Plan Your Visit to St. Augustine Now

Unforgettable Memories Await

With its rich history, vibrant cultural scene, captivating natural beauty, and exquisite culinary delights, St. Augustine, Florida, stands out as an unparalleled travel destination. Whether you're a history buff, an art enthusiast, a lover of nature, or a culinary connoisseur, St. Augustine offers something truly special for everyone.

Plan your visit to St. Augustine today and embark on an unforgettable journey through time, culture, and natural wonders. Experience a place where enchantment and fascination go hand in hand, leaving you with cherished memories that will last a lifetime.

New sheriff in town?

No, dead sheriff in town of St. Augustine. Enjoy:

Very popular "dead" sheriff tells ghost stories in St. Augustine, Florida.

Marineland Dolphin Adventure

On the National Register of Historic Places, Marineland recently underwent a renovation that turned it into one of the most beautiful and modern dolphin facilities in the world Now, the historic facility where the word "oceanarium" was invented, has become an affiliate of the incredible Georgia Aquarium. With a new name and new plans for further transformation and evolution, Marineland Dolphin Adventure offers an unmatched heritage in dolphin research and a place where guests can experience unhurried interactions with dolphins which will build important connections and a better understanding of marine mammals.

Don't forget the history!

Let us repeat why the city got that name:

On August 28, the Feast Day of Saint Augustine, Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés first sighted the coast of Florida. Twelve days later, on September 8, he stepped ashore, planted the Spanish flag into the sandy soil and, with soldiers and settlers who had traveled with him and Timicuans who greeted his arrival watching, Menendez founded a new city and named it St. Augustine.

The year was 1565.

An interesting story

While building a ramp at the Pirate & Treasure Museum in Florida, workers unearthed parts of an 18th-century British sword, a compass, a tooth, a bottle, & some other glassware - The sword would've belonged to an enlisted man & was the type the British used when they took over St. Augustine in 1763.

Other sightseeing tips

In addition to all major historical sights, you can also take a number of guided tours through the city or a romantic moonlight-tour on the mysterious and secretive Matanzas Bay. It was in this sheltered bay, which many of the Spanish sailing ships made their final bunkringsstopp before they sailed back to Spain. It was often when the pirates struck with his conquests. It is said that you can still see the silhouettes of pirate ships come sailing in full attack when the full moon shines at its best.

About "La Florida"

www.nationsoldestcity.com

From earliest times, this has been a place of color - sometimes wild and untamed, often surprising, but always pleasing to the eye. When Juan Ponce de Leon first sailed along these shores in 1513, it was the splash of color created by thousands of exotic wildflowers that caught his attention and inspired him to name his discovery La Florida – a place of colorful flowers. Two hundred years later, it was still color that welcomed weary mariners to St. Augustine’s harbor – the alabaster walls and crimson towers of the Castillo de San Marcos rose above the waves and signaled that at long last another perilous voyage was at an end.

Today, colors help create the moods and atmosphere that make a visit to St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches so cherished. The reds of a memorable sunset viewed while sipping a Vintners Red created at the San Sebastian Winery provides a glow that can’t help but inspire those seeking romance in the Ancient City. For golfers, our greens, both literally and figuratively, are the background for endless stories of proud successes, as well as wistful what-mighthave-beens. (Plus, after leaving a frozen wasteland behind, what Northern visitor can fail to be warmed by the welcoming green of our tropical palms and towering live oaks?) And the blues! From the sky above the azure sea to the beckoning blue of Olympic-dimensioned swimming pools at luxurious resorts and the flash of blue-white flags at the annual Greek Festival, this is a shade that finds a way to brighten each day.

I hope that you will have the time during your visit to truly appreciate not only the obvious colors of this place, but also the subtle hues that those of us who live here are fortunate to experience. The chesnut-brown flecked with honey-gold in a carriage horse’s mane…the myriad pastels of tiny coquina clams dancing in the summer surf…the moist brick-red hue of ancient paving after a summer shower. They’re all here along with thousands of other shimmering shades and tints that form the palette of this special place in the Florida sun – a palette that visitors can easily use to create the unforgettable portrait of the perfect vacation!