Walking around Historic St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is the kind of place you can do some easy McDonalds tourism in. You’ll find pirate museums, wax museums, the fountain of youth, fudge, and t-shirts all on one block! Don’t be turned off if that’s not your kind of thing. Fight through the crowds, there are some really interesting things to see and learn in this popular place.

Just walking down the streets within a half a mile range, find a free history lesson. Over 400 years old, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in America. For over 200 years the city was a capital for Spanish Florida, it was the capital of British East Florida, and the capital of the Florida Territory of the United States. The Bridge of Lions crossing the Matanzas River leads you into the city, just beyond is the Atlantic Ocean.

+At the base of the bridge is Plaza de la Constitucion, the oldest public space in America is filled with stories. Find a statue of Juan Ponce de Leon – the European discoverer of Florida in 1513, who landed close to this very spot.

The Public Market Place was established in 1598, and for the first time a standard system of weights and measures was used to protect the consumer. The Government House from the 16^th century was the governor’s residence for approximately 250 years under Spanish and British rule, and an American federal building then on after through the 1960s.

From 1573 when it was laid out by Spanish Royal Ordinances, through the 1960s, this plaza stood steadfast and did not loose its significance. Andrew Young led a march for civil rights at this spot in 1964, staying true to the preaching of MLK Jr. and abstaining from violence even when he was beaten down.

+Branching off from the plaza is Aviles Street with its marvelous architecture.

One building to note is the Segui Kirby Smith House – one of the 36 Spanish colonial houses still remaining in the city, from the late 1700s. It was the birthplace of a confederate general, Edmund Kirby Smith, who was the last to surrender. Now, the house is the St. Augustine Historical Society research library, open to the public for research on Florida history, the civil war, and the Kirby Smith family. Another noteworthy structure is the Ximenez-Fatio House which is one of the best preserved Spanish colonial dwellings, that shows life in the boarding house of Florida’s territorial and early statehood period. You can take a (paid) tour Tuesday-Saturday. You’ll want to wander down the side streets,

narrow alleyways all but deserted,

with some of the most picturesque entranceways.

+Henry Flagler, the lesser known name of Standard Oil Company, was a co-founder along with John Rockefeller. After spending an enjoyable winter in the city, he decided to improve upon the hotel and transportation systems. He brought railroad lines down and opened up Florida’s Atlantic coast for development. He built two luxury hotels the Ponce de Leon Hotel and Hotel Alcazar in the 1880s. They are known for being the first of their kind entirely constructed of poured concrete. Also, some of the first buildings wired for electricity. Today, the Ponce is a part of Flagler College. The Alcazar is the (paid) Lightner Museum filled with American Gilded Age pieces.

Local Tip: Driving in St. Augustine is hectic and parking is expensive. If you’re okay with walking and would rather not pay – about half a mile away from the main hubbub is a residential area with no parking restrictions. Try looking around Lemon Street.