Best Parks in St. Augustine, Florida

1. Castillo De San Marco

This beautiful park is located right by the water in downtown St. Augustine. You can pay to enter the fort and have a nice history lesson or walk around the outside and see one of their many cannon demonstrations for free. Some of my favorite things to do here is pack a picnic and eat it in the field next to the park and let the kids run around or grab a treat from downtown and watch the sunset over the water.

2. S.W.I.N.G. Park (St. Augustine’s Wish for It’s Next Generation)

This park is located by Francis field, across from the historic downtown parking garage. This is a great playground right in downtown St. Augustine. If we are spending a long day walking around the shops we will stop here and let the kids get their energy out before dinner. I love that this playground is wood crafted and feels like a big tree house. I honestly have as much fun as the kids do at this playground.

3. Davenport Park 

Also known as the carousel park or the park right by the library, this park is home to the J&S antique carousel that you can ride for $1. It is located on San Marco Ave right next to the St. Johns County main branch library. It has a full playground, swings, see-saw, and picnic tables. We always make a stop here when we are returning our library books to ride the horses on the carousel. Did you know that the ‘all-horse’ carousel has one camel? Look for it next time you are there!

4. Splash Park at the Pier

If you are looking for the right place to cool off in the Florida heat this is it! Located at the St. Augustine Pier, this park has volleyball, a full kids splash park, and a playground. But the best part is that this park is located right on the beach and the splash park is FREE. We like to get our local produce at the farmer’s market here on Wednesday mornings then cool off in the water and walk on the beach. It also has public beach restrooms and outdoor showers to wash the sand off your feet. If that isn’t enough for you, you can pay to fish off the pier. Truly something for the whole family.

5. Treaty Park

This park literally has everything you could ever wish for in a park. It is located at 1595 Wildwood Dr. It is a 47-acre complex complete with a skate park and dog park. This park has a one mile walking/biking trail, softball fields, two multi-purpose soccer fields, lighted tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, pickle ball courts, racquetball courts, bocce ball courts, basketball courts, a handicap accessible playground, horseshoe courts, a picnic pavilion that you can rent for events, charcoal grills, and a 3 acre lake with a nature trail and a canoe trail. Our favorite thing to do here is feed the many ducks then try to teach the kids how to skateboard like daddy at the Robert-Laryn skate park. These are just a few of the best parks in St. Augustine. They are all worth checking out, especially if you are looking for some free things to do around town. Which St. Augustine park is your favorite?

St. Augustin's founder, Don Pedro Menendez, came ashore on September 8, 1565, and chose to name the settlement after the patron saint whose feast day coincided with the day of landing. Of course, before the Spanish ever set foot on Florida soil, the Timacuan Indians had already been here and they watched Menendez and the roughly 1500 colonists and soldiers settle here. Over the last few centuries the city experienced governments from different countries, including Spain, Britain, and since 1821, the United States.
The real rise of this community came in the late 1800s when Henry Flagler (1830 to 1913) built two hotels and took over a third as part of the Flagler hotel chain. Flagler was the co-founder of Standard Oil, and although not as well known as some of the other early magnates of capitalism, he was one of the wealthiest individuals of his time. Flagler had a major impact on Florida: he founded the Florida East Coast Railway as a means of transporting guests to and from the north to his hotels in St. Augustine, Palm Beach, and Miami. A honeymoon visit to St. Augustine in 1881 with his second wife inspired Flagler's vision to transform this sleepy town into a winter playground for the rich.

Three of Flagler's former St. Augustine hotels are still in use today: Flagler College (the former Hotel Ponce de Leon), the Lightner Building - St. Augustine's City Hall (the former Alcazar) and Casa Monica, redone as a county courthouse in the 1960s, and reopened in 1990 as the restored Casa Monica Hotel. During the late 19th and early 20th century Flagler also developed a residential neighbourhood called the Model Land Company tract.

Within a few short years Flagler's dream of a resort town for northerners faded and he, and the wealthy northern visitors, moved further south. He continued to develop the Florida East Coast Railroad down the peninsula, into and across the Florida Keys, creating hotels and communities along the way.

Nation's oldest city St. Augustine is centered around the Plaza de la Constitucion, which anchors the Lightner Museum / City Hall, Casa Monica and Flagler College, three stunningly beautiful structures. Located in the former Alcazar Hotel, the Lightner Museum houses collections of legendary hobbyist and antiques collector Otis Lightner.


Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth National Archaeological Park exhibits foundations and artifacts of the first St. Augustine mission and colony. It also houses the Landmark Spring, Explorers Globe and Navigators' Planetarium. St. Augustine also houses the Oldest Drug Store and the nation's Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, built more than 200 years ago while Florida was under Spain's rule.


This city welcomes around 2 million visitors every year who come to discover a unique historic part of America. A settlement with authentic Spanish roots, complete with Castillo and all, is a truly unique sight in the U.S. and it was definitely worth the detour.

The St. Augustine Film Festival

The St. Augustine Film Festival is presented by Flagler College and features three days of 40 films from 20 countries from January 20 through 22, 2017.

Forty films from 20 countries will be screened during this international festival, including A Wing and a Prayer (Israel), Una Noche de Amor (Argentina), Two Lottery Tickets (Romania), and One Wild Moment (France), just to name a few. Visit here for a complete list of films and descriptions.

Films

Films will be screened at three locations downtown: Lewis Auditorium, Gamache-Koger Theater, and Corazon Cinema & Café. See below for addresses for all locations.

Film times run from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20; from 10:00 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Saturday, January 21, and from 11:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 22. For a complete schedule of films and where they are being shown, see below.

There will be some special Preview Showings for All Access Pass holders on Thursday, January 19, 2017, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Parties

On Friday, January 20, 2017, the Film Festival begins with the Opening Night Cocktail Party, with drinks and hors d'oeuvres served beginning 6:00 p.m. at the Lightner Museum. Later that evening, at 8:45 p.m., the Opening Night Gala will take place in the Lightner Museum Ballroom.

The St. Augustine Film Festival Opening Night Gala is held at the Lightner Museum.

The Centerpiece Party takes place on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. at St. Augustine's newest luxury resort, The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens.

The Closing Night Party will take place at the Flagler College Solarium, at the top of Ponce Hall.

Admission: Tickets for individual films are sold on an "as available" basis ten minutes before each film for $11 each ($8 for seniors, $7 for students and military with ID). Tickets that offer access to events and films over the three-day weekend are also available. The All Access Pass to all films is $95, and the Lewis Auditorium Pass, which includes only the films showing at Lewis Auditorium is $55. 

Party passes are $20 for Friday night's Opening Night Cocktail Party, $45 for the Opening Night Gala, $35 for the Centerpiece Party on Saturday, and $40 for the Closing Night Party on Sunday. An All Party Pass is $110.

To purchase tickets, visit here.

When: The 2017 Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, January 20 through 22, 2017, with a special Preview Night on Thursday, January 19, for All Access Pass holders only. Films will be shown from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Special parties and galas will be held on all three nights of the festival.

Where: Films will be shown at these three downtown venues: The Corazón Cinema and Cafe (36 Granada St.), Flagler College's Gamache-Koger Theater (50 Sevilla St.), and Lewis Auditorium (14 Granada St.). Other events and parties will be held at the Lightner Museum (75 King St.), The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens (149 Cordova), and the Solarium at Flagler College (74 King St.).

Read more: https://www.visitstaugustine.com/event/st-augustine-film-festival