July 18, 2025 • 46 mins
The Family Vacationer - Episode 185Destination: St. Augustine, Florida – Where History and Beaches Collide Guest: Barbara Golden, Communications Manager, Florida’s Historic Coast Heads up, eagle-eyed listeners! Yes, we also noticed we skipped Episode 185 last week... the person responsible has been politely but firmly relieved of their podcast-numbering duties. (Don't worry, we gave them a map to the Fountain of Youth as severance.) If you’re looking for a family vacation spot that blends centuries of history with sandy toes and salt air, St. Augustine is calling your name. In this episode, Rob and Traci welcome back friend of the show Barbara Golden, who takes us on a virtual tour through America’s oldest city. What You'll Learn:
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Why St. Augustine is more than just a beach town (spoiler: pirates AND archaeology!)
- The rich cultural tapestry behind the nation’s oldest continuously occupied European settlement
- How to mix sun, surf, and centuries of history into one epic family vacation
- The best interactive museums for kids (think: cannon fire, pirate ships, and animatronic schoolhouses)
- Top beaches, family-friendly activities, hidden gems, and unbeatable food spots (hello, fried shrimp and chocolate factory)
- Where to find legendary fried shrimp and fresh-caught grouper
- The scoop on must-visit dessert spots like Peace Pies and The Hyppo Gourmet Pops
- Best rooftop dining for ocean views (and maybe a grouper taco or two)
- Castillo de San Marcos and its cannon demonstrations
- Anastasia State Park’s sugar-white beaches
- Pirate and Treasure Museum, Alligator Farm, and Colonial Quarter
- Historic trolley tours, kayak adventures, and beachcombing for shark teeth
- Beachfront family favorites like Embassy Suites Oceanfront and Guy Harvey Resort
- Charming historic inns downtown that welcome families
- Upscale golf resorts and glamping options nearby
- Best times to visit for weather, crowds, and festivals (like Nights of Lights ✨ and Sing Out Loud 🎶)
- Smart seasonal strategies (Hint: hit the beach in the morning, museums in the afternoon!)
- Must-know family travel tips from a local insider
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Florida’s Historic Coast
- Anastasia State Park
- Castillo de San Marcos
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Today, I'm a family vacationer. Cobblestone streets, Spanish forts, family
friendly beaches. Saint Augustine brings history to life with Coastal Charm.
Episode one eighty five starts right now. Welcome to the
Family Vacationer with Robin Tracy, your go to podcast for
families on the moon. Hey, friends, and welcome back to
(00:28):
the Family Vacationer. This is episode one eight five.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm Rob and I'm Tracy. Thanks for joining us as
we continue our series on America's Best beach towns.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Today, we're returning to one of our favorite places on
the Florida coast, Saint Augustine. This is actually our second
time spotlighting this incredible destination. And if you've ever been,
you already know why. And if you haven't, well you're
in for something special.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Saint Augustine isn't just any beach town. It's the oldest
continuously occupied European established settlement in the Continental US, founded
in fifteen sixty five by Spanish explorers, forty two years
before Jamestown and fifty five years before the Pilgrims landed
at Plymouth Rock.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
And that history is everywhere from the Castilio to Saint Marcus,
the oldest masonry ford in the country, to centuries old
city gates, colonial era buildings, and even pirate legends and
ghost stories. But what makes Saint Augustine really unique is
how it blends that incredible heritage with the laid back, beachy,
(01:35):
family friendly vibe, and with.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Forty two miles of Atlantic coastline, you've got sun and
sand just waiting for all that living history. From eco
tours and kid friendly museums to seafood on the waterfront
and ice cream on Saint George Street, there's something for
every member of the family.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Joining us once again to help us die into all
things Saint Augustine is Barbara Golden, our go to expert
on this charming and historic town. Barbara, welcome back to
the show.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Thanks Rob, glad to be with you again. I always
enjoy it talking about my favorite place. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So we know that Saint Augustine is so much more
than a beach town. But for someone who's never been,
which I've never been, can you paint us a picture
of what makes it such a special place for families?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Sure, it is absolutely a tremendous destination. Not only do
we have some of the most gorgeous beaches here, but
it is also the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in
North America, so we were really kind of the first
city in our country. There's lots of attractions and they're
(02:54):
all learning experiences, whether it's going to the Fountain of
Youth and learning about the Tumukuin natives that were here
first and what Spanish life was during the first settlement.
There's the Pirate and Treasure Museum where you can learn
about the real pirates that came here. There are just
(03:14):
so many things for families to enjoy in this destination,
from wildlife doing to visiting the alligator farm to see
all the different species of crocodilia that are in the world.
We have here at our Zoological Park.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
There's two things. There's more than two things, but there
are two huge things that St. Augustine has going for it,
and that's the rich history and then that coastal energy.
How does Saint Augustine blend the two?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So it's really easy because first of all those Spaniards
that came here that came via the sea, so we
are the oldest port city in the country, and you know,
we have this beautiful Inlet, Augustine Inlet, where on the
north side of the inlet you have Blano Beach, you
(04:04):
have the Guana Talamano Metansas Research Reserve, which that has
like a four mile strip of beach that you can
walk down on that beach, it is where Punstillion first
sighted land in fifteen thirteen. So our beaches are very historic,
even we even have a statue of Punstilion down there
(04:27):
on the beach. Then you have on the south side
of the inlet you have Anastasia State Park and the
small little town of Saint Augustine Beach, which it is
part of Saint Augustine, but it's a separate entity and
it's a cute little kitchen town. And just a little
bit further south we have Matanzas Inlet, which is not
(04:47):
really the most navigable waterway, but that was the southern
approach to Saint Augustine in the Spanish colonial times. There's
another their little fort down there, Fort Matanzas, and the
National Park Service has a ferry over to it, so
you get to see this seventeenth century Coquina fort, small
(05:13):
one opposed to our big one, overlooking the inlet. In
Saint Augustine the Castillo de San Marcos, so the beach
and the coastal everything ties into our history. Even the
lighthouse is spectacular. You can climb the two hundred nineteen
steps and you get a bird's eye view for miles
(05:33):
and miles up each coast, the north coast and the
South coast, and inland along all the waterways. It's just
a tremendous place to combine your history with coastal life.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
What are some must do activities for families visiting for
the first time.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Well, I would say the biggest must do is that
I always like to rent recommend are definitely enjoyed the
beaches and a Stag State Park. It's fantastic and particularly
for families. There's camping there, but they have programs, nature
programs on all the time. The other must do is
(06:17):
are they you must visit the Custio Disan Marcos. There
is nothing else like it there. We have another fort
in this country that's a little bit bigger, and that
is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is a scaled
down version of that huge, huge fort, but they have
costumed storytellers and park rangers that are there to educate
(06:41):
and teach about the wonderful experiences, and they're just really
great learning, fun experiences. The Alligator Farm, as I mentioned earlier,
all the different species of crocodilia they have there, and
then the Fountain of Youth. One of the other great
(07:02):
adventures I like to recommend to people is go on
one of the kayak or paddle tours with we have
several outfitters. I'm right downtown Saint Augustine, some across the beach,
whether you're on a kayak tour or one of the
boat tours, because then you learn the history from the water,
(07:22):
and then what a spectacular view as you're going by
the Castillo de San Marcos on a boat. It's really
a spectacular Those are just things I think that would
just plan a memory in children's heads forever. It's just
such a cool place. The Pirate and Treasure Museum, and
(07:44):
we do also have a pirate ship. So those are
the kind of things I think that stand out the
most and that families I think would enjoy the most.
They should be on the Family Saint Augustine trip bucket list.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Well, you mentioned the beaches.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You've already hit on this a little bit, but what
makes the beaches in Saint Augustine especially ideal for families.
What kind of sand are we talking? What makes them special?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Sure? So I talked about that inlet in Saint Augustine.
You have north of it. The sand on the north
part is called Coquina sand now coquina Spanish for tiny shells.
And there it's where all this cinnamon colored sand and
the crunched up shells. It's also perfect for finding fossilized
(08:31):
shark teeth, and that's particularly up at the GTM and
Micheler's Landing and Panavidra Beach. Those that whole strip is
a really fantastic beach. Coming surfing is huge here, and
that would be whether it's on the north beaches at
Villano and Panavidra, but also at Sant Augustine Beach and
(08:56):
on the south inlet. At Sant Augustine Beach, you have
Anastasia State Park which has this four mile strip with
nothing but white, sugary sand beach. It is a total
opposite of what's on the north side. Great for finding
sand dollars, but it's also wonderful for surfing. I'm right
(09:19):
adjacent to Anastasia State Park. We have this beautiful embassy
suite resort that is ocean front and there's nothing like
staying right on the beach too. We have a beach pier,
and at the beach pier every Wednesday morning we have
a farmer's market. And then the further south you go
(09:41):
again you get these beautiful, pristine beaches. I think the
most spectacular thing that's this biggest standout on our beaches
is that there is not one single building taller than
four stories, so you don't have anything over late afternoon
shadows covering the beaches, no high rise. It's a very
(10:02):
very natural, preserved area. Even when there's buildings, you still
have the dunes and all of that. It's just really
a beautiful, beautiful beach, but it's not overbuilt and it's
just very comfortable. Lots of families come here just for
the beach experience.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
You talked to some about museums. Are there interactