Three Days in St Augustine...

[Minnesota!]

So, we had some airline credits and hotel points to burn and are, in turn, going to St Augustine for the first time ever in two weeks..

It has been on my travel bucket list for a long time...love the history behind it. So, I know the highlights of what I want to hit:

Night of Lights (we arrive on beginning night!)
Lighthouse
Fountain of Youth
Castillo de San Marcos
Whetstone Chocolate Factory
Beach (we are staying in St Augustine Beach)
And, it looks like the Historic District is good for just walking around.

Now, where should we eat? We love seafood, love southern food, anything that is different than we can get back home. I would prefer at least one "beachside" meal..

Anything else we should see? We arrive on a Saturday - fly into Jacksonville at 11am so I assume we should be to our hotel in SAB by 2. Then we leave SAB on Tuesday. So, I want to cram in EVERYTHING that I can.

Any places to stay away from - restaurants, bars, areas?

Thanks, in advance!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

DD goes to Flagler College is St. Augustine. In fact we just got back from Family Weekend!

We did a fun "ghost trolly car tour". The town is full of cute shops and different kinds of foods - one of our favorites is a
waffle and milkshake shop. We really liked Salt Life Shack, Sunset Grille and Raintree Restaurant.

There are also carriage rides through the city which I imagine would be so nice during the Night of Lights!

Have fun!

 

[dish rag]

Nothing to add except that it's a real fun place. We are planning to spend New Years there. Have fun.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

A1a brewery is good. Some of the best calimari we've ever had was from there.

 

[JaxDad]

You might want to do the Holly Jolly Trolley for the lights. It is convenient for on/off privileges around the historic area, plus it includes some fun extras like special glasses to make all the lights look like snowflakes or candy canes. You should walk St. George Street (lots of shops, restaurants, pubs, etc). The Castillo is on one end and the Plaza de la Constitucion (with a high density of holiday lights) is at the other. There is a nice cathedral. The Pirate's Museum is kind of cool, as is the Colonial Quarter. There is a Ripley's Believe it or Not and other kitschy attractions like Potter's Wax Museum, Old Jail, etc. The Alligator Farm is actually pretty cool too. It is located between the historic area and the beach. There are lots of good and fun restaurants. You might want to search Yelp or TripAdvisor to narrow down what you might like (and location).

 

[charming23]

When I went many years ago we ate at the Oasis http://www.worldfamousoasis.com/. It was right on the beach, had good food, and was reasonably priced.

We only had one morning there but we hit the beach, the lighthouse, and drove around.

 

[LSLS]

I love the Columbia Restaurant. It's semi-local (They have like 5 places around central Florida), but their Sangria is to DIE for. Food is great as well (Spanish/Cuban style). Great grouper, and my wife ALWAYS got he Pompano (it's got like a seafood stuffing and wrapped in parchment paper). Our rehersal dinner was at the Columbia in St. Pete (gone since they closed the pier), and it is a must any time we end up in Tampa/Orlando.

 

[phorsenuf]

Check out Harry's Seafood Bar & Grill. It has a cajun flair to it and is excellent. We also ate at the Columbia and enjoyed it very much. Definitely check out St. George Street. Lots of cute shops. The Litner Museum was a great place as well. We had lunch at the cafe there, which is in the deep end of what was once the swimming pool. If you want to do a ghost tour I recommend the Ghost Trolley. It's a lot of fun. We love it there and looking forward to going back.

 

[Wendy31]

We go to St. Augustine at least once every year. We were there in June & September of this year & have a trip planned for December.

"The Nights of Lights" is actually the city's busiest season - the town is more crowded then than even in the summer. However, the beach will not be as crowded.

Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays are extremely crowded during "Nights of Lights". If there is something you want to do/see in town on the weekend during "Nights of Lights", you need to be in town by at least 3:00 pm.

Our favorite restaurants in town are The Columbia (Spanish/Cuban), Harry's (New Orleans/Cajun), & the Floridian (coastal, southern). Prohibition Kitchen (craft beer & gourmet burgers) is fun too. Harry's has outdoor seating w/ live music. OC Whites (seafood) is also good & is across the street from the bay.

