It was a bright sunny day when I visited St. Augustine. We parked on a side street and walked several blocks into the historic district. There were some interesting houses along the way such as the colorful Victorian home pictured above. We passed by Ripley's Believe It or Not! but did not go in. We did visit St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine and Museum. It had beautiful exhibits and history of the first Greek settlers. There is no admission charge but they do accept donations.
Entering St. Augustine's Historic District
Exhibits inside the Visitor Center
The visitor center is a good place to start. There is lots of information and help for planning your day. Above are some of the interesting historical exhibits in the building. It is definitely worth taking the time to check out this place.
Huguenot Cemetery
The Huguenot Cemetery in St. Augustine was established as a public cemetery in 1821 during a yellow fever epidemic. The Memorial Presbyterian Church acquired it in 1832. They operated the cemetery as a public burial ground in the city until 1884, when it closed. I enjoyed looking at the old gravestones.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the oldest Catholic Church in the United States. There is abundant ornate decorations as is the case in most Catholic churches. But what catches your eye is the open-timbered ceiling which reminded me of the ribs of a ship. And outside the architecture fits the Spanish style seen in St. Augustine.
Flagler College
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| Beautiful Spanish Renaissance Architecture |
This is such an exquisite, breathtaking building surrounded by beautiful grounds. What more can I say? It was closed when we were there, I'm not sure why. Usually it is open to visitors.
Lightner Museum
We walked into the Lightner Museum and looked around the lobby which had a few interesting displays. We did not feel like paying the admission so that was the extent of our visit here.
Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. It is an impressive structure. We wanted to go inside but the line was super long so we just walked around the fort on the outside and sat by the Matanzas River. It was a hot day and after a long day of walking it felt good to cool my feet in the water.
This was a quick visit, just for the day. We spent the day exploring the historic district, admiring all the wonderful architecture and browsing in the shops. For those looking to spend more time in the area, St. Augustine offers numerous museums and other attractions including the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
