New Orleans/FL Trip (Day 20) - Mayport, FL (Saint Augustine)

We slept in again today and, after breakfast, drove down the coast to St. Augustine for sightseeing. It is about a 1 hour drive, depending how you go. We went down on what we thought would be the scenic route right along the coast. Unfortunately, we didn't see much coast. The coastal area between Mayport and St. Augustine is fully developed with what appeared to be mostly upscale homes and gated communities. There is also a small dune between the highway and ocean that shielded any ocean views. This area of the coast however looks like it would be a great place to have a beachfront home - if you could afford it. There is one 5-mile section designated as an ecological research area that has been preserved in its natural state. This area has parking in several spots across the road and boardwalk access across the dunes to the beach.

St. Augustine is a lively tourist area and business is booming. There were a lot of people in town and the city is geared-up to handle them. There is a 4-story municipal parking garage and numerous tourist attractions and trolley tour shuttles. Maybe the weather (sunny and mid-60s) and being a Saturday had something to do with it. The "Old Town" area is extensive with lots of restaurants and gift and curio shops. Without really knowing where to go, we found a great restaurant. The Columbia Restaurant was founded in 1905 and specializes in Spanish and Cuban Food. The food was excellent and presented in a very nice setting.








After lunch, we skipped the Ripley's Believe It Or Not attraction and went to the Castillo de San Marcos. This an old Spanish fort that is now a National Historic Monument managed by the National Park Service. The fort dominates the sea approaches to St. Augustine and has played a large part in the history of the city, changing hands many times, as the Spanish, British, French, and Americans occupied the city at various times in the past. The fort was never actually conquered in battle, but rather was transferred through negotiation and treaty provisions. The city of St. Augustine was established in 1565 by the Spanish and is the oldest European settlement in the continental United States. So, the history of the fort, now restored, goes back a long way.






We also visited the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum. The lighthouse is on a sand spit across from and slightly south of St. Augustine. The lighthouse has been fully restored and is now a major attraction in the area. We climbed the 219 steps to the top and had an superb view of the beaches, town, and surrounding area.








After the lighthouse tour, we were thinking of going to the Ponce de Leon Fountain of Youth attraction, but we were running out of time so we skipped it and headed back to Mayport. It looked like a tourist trap anyway. Although if we had gone there first, maybe we would have had more energy after drinking the water. Who knows?

We are heading down the coast tomorrow and will spend the next two nights at a commercial RV park in Fort Pierce, FL - on the coast, but near Lake Okeechobee, which we want to see.