The historic Castillo de San Marcos
Last week we spent a week at the beach near St Augustine. It was wonderful and just what the doctor ordered. Although we love traveling to new places very much, this is the other type of vacation that we love – a home away from home type vacation. For seven days, we were together with no work, no school, no scheduled activities and no chores. Talk about a needed refresh.
We pretty much stay for a week at the same beach there each summer, and sometimes also go for additional long weekends or camping. What I love about coming back to the same place is that it allows us to relax, but there is so much to discover still. And not necessarily tourist attraction stuff. St Augustine is a great city on its own.
Here are some of the reasons St Augustine is one of our favorite places to visit in Florida:
The proximity. There’s something to be said about getting away to somewhere that you can quickly get to. You don’t lose days traveling to and from your destination, which means you can stay longer and enjoy. At 1 1/2 hours from home, this fits the bill!
San Marco Boulevard
The beaches and waterways. Staying on the beach and waking up to the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. It cannot be beat. It motivates me to actually go for a early morning runs when I am there just to be able to soak it all in and watch the birds all hanging out together for their breakfast. But even beyond the beach, there is water everywhere. It’s hard to look away as you are driving next to a sunset on the intercoastal or over the Bridge of Lions heading into town.
Early morning on Crescent Beach
There is a community there outside of the touristy stuff. We tend to enjoy visiting places that actually have a culture and a community outside of the tourist attractions, and St. Augustine is definitely that. You can see that in all the local shops and restaurants that abound. They have an awesome farmer’s market at the Amphitheater on Saturday mornings chock full of locals (if you have never been, go). There are even several schools all over the places we visit, which shows people are actually living and raising families here.
SWING Park
They have a flourishing local food scene. So many great local eating options in St. Augustine. We keep trying new places each time, with still more left to try! Our family standing family favorites include The Floridian and The Hyppo, but there are many more. These local restaurants take pride in their ingredients being high quality. Most make their food completely in-house, with local ingredients and lots of gluten-free and vegan options. Believe me, even if you are not gluten-free, organic or vegan, this is a good thing for all of us.
The Hyppo off of St George Street. Brian’s least favorite of the three in town because they don’t dip the popsicles in chocolate. But still worth it!
Artists and creatives are welcomed. There are so many creatives in this little town. Art galleries are everywhere, but also handmade markets like “Flagler Creates” show that there creative expression is encouraged here. My personal friend and amazing ceramic artist, Amanda Blair Dexheimer, has her home studio in St Augustine and is part of a tight-knit community of other talented artists that live here as well. I got the pleasure of meeting some of these amazing talents at the MAKE(R) weekend she hosted and I posted about a couple months ago.
Nature hikes and state parks. It is no secret that we enjoy the outdoors and that Brian is obsessed with camping and hiking. St Augustine offers so much when it comes to surrounding yourself with natural beauty. Anastasia State Park is fantastic for camping. We took a family hike through the Moses Creek Conservation Area on Thanksgiving morning. In the afternoon, we explored Washington Oaks Gardens State Park with my parents and brother. Wow! It is just so beautiful. A great park divided in two, one half on the ocean with natural coquina formations, the other half on the Matanzas River. We walked through the gardens and enjoyed seeing dolphins swimming by.
History. It would be insane to talk about this city and not mention the history. I love that this city has evolved through centuries and is influenced by so many cultures that have come through the years. We are still exploring and learning about this history each time we go. Of course, the fort, Castillo de San Marco is a “must” (photo at the top of post). This most recent visit, we went to the Colonial Quarter to learn about the Spanish and British reign over St Augustine, in addition to the historic Spanish Military Hospital Museum which was fun too.
Great local shopping opportunities. You may not think of St Augustine as a shopping mecca. And if you love big malls and outlet centers, maybe it won’t be what you typically expect from a shopping town. But they have a wonderful selection of local shops all over the place. If you leave the hustle and bustle of the tourist-filled downtown and head up San Marco past the fort, you can find some lovely shops. The boutiques are a varied selection of home decor (new and antiques), clothing, accessories and much more. I was so happy to discover this part of town a few years ago, and enjoyed drooling over these shops during this visit.
Every season is great for different reasons. In the summer, we spend most of our time near the water. We typically would only go into town in the evening to grab a popsicle from the Hyppo or maybe an early dinner at The Floridian. Why? Because it is HOT in the summertime. And crowded. But…Florida’s fall and winter is awesome because it allows you to enjoy sights and activities that would be miserable during the months of May through September. This past visit allowed us to check out the Colonial Quarter, which we would have never done during the summer. Plus, camping at Anastate State Park is super fun…but only in the winter months!
So that is just a few of the reasons we keep coming back to the same place year after year. Check back soon for a post on our list of top recommended places to visit on your next trip to St Augustine.
Lucia
Visiting The Rocks and Washington Oaks Park was awesome…a beautiful Thanksgiving day close to nature and family…what else? My love ones from Texas!
Mary Liz Ranieri
Ale,
Your Mom sent me your description of visiting St. Augustine. She knew Ralph & I went there to Leo Saalfeld’s weding last month. I enjoyed reading it and your other posts. You are a very good, creative writer. Keep it up. Maybe someday you can include Costa Rica in your travels and vivid descriptions. There’s plenty here your family would enjoy. Our guides do an excellent job in bringing learning about nature alive for kids.
Your dilemma of surprising the boys with a decorating redo at Christmas reminded me of a tradition we had of taking the kids on a “surprise trip”. We’d get them out of bed on a Sat. morning, load them in the car & not tell them where we were going. They guessed things according to scenery. We did the usual attractions, beaches, museums, etc. Twice a year was the usual but sure enough, they were always asking, “When is our next surprise trip?” But just as your redos, they were extra work, but real memory-makers.
I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, blessed with the peace the Christ-child brings.
Mary Liz Ranieri
Ale Post author
Thank you for your kind comments 🙂 I think you are right about the memories being worth the work. That sounds like an awesome tradition we might want to copy from your family!