People who live there swear by Osteen's for fried shrimp. We like Barnacle Bill's.

For lunch, we really enjoy the Spanish Bakery. Cousteau's (the waffle place) is good too! And we love, love, love the Crave Food Truck - fresh, local ingredients in made-to-order wraps & salads!

There are 2 relatively new restaurants which we haven't yet had an opportunity to try, but they get really good reviews: Ice Plant and Preserved.

Both Preserved and The Floridian are "farm to table" type restaurants w/ menus that focus on updated, modern southern cuisine.

Creekside (seafood, plank cooking) is also a restaurant we enjoy - it's located in the contemporary part of town behind the historic district. They have outdoor seating at a marina, & there is live music on selected nights.

For restaurants on the island, we like Saltwater Cowboy's & Viola's. Salt Life (seafood, fish tacos) and Oasis (fried shrimp, burgers, etc.) are good too. Saltwater Cowboy's is themed wonderfully after an old Florida Cracker House & serves seafood & "cracker" cooking - frog legs, alligator tail, etc. Salt Life has rooftop views of the ocean. Viola's is an authentic New York Italian restaurant - the owners & chefs are from NYC. For pizza on the island, we like Romano's.

On the other side on Vilano Beach, we really like Aunt Kate's (seafood, Minorcan cooking), & we love Cap's on the Water! Cap's has a wonderful menu w/ fresh, local seafood & other interesting dishes, & there is great outdoor seating on the intracoastal waterway.

The Lighthouse is lovely at Christmas! Our kids love the Alligator Farm. Both the Lighthouse & the Alligator Farm are attractions located on the island.

In town, the Castillo de San Marcos is a must-do for a first-time visitor! The Fountain of Youth is important as well. The Pirate Museum is fun too - it was designed by a former Disney Imagineer. I also really like the Nombre de Dios - the first Catholic mission. There are some really pretty walking paths.

We've done The Old Jail and Ripley's, but they're both a little cheesey.

I love the Lightner Museum, &, if you're a "Downton Abbey" fan, they currently have a "Dressing Downton" exhibit.

If you want to tour of the Whetstone Chocolate Factory, be sure to make a reservation. There are limited times for the tours & only a certain number of people allowed per tour, so, depending on the day, tours can fill up quickly.

The Holly Jolly Train Tour is soooo fun during the "Nights of the Lights!

I hope this helps some!! If you have any more questions, please let me know! I could talk about St. Augustine for forever!

 

[Minnesota!]

DD goes to Flagler College is St. Augustine. In fact we just got back from Family Weekend!

We did a fun "ghost trolly car tour". The town is full of cute shops and different kinds of foods - one of our favorites is a
waffle and milkshake shop. We really liked Salt Life Shack, Sunset Grille and Raintree Restaurant.

There are also carriage rides through the city which I imagine would be so nice during the Night of Lights!

Have fun!

Flagler has the major my older son is thinking of, so we are going to walk the grounds, too. I mean, he is only 13, but the sooner I can start stumping for us to move to Florida, the better!

We go to St. Augustine at least once every year. We were there in June & September of this year & have a trip planned for December.

"The Nights of Lights" is actually the city's busiest season - the town is more crowded then than even in the summer. However, the beach will not be as crowded.

Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays are extremely crowded during "Nights of Lights". If there is something you want to do/see in town on the weekend during "Nights of Lights", you need to be in town by at least 3:00 pm.

Our favorite restaurants in town are The Columbia (Spanish/Cuban), Harry's (New Orleans/Cajun), & the Floridian (coastal, southern). Prohibition Kitchen (craft beer & gourmet burgers) is fun too. Harry's has outdoor seating w/ live music. OC Whites (seafood) is also good & is across the street from the bay.

People who live there swear by Osteen's for fried shrimp. We like Barnacle Bill's.

For lunch, we really enjoy the Spanish Bakery. Cousteau's (the waffle place) is good too! And we love, love, love the Crave Food Truck - fresh, local ingredients in made-to-order wraps & salads!

There are 2 relatively new restaurants which we haven't yet had an opportunity to try, but they get really good reviews: Ice Plant and Preserved.

Both Preserved and The Floridian are "farm to table" type restaurants w/ menus that focus on updated, modern southern cuisine.

Creekside (seafood, plank cooking) is also a restaurant we enjoy - it's located in the contemporary part of town behind the historic district. They have outdoor seating at a marina, & there is live music on selected nights.

For restaurants on the island, we like Saltwater Cowboy's & Viola's. Salt Life (seafood, fish tacos) and Oasis (fried shrimp, burgers, etc.) are good too. Saltwater Cowboy's is themed wonderfully after an old Florida Cracker House & serves seafood & "cracker" cooking - frog legs, alligator tail, etc. Salt Life has rooftop views of the ocean. Viola's is an authentic New York Italian restaurant - the owners & chefs are from NYC. For pizza on the island, we like Romano's.

On the other side on Vilano Beach, we really like Aunt Kate's (seafood, Minorcan cooking), & we love Cap's on the Water! Cap's has a wonderful menu w/ fresh, local seafood & other interesting dishes, & there is great outdoor seating on the intracoastal waterway.

The Lighthouse is lovely at Christmas! Our kids love the Alligator Farm. Both the Lighthouse & the Alligator Farm are attractions located on the island.

In town, the Castillo de San Marcos is a must-do for a first-time visitor! The Fountain of Youth is important as well. The Pirate Museum is fun too - it was designed by a former Disney Imagineer. I also really like the Nombre de Dios - the first Catholic mission. There are some really pretty walking paths.

We've done The Old Jail and Ripley's, but they're both a little cheesey.

I love the Lightner Museum, &, if you're a "Downton Abbey" fan, they currently have a "Dressing Downton" exhibit.

If you want to tour of the Whetstone Chocolate Factory, be sure to make a reservation. There are limited times for the tours & only a certain number of people allowed per tour, so, depending on the day, tours can fill up quickly.

The Holly Jolly Train Tour is soooo fun during the "Nights of the Lights!

I hope this helps some!! If you have any more questions, please let me know! I could talk about St. Augustine for forever!

AMAZING!! Thank you for all the details! I am really excited to go. It is just a freak opportunity we got to go - stars aligned work-wise, financially, vacation time, etc. I am going to look at all these places when I get a little more time. I really appreciate it!

@souperman128 - see above!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Lots of the tours include Flagler!

It is a beautiful college. Definitely walk around st George street. So many different shops and restaurants to see!

 

[Wendy31]

OP, I'm so glad everything worked out! I think you'll love St. Augustine!!

Flagler College is beautiful!! I think a "Legacy Tour" which tells about the history & architecture of the buildings is offered every day at 2:00 pm.

We went w/ older DD for her official college tour this past September & really enjoyed it.

OP, if you don't think you'll be getting to your hotel until around 2:0 pm, if I were you, I probably wouldn't try to go back into town. It will be the first night of the "Nights of Lights" & when everything is scheduled to be illuminated - town will be crazy-crowded, & parking will be awful.

On Saturday, after you check-in, I'd maybe tour the Lighthouse & then spend some time on the beach before eating dinner either at Saltwater Cowboy's or Salt Life.

I'd spend Sunday in town - Castillo de San Marcos, lunch, Fountain of Youth, St. George Street, dinner at The Columbian or Harry's.

After dinner, you could do the Holly Jolly Train Tour - but be sure & get your tickets in advance. After the Train Tour, you could spend some more time on St. George Street.

On Monday, I'd spend some time on the beach in the morning maybe & then go back into town & maybe schedule the Whetstone Chocolate Tour for Monday afternoon. Whetstone is also fairly close to Flagler College & the Lightner Museum.

After dinner, you could do one of the different boat cruises on the bay. We love the Eco Tours. The night-time boat tours will give you a beautiful look at the town all lit up.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

Don't eat at Caps on the Water!! I have eaten there three times and had food poisoning twice (the first time and the last time) from them.

I love the restaurant Collage. It has the best food in St. Augustine!! I have never had a bad meal there. The Floridan is a good choice as well as Preserve.

