Places to Visit
First Americans: People before Ponce
The Fountain of Youth Archaeolgogical Park
Visit a living history exhibit of an authentic Timucua Indian homestead. Learn how they survived in the “New World” before European influences. Other exhibits include the Planetarium Show and the Discovery Globe, the First Encounter Exhibit, the famous Spring House, and live peacocks walking the grounds.
Age of Exploration: Spanish Settlement of St. Augustine
The First Spanish Period 1565 – 1763
The Mission De Nombre de Dios
Site of the first Catholic Mass in the New World and the site of The Great Cross.
The Castillo de San Marcos
Also known as “The Fort” is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Construction began in 1672 and has never been defeated since completion.
The Oldest House Museum
The site has been continuously occupied since the early 1600’s with the current house dating back the early 1700’s.
Fort Matanzas
Constructed in 1742, Fort Matanzas was erected to protect the city from a Southern approach. A free boat takes you from shore in Crescent Beach to the island structure.
The Colonial Quarter
A living history museum depicting typical life throughout three centuries of Historic, St. Augustine. (Temporarily Closed but set to reopen in the Winter of 2012)
The Oldest Wooden School House
Built prior to 1763 of red cedar and cypress held together with wooden pegs and hand-made nails.
The Government House Museum and the Plaza de La Constitution
The center of the city and home to events is the plaza which is flanked by the Government House Museum, part of the current building dates back to 1710.
The Second Spanish Period 1784 – 1821
The Spanish Military Hospital Museum
Travel Back in time to the Spanish Military Hospital, where the doctor is always in. Discover untold history as our guides demonstrate “cutting edge” colonial surgery techniques. Immerse yourself in another era- you’ve only explored St. Augustine when our guides have taken you back to colonial times. Explore an authentic reconstruction of a Military Hospital that stood on this site during the Second Spanish Colonial Period, 1784-1821. Experience life as a doctor or patient in 1791.
Hours of Operation:
Daily 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
The Dow Museum of Historic Homes
A Collection of nine historic homes dating from 1790 located on their original city block. The houses feature many antiques and items collected by Kenneth Dow.
The Cathedral Basillica
Completed in 1797, a beautiful cathedral and home to America’s first parish.
Built in 1875, St. Augustine’s Oldest Store Museum comes to life for visitors today. The former C.F. Hamblen Hardware store, became a museum in 1963 and was acquired in 2002 by Historic Tours of America. In preparation for the museum’s relaunch and grand opening last July, interactive elements were added to the experience to re-create a shopping experience at the turn of the century. The Oldest Store features over 100,000 items from the original store and is a must-see today.
The Gilded Age and Flagler’s Era 1888-1914
Flagler College
Formerly the grand Hotel Ponce de Leon, it was the flagship hotel built by Henry Flagler. The interiors designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany have been meticulously preserved.
The Lightner Museum
The former Alcazar Hotel home of entertainment for the elite guests of the Hotel Ponce De Leon houses relics of the Guilded Age.
Built in 1883 this grand structure is a fixture in Saint Augustine. The architecture itself was inspired by the Alhambra in Granada Spain. Built by Franklin Smith as a private residence this home is now a museum offering self-guided audio tours and includes an extensive collection of priceless antiques, oriental rugs, and much more. One could easily spend hours here reading about all the items and learning how they were acquired. In addition to daily tours the Villa is offering candlelight tours in the evenings beginning November 25th in honor of the city’s annual Nights of Lights Celebration. See their website for full holiday schedule.
On the national registry of historic places the Old Jail is defintely a place to visit as it has a long history behind it. The construction of the jail was funded by Henry Flagler in 1891 when the original jail near his luxury hotels was removed due to loud noises and distrubances along with horrible smells, which were disturbing to his prominent guests. These of course were the guests of the Ponce De Leon and the Hotel Alcazar. The jail housed prisoners of St. Johns County until the 1950s and was then turned into a museum so it stands the same inside and out. Tours through the Old Jail are held daily and are exciting as the guest is treated as a prisoner back in 1904. One will see the hanging gallows, the inside of the prisoners cells, and be explained the mysterious photo of Sim Jackson on the wall of the jail just before his hanging death. Other points of interest inside are Sheriff Perry’s bedrooms and living quarters (he lived on property), a large collection of guns utilized in crimes, and a collection of photographs of St. Johns County’s sheriffs through the years.
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