Miami is sparkling and raucous; Orlando is full of thrills; but the little town of St Augustine, nestled into Florida’s historic coast, has something those glitzy big cities lack: charm.
Founded in 1565, St Augustine, 65km south of Jacksonville, is North America’s oldest continuously occupied European settlement. And it shows: more than 450 years of history are infused into its cobbled stones, from its narrow, winding streets and old colonial forts to its bright Spanish Revival architecture soaring in gilded towers. This may be the USA, but it feels more like an old-world European break.
That is, apart from the beaches. St Augustine may have history that predates the country itself, but this is still the Sunshine State. White sand stretches 67km along the coast, from golden bays filled with buzzing resorts to wild desolate dunes with not a soul around. Kayak along peaceful waterways with dolphins and manatees brushing past your boat, hike nature trails through estuaries ringing with birdsong, or cast a line and wait for tarpon and mackerel to bite.
That’s what St Augustine is about. Culture and open air. Historic sites in the morning, wild coastal adventures in the afternoon. Sounds pretty charming to me.
HIGHLIGHTS
HISTORIC DOWNTOWN
Fifty five years before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés spotted a tiny Timucuan village on the coast, came ashore and claimed it for Spain. Those roots still define St Augustine to this day, especially in its Historic Downtown: 144 blocks of living history framed by the sparkling waters of Matanzas Bay.
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