Florida is not all about Disney and beaches, believe it or not, there’s also a lot of history and most of it lies in St. Augustine. Founded as a Spanish colonial outpost in 1565, Spanish colonial and Moorish-style architecture surround the Ancient City. But don’t let its European vibe fool you, it’s also a noticeably American, Southern city. Take your time exploring St. Augustine’s Historic District on foot or bike and if the beach is your thing, check out nearby Ponte Vedra Beach.
Fabled to be looking for the Fountain of Youth, Juan Ponce de Léon discovered St. Augustine on Easter Sunday, 1513. You can visit where he landed at the Ponce de Léon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park a verdant 15-acre park overlooking the Matanzas River and St. Augustine Inlet where you can walk amongst the grandiose live oak trees and pretty peacocks.
Starting off with peacocks and moving on to pirates, prolong your history lesson at the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum . This museum is a great way to teach kids St. Augustine’s history, and the stories of pirates like Captain Kidd.
In 1586, the Englishman Sir Francis Drake and his crew of 2,500 raided the city, burning it to the ground. This led to the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos, a solid stone fortification. The fort was built by the Spanish with blocks of coquina. The property is owned by the National Park Service and Ranger tours are available each day with live cannon firings held most Saturdays.
If crocodiles and alligators are more your speed, your family will love exploring the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park. They even have a Crocodile Crossing zip line where guests can zip across Alligator Lagoon and experience the zoo from new heights.
To really take in all the beauty of St. Augustine, don’t miss the Spanish Quarter. Participate in a musket drill or climb to the top of a 17th century watchtower…all, in the heart of the historic district.
Hands down the best hotel in St. Augustine is the Casa Monica Resort & Spa. A magnificent Moorish style hotel, it was originally opened in 1888 by architect Franklin Smith, before becoming the county courthouse in the early 20th century. Sandwiched between Flagler College and the Lightner Museum, it was restored by legendary hotel developer, Richard Kessler and is now part of the Kessler Collection, which joined Marriott’s Autograph Collection in 2010.
This hotel simply screams St. Augustine and will give your family the reprieve and rest they need after a day of sightseeing or fending off pirates! Their suites have fun names like Anastasia and Ponce de Leon and you are steps from the historic district. In fact, Casa Monica is all about location, location, location!
It’s just across the street from the Plaza de la Constitución, steps from the Matanzas River, and around the corner from anything else you might want to do in St. A. And if you need a beach day, staying at Casa Monica gives you access to the private Serenata Beach Club, 15 minutes away.
Costa Brava, the in-house restaurant, has some of the best Spanish food I’ve had outside Spain and its morning breakfast will fuel you up for a fun day ahead.
Richard Kessler is most known for being an art collector and you will be blown away by the art work at Casa Monica. But even more impressive than the art is how everything from the music playing in the elevators to the decor of the hotel, matches the era and theme of the art. The service at the hotel is impeccable and not only were we there during COVID 19 but also a hurricane! The staff is on top of everything and they love children. Don’t be intimidated by this jewel-like hotel, it’s very family friendly!
St. Augustine truly is a historical gem in the heard of Florida. It’s the prefect place to absorb some history, attack some pirates, wrestle some alligators and enjoy a nice jar of sangria. Salud!