 

[Wendy31]

Don't eat at Caps on the Water!! I have eaten there three times and had food poisoning twice (the first time and the last time) from them.

I love the restaurant Collage. It has the best food in St. Augustine!! I have never had a bad meal there. The Floridan is a good choice as well as Preserve.

Well, that's not good!! We've eaten there several times & have never had any issues. I absolutely love their outdoor seating, but, now, I'm going to be worried!

And I always forgot about Collage!

 

[LovesTimone]

All good solid choices.. our fav's

Caps on the Water, to me it got some really great views, and great food... kinda hard to find but worth it..

Harry is another fav when we go there...Not sure if its still on the menu but the French baked scallops were amazing...

The College tour is worth it, the ghost tours are fun, the Fort really interesting...

Wear good walking shoes, very uneven terrain.

Also you do not want to even think of having a adult beverage and getting in the car here. Uber, have a designated driver, or see if the hotel offers a shuttle.

 

[Minnesota!]

OP, I'm so glad everything worked out! I think you'll love St. Augustine!!

Flagler College is beautiful!! I think a "Legacy Tour" which tells about the history & architecture of the buildings is offered every day at 2:00 pm.

We went w/ older DD for her official college tour this past September & really enjoyed it.

OP, if you don't think you'll be getting to your hotel until around 2:0 pm, if I were you, I probably wouldn't try to go back into town. It will be the first night of the "Nights of Lights" & when everything is scheduled to be illuminated - town will be crazy-crowded, & parking will be awful.

On Saturday, after you check-in, I'd maybe tour the Lighthouse & then spend some time on the beach before eating dinner either at Saltwater Cowboy's or Salt Life.

I'd spend Sunday in town - Castillo de San Marcos, lunch, Fountain of Youth, St. George Street, dinner at The Columbian or Harry's.

After dinner, you could do the Holly Jolly Train Tour - but be sure & get your tickets in advance. After the Train Tour, you could spend some more time on St. George Street.

On Monday, I'd spend some time on the beach in the morning maybe & then go back into town & maybe schedule the Whetstone Chocolate Tour for Monday afternoon. Whetstone is also fairly close to Flagler College & the Lightner Museum.

After dinner, you could do one of the different boat cruises on the bay. We love the Eco Tours. The night-time boat tours will give you a beautiful look at the town all lit up.

Thank you fro the fantastic day planners I know my kids (and husband) want to hit mini golf, so we are planning on the one in SAB - Fiesta Falls. Maybe we will do that after checking in and then hit the Lighthouse and then dinner

Our plan was a full day in town - getting there early. It's $12 to park all day, so might as well get our moneys worth! All those places you listed - Castillo, Fountain of Youth, St Geo Street - are they are within walking distance of each other. It looks like it on a map, but I don't know if it is for real

I am going to look up the Eco Tours right now!

Thank you, all, for the great info!

 

[Wendy31]

Thank you fro the fantastic day planners I know my kids (and husband) want to hit mini golf, so we are planning on the one in SAB - Fiesta Falls. Maybe we will do that after checking in and then hit the Lighthouse and then dinner

Our plan was a full day in town - getting there early. It's $12 to park all day, so might as well get our moneys worth! All those places you listed - Castillo, Fountain of Youth, St Geo Street - are they are within walking distance of each other. It looks like it on a map, but I don't know if it is for real

I am going to look up the Eco Tours right now!

Thank you, all, for the great info!

Fiesta Falls is fun! And, at the very top of the course, there is a view of the ocean. Our kids also really like the ice cream shop Coneheads which is close to Fiesta Falls!

Fiesta Falls also open in the evening, so, if you get there later than planned, it might be something you could do after dinner as well.

(There is also a WONDERFUL ghost tour of the Lighthouse, if you like that sort of thing. You still get all the history of the lighthouse & can tour all the buildings - but you get ghost stories (based on the actual historical stories) to go w/ the tour.)

Yes, all those places are within walking distance. However, the Fountain of Youth will be your farthest walk. It's going to be closest to the parking garage - but still a fairly decent walk. Honestly, we've always driven to the Fountain of Youth, but, every time we go, it seems like we have younger kids w/ us - the last time we went, our younger DS was about 2. (It's been a while since we've been, so we were thinking about going back ourselves in December.)

There is a beautiful street near the Fountain of Youth... the Live Oaks w/ their dripping Spanish Moss form a canopy over the street. Hurricane Irma did some damage to the trees, but the beauty is still there. (And you'll probably notice little signs of Hurricane Irma here & there as well... many of the citizens were still recovering from Hurricane Matthew when Irma hit. The town is very low-lying, so, in both hurricanes, they received a lot of water damage. Additionally, Matthew spawned 3 different tornadoes in the area. The Huguenot Cemetery, which is next to the Visitor's Welcome Center & you'll see as you exit the parking garage, is very, very old, & it sadly received lots of tree damage. Several of the old gravestones crumbled. We were there the week after Irma in September, & town officials were discussing how to best clean up the cemetery. The fallen trees should be gone now, but you'll probably still notice the damage.)

Castillo, St. George Street, & anything else in the historic district are all within walking distance of each other. You will do a lot of walking though!

There is a Marina located on the bayfront in the historic district. There are different boat tours that you can schedule. During the holiday season, all of the boat tour companies will have a night-time tour so people can see the town from the bay all lit up. The Freedom Schooner is a popular one - the ship is gorgeous & very pirate-y/vintage-y looking. However, we really like the Eco Tours. It's a smaller company, & the boat launches are smaller - normally 5-7 people per tour. The tour guides are very knowledgeable of all the different animal & plant species in the bay - especially the dolphins.

Oh, & if you like coffee, Kookaburra is a great little coffee shop - there is one in town & one on the beach. They are locally owned, & they've just started roasting their own coffee beans. And, in town, the Hyppo popsicles are great - they're all natural & have interesting flavor combinations like Peach Bourbon or Strawberry Basil Champagne. There is also a Dole Whip stand on St. George Street that serves Dole Whip Floats just like the ones in Disney.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Anastasia Island is a great beach. The water is clean and there is a little snack bar there. DD#2 got married there.

There's a wax museum and a Ripley's Believe it or Not, if you like that kind of thing.
San Sebastian Winery is a good place to stop. Also, the St. Augustine Distillery Company.
I love Fort Matanzas and Castillow.
Marineland is ok. Haven't been to the new aquarium yet, as it's just opened.

There is a little place in "historic ST Augustine" that makes the most amazing empanadas. Just a little hole in the wall. Can't remember the name of it, but it is amazing.
ETA: DD said it's Spanish Bakery Cafe.

 

[Golf4food]

The best seafood is O'Steen's - best known for their fried shrimp and fresh vegetable sides and homemade pies. Lines frequently two+ hours, no reservations, cash only. Closed on Mondays. Get there around 10:30 for first seating at 11 or come after lunch rush for early dinner before seeing the lights, perhaps.

Most other places have been mentioned. Dessert First Bistro is up near Vilano beach and is great for breakfast and lunch and desserts (no dinner).

Prohibition Kitchen is just plain fun - burgers and such in a 1920s speak easy style setting, with live period jazz on weekends. Reminds me of a Disney themed restaurant - you could drop it into Disney Springs tomorrow and nobody would bat an eye.

Definitely try to do the Flagler history tour - it's gorgeous inside.

The Winery and Disterllery are good visits, and just behind them, across from the distillery, is Rype n Ready urban farm, where they have lots of local food items but also sheep and goats and chickens and things the kids may get a kick out of - you can feed the sheep for $2 a bag.

Behind the Lightner is an area of old Victorian houses that do a nice job decorating for Christmas.

Walk around old town, all the streets, not just St. George.

It will be busy. The Plaza and St. George Street on the first night of Nights of Lights is like Main Street for fireworks.

PM me if you have any other questions. We live here.

 

[Erzengel]

I had the best milkshake at Cousteau's Waffle and Milkshake Bar and awesome chicken and biscuits at Maple Street Biscuit Company in Saint Augustine.