Address: 11 S Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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The Castillo de San Marcos (Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay. Castillo de San Marcos stands today as a monument to the Spanish empire’s 300-year occupation of Florida and to the interaction and clashes of cultural groups that built the unified nation that is the United States today. Constructed to protect Spain’s settlement in St. Augustine from pirate raids, hostile American Indian tribes, and neighboring imperial powers, the fortification is a symbol of the cultural and imperial struggles that shaped early North America. Never captured in battle, Castillo de San Marcos is both architecturally impressive as the oldest surviving masonry fortress in the United States and culturally significant because its stone walls are a testament to the endurance of this nation’s Latino heritage and to the other cultural groups that have played a role in its story. Learn more here.

Visitors can explore the fortress, enjoy a ranger program, watch a video, or view a demonstration by re-enactors. There is a fee to enter the Fort, and tickets can be purchased online here. 

Address: 38 Cathedral Pl, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday - Sunday: closed
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*NOTE* This is an active Cathedral, so please be respectful. Pictures are allowed during normal business hours unless Mass or another service is being held. Should the Cathedral be in use for a religious service, a funeral, a wedding, or any other service, the public is not allowed to enter. Thank you for your understanding.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine (Spanish: Catedral basílica de San Agustín) is a historic cathedral in St. Augustine, Florida, and the seat of the Catholic Bishop of St. Augustine. Constructed over five years (1793–1797), it was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970. Its congregation, established in 1565, is the oldest Christian congregation in the contiguous United States.

As the early colonists were mostly sailors or soldiers with little expertise in architecture, the first church of St. Augustine was simply designed and rapidly built of disparate materials. The original parish was short-lived, burning to the ground in a 1586 attack on the town by the Englishman Sir Francis Drake. As two decades previously, the colonists hastily built a new church of straw and palmetto, which deteriorated quickly in the humid climate and burned down once again in 1599.

Money was raised in Spain, and in 1605 a third church was built, this time more permanently of timber by experienced architects and builders who had begun to make their way to the New World. For 95 years it stayed intact, though in disrepair, before again burning down in 1702 during a failed English attempt on the city by Carolina Governor James Moore.

The church vanished for over ninety years, despite an attempt to rebuild in 1707, with royal rebuilding funds misspent on provisions, soldiers' pay, and graft by public officials. During the first half of the 18th century, priests held Mass in St. Augustine's hospital, which became too small for the congregation and embarrassed it before the Native American converts to Catholicism.

From 1763 to 1784, Florida fell under British rule, and reconstruction was forgotten. After Spain regained its colony in 1784, a new sense of pride in the citizenry led to the large-scale construction of the current church from 1793 to 1797. It became a cathedral in 1870 and a minor basilica in 1976.

Address: 74 King St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
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Flagler College is a private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. It was founded in 1968 and offers 33 undergraduate majors and one master's program. Founded in 1968, the campus comprises 19 acres (77,000 m2), the centerpiece of which is the Ponce de León Hotel, built in 1888 as a luxury hotel. The architects were John Carrere and Thomas Hastings, working for Henry Morrison Flagler, the industrialist, oil magnate, and railroad pioneer. It is now listed as a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation possible.

Historic Tours of Flagler College highlight the architectural heritage of the former Hotel Ponce de Leon. The Ponce is considered one of the finest examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture and was one of the most exclusive resorts of its day. Tours depart daily from the main lobby (Rotunda) of the College located at 74 King Street. Because we are a College first, tours are subject to cancellations, please check our ticket availability for more information. 

Address: 11 Magnolia Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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The Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine is legendary, known as the place where Ponce De Leon discovered the healing waters that magically maintain your youthful appearance. Drink from the magical spring’s waters, plus explore many exhibits and historical attractions at the 15-acre Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. The park is home to a Discovery Globe, Planetarium, Timucua Indian Exhibit, Spanish cannons, and Native Christian Burial Ground Exhibit. Don't forget to take a photo with the many peacocks on the property while you are there, and keep an eye out for the pure white one!

Purchase your tickets in advance to visit The Fountain of Youth to avoid long lines. They offer discounts to Adult US Active Military with ID and AAA Cardholders. Enjoy lunch at the Smoked BBQ stand or bring your own lunches. Plenty of FREE car parking is provided in our roomy lot while touring the Park or eating at Smoked BBQ.

Address: 15 Fort Mose Trail St. Augustine FL 32084
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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More than 300 years ago, courageous Africans escaped from enslavement in British colonies. They fled southward on foot to Spanish St. Augustine, crossing swamps and dense tropical forests. Along they way, they sought assistance from Natives, thus creating the first ‘underground railroad’.

Those who reached St. Augustine were granted asylum by the Spanish government: freedom, in exchange for conversion to Catholicism and, for men, a term of military service. The first freedom seekers arrived in 1687. By 1738, more than 100 freedom seekers had achieved asylum. Fort Mose became the site of the first free black community in what is now the United States.

A formerly enslaved African, Captain Francisco Menéndez, led the free black militia of Fort Mose. For years, the warriors valiantly protected St. Augustine. However, when Spain ceded all of La Florida to England in 1763, the citizens of Fort Mose once again faced enslavement. They abandoned the fort and sought safety in Spanish Cuba.

Over the years, the Fort Mose site was swallowed by marsh, and the important legacy of its community was largely forgotten. Late in the twentieth century, a highly dedicated team of archaeologists, historians, government leaders, and committed citizens helped restore Fort Mose to its rightful place of honor. Today, Fort Mose is recognized as a significant local, national and international historic landmark.

Fort Mose Historic State Park, which now includes a visitors' center and small museum, is located on the edge of a salt marsh on the western side of the waterway separating the mainland from the coastal barrier islands. The original site of the 18th-century fort was uncovered in a 1986 archeological dig. The 24-acre site is now protected as a Florida state park. Fort Mose is the "premier site on the Florida Black Heritage Trail".

Address: 102 M L King Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is an African American history museum located in the former Excelsior School, St. Augustine's first black public high school. As with all public schools in Florida at the time, it was segregated. "School #2" or "the Colored School" was built in 1925 as St. Augustine's high school for Black students. It was renamed Excelsior in 1928. 

After desegregation in 1968, the school was closed and the building housed local government offices until the mid 1980s. After the offices were phased out of use, a group of former Excelsior students and community members rallied to save the building from demolition. It opened as the Excelsior Museum and Cultural Center in 2005, and changed its name to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center in 2012.

The museum's focus is on the history, culture, and contributions of African Americans in the greater St. Augustine area. This includes the history of Lincolnville, the role runaway slaves played in building Fort Mose, the history of the area's Black churches, Black historical and social societies, Black businesspeople in the area, and visits to St. Augustine by Martin Luther King Jr. The museum's collections include artwork, memorabilia, and photographs. Most of the exhibits focus on the civil rights era in St. Augustine history, but in 2016 the museum began expanding its coverage to other parts of area history.

Address: 75 King St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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The Lightner Museum is a museum of antiques, mostly American Gilded Age pieces, housed within the historic Hotel Alcazar building in downtown St. Augustine. This 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival-style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hotel Alcazar was commissioned by Henry Flagler, to appeal to wealthy tourists who traveled south for the winter on his railroad, the Florida East Coast Railway. The firm also designed the Ponce de León Hotel across the street, now part of the campus of Flagler College. Both structures are notable for being among the earliest examples of poured concrete buildings in the world. The hotel had a steam room, massage parlor, sulfur baths, gymnasium, a three-story ballroom, and the world's largest indoor swimming pool; however, after years as an elegant winter resort for wealthy patrons, the hotel closed in 1932.

On August 20, 1947, Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner purchased the building to convert the old hotel into a hobbies museum. He used the space to house several collections, including his own extensive collection of Victorian-era art. He then turned it over to the city of St. Augustine and the museum opened to the public in 1948.

Tickets to visit the Lightner Museum are available on their website, and we highly encourage you to take the time while you are there to grab a bite to eat at Cafe Alcazar now situated in what used to be the hotel pool. 

Address: 101 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Historical Chapel and Shrine Church Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday: 12 - 4 p.m.
Mission and Shrine Grounds Hours: Dawn until Dusk. Our grounds are open for prayer and reflection. Please help us respect these sacred grounds and refrain from any additional activities. 

For Mass and other services, please visit the Mission website here.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is a Catholic Marian shrine located at the Nombre de Dios Mission in St. Augustine, Florida. Originally built in 1609 in honor of Our Lady of La Leche—a Marian apparition popular among the Spanish settlers in the area—it is the oldest shrine in the United States. It was elevated to national shrine status in 2019 and received a canonical coronation in 2021.

As one of the oldest Catholic worship sites in the Americas, the shrine holds a certain historical significance and is a popular pilgrimage site for prayers concerning pregnancy.

Upon its coronation ceremony in October 2021, it is to become just the fourth-such image in the United States.

Address: 167 San Marco St Augustine FL 32084
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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​Listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, The Old Jail is a must-visit when in St. Augustine! The Old Jail (also known as Authentic Old Jail) is an authentic, historical jail in St. Augustine, Florida. On August 27, 1987, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. 

In 1891, Henry Flagler contracted the company that would eventually build Alcatraz to construct a jail just north of downtown on San Marco Ave. So as not to create an eyesore that would strike fear in the hearts of the general public and to avoid discouraging his fat cat friends from investing in the city, he decided to disguise it. It was built in the Romanesque Revival style and painted in an unassuming color. Originally built to house up to 72 prisoners, the two-story northern wing of the jail consisted of a general population and a maximum security area, a women's section, and a lower-level kitchen. Maximum Security housed the most dangerous prisoners held at the Jail and includes a Death Row cell, for those condemned to die. A total of eight men were hung from the Gallows on the Jail compound during its history. 

Today, tourists get a glimpse into the daily lives of St. Augustine’s most notorious prisoners living under the penal system of the 19th and early 20th centuries as well as tell the story of Sheriff Joe Perry. Costumed actors tell tales of the jail and its occupants, and even book you as an inmate. Additionally, the Old Jail has a large collection of weapons and artifacts for you to inspect up close and is one of just a few prisons of its kind still standing that makes for a great day of sightseeing on a historical adventure.

It would be a crime if you didn’t stop by for a visit!

Address: 100 Red Cox Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Hours: Daily: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
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The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum serves as a scenic and educational maritime museum. It stands 165 feet above sea level, overlooking Matanzas Bay and the Atlantic Ocean from Anastasia Island. Visitors can climb the 219 steps to the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse for a spectacular view of the city and ocean.

Visitors experience life at a Light Station through the many exhibits in the Keeper's House, learn how the Lighthouse served to protect our coast in World War II, about area shipwrecks, and the important work of marine archeologists who work at the Lighthouse. In addition, the grounds feature a natural hammock, a children's play area, demonstrations on boat building, and more. The gift shop offers a unique array of nautical and local souvenirs and does not need a ticket for access.

Not only are tickets available to climb the Lighthouse and enjoy the view, but multiple different tours are available, including a few that discuss whether or not our Lighthouse is haunted! BOO! Save 15% when you book online using code LH15 

Feel more comfortable buying in person? Download a 10% off coupon here

First things first: it's Saint George Street. If you ask any local about it, you have to say it right. We all know St. George Street and we won't steer you wrong. 

St. George Street is the epicenter of downtown St. Augustine, and you can find anything you want there. This historical street used to be the main street of the city, and now it's home to historic attractions like The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and Colonial Quarter, fun shops, restaurants, art galleries, and so much more. While St. George Street is the main fairway, don't hesitate to hit up one of the many side streets nearby as well. There are lots of hidden gems all up and down the area. Ask a local for their favorite spots and check those out, they won't steer you wrong.