St. Augustine has interactive history.
Go ahead and drink the water!
Hope springs eternal and this is after all the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine.
I’m sipping water from a spring found by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513 when he landed here. Yes, right here.
I drink the water and wonder if my transformation from old to young will take minutes or days?
Hummmm.
Meanwhile there is a lovely landscaped Fountain of Youth park to explore.
The huge clay water jars from centuries ago are impressive. Called Tinajones they were placed under house eves to capture water. Also buried halfway underground to keep water cool. Very attractive.
An old water conservation idea that could come around again!
Peacocks strut along the paths, hang out in trees. Cameras click. Shows, inside and outside, happen all day at the Fountain of Youth. Every half hour is a short documentary inside the Discovery Globe (I did not know for example that when Ponce de Leon claimed La Florida he included all of North America!).
On the hour inside the Navigators Planetarium puts on an awesome star show showing just how those ancient navigators followed the stars.
Cannon firings are on the schedule and practically required here in the Ancient City. Boom. Boom. Kids of all ages love it.
The same weapons demonstration of cannons happens at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Construction began in 1672. Built by the Spanish its coquina walls are 19-23 feet thick.
I learned about the wall thickness while seeing St. Augustine from a new perspective on a Red Boat Tour called Dolphin Odyssey & Sightseeing Tour.
The boat glided by the Castillo de San Marcos. We sat in comfort, looked over the water and saw long lines of people standing from the entrance all the way down to the parking lot. Many near the front are using silver umbrellas, handed out by park personnel to ward off mid-day sun rays.
Ah, no doubt about it, the floodgates of summer have opened and people pour into every St. Augustine venue on land and sea.
Here is a rare sight –
St. George Street, a prime shopping/eating/historic street in downtown St. Augustine, early on a Sunday morning. The street is almost empty!
Downtown at this hour belongs to dog walkers and early risers. But be aware that tourists rise and shine by 10 a.m. Then St. George Street is elbow to elbow and the clang of trolley tours rumbles through the streets.
In the spirit of early morning exploration, when I can feel like the Old Town is mine, I find Kookaburra Coffee downtown at 24 Cathedral Place and score and excellent iced latte made just right with oatmilk.
Breakfast happens at Mary’s Harbor View Cafe and yes there is a harbor view. Be sure to check hours. Excellent cheese and mushroom omelet.
Remember collecting quarters to feed the famous St. Augustine parking meters? No more. Gone. Replaced by pay by plate for on street parking. Take a photo of your car’s license plate. You will need that to input at the pay station. The cost to park is $2.50 an hour, cash or credit card. Parking garages are also an option.
During my weekend visit Flagler College on Saturday was offering parking in its lots (usually reserved for employees on weekends) for $10 for an entire day up to midnight. Spaces were going fast.
At the entrance to Flagler College at 74 King Street is a sign about Henry Flagler, who put St Augustine on the map in the 1800s with a railroad and buildings like the Ponce de Leon Hotel with 540 rooms, a hotel that later became Flagler College.
Note the Flagler sign is in both English and braille. It is part of Touch St. Augustine Tour a way to enhance public art accessibility in the nation’s oldest city.
To have a mindful diversion, walk the labyrinth behind the Alumni House at Flagler College. The address is 48 Sevilla Street. There is no fee or reservation needed. As you face the Alumni House, take the path on the left side that runs alongside the house. This leads to the Saul and Sarah Rogers Meditation and Contemplation Garden, and a lovely labyrinth dedicated in 2017.
Before long, lunch beckons. My personal favorite is dining upstairs and outside at A1A Ale Works at 1 King Street. The house made tacos are calling my name.
Being that St. Augustine is on the Atlantic Ocean, the beach beckons and who can resist?
For starters it is an easy ride over the Bridge of Lions to Anastasia State Park.
Paddlers congregate along Salt Run, a tidal marsh. Long boardwalks go over the dunes to the beach. This stretch of beach is popular with surfers.
If a bit of hiking is your thing take the Ancient Dunes Nature Trail inside the park, complete with ups and downs over the dunes.
Ah so much to do in St. Augustine.
But really, I find it best to go slowly, walk in the footsteps of ancient history, take in details, and enjoy the moments.
And who knows?
Any second now the Fountain of Youth water will start working. . .
All photographs and text by Lucy Tobias
©2021 Lucy Tobias