairly reasonably (again, look for coupons for anything in St. Augustine) and climb to the top for a nice view. Another block down is Anastasia state park, which is beautiful.

There are sometimes events at the Ampitheater, which is right there as well.

Further down you can go to "St. Augustine Beach" proper for some time on the sand in the sun and surf. Enjoy a Rita's Italian Ice (I'm partial to the Gelati's myself).

Again if you are driving you can head up to Jacksonville for a day - lots of things to do: wonderful zoo, museums (MOSH has lots of interactive kids exhibits), Ft. Caroline (which helped prompt the settlement of St. Augustine by the Spanish - and the French from Caroline then tried to attack St. Aug and vice versa - they are two pieces of the same puzzle), Kingsley Plantation, Big and Little Talbot islands, malls and shopping areas.


Don't waste time or money eating at the Santa Maria in St. Aug over the water - huge waste. Biggest ripoff in the city! There are sooooooooo many better places to eat that are also cheaper! Don't do it!

 

[ncbyrne]

Don't waste time or money eating at the Santa Maria in St. Aug over the water - huge waste. Biggest ripoff in the city! There are sooooooooo many better places to eat that are also cheaper! Don't do it!

Although we have only been to St. Aug. 3 times in 20 years, we ALWAYS eat there! Love being able to feed the fish while you eat. We are going again in Sept. and would probably just head there to eat again out of habit. Any suggestions on where else to eat dinner?

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

If you have a senior with you, you can purchase a senior pass to the Castillo that is good for all national parks and covers more than one person. I can't remember the exact details, but it would be on their site.

We loved the trolley tour, and the Castillo. Add the beach, and we are good in St. Augustine. Love the idea of visiting the other fort, also!