St. Augustine

Exploring St. Augustine

Established in 1695 as a Spanish outpost in the Americas, St. Augustine lays claim to being Florida’s oldest continually occupied city. With a compact core known as the Ancient City sitting inside thick coquina walls that attach to the fortress – Castillo De San Marcos – that protected its early inhabitants, it is an extremely walkable destination. A melting pot of cultures that included Minorcans who left New Smyrna, the oldest free black settlement in the United States at Fort Mose, and waves of Spanish and British occupation, it feels like a corner of the Caribbean.

Natural lands protect portions of the beach and estuary frontage, providing launch points for paddlers and places for hikers and cyclists to explore. Several pleasant waterfront campgrounds offer outdoorsy visitors a place to camp. With a high concentration of B&Bs in the Ancient City, St. Augustine is a place where you can sleep with history, too, and walk right out your door for an adventure on foot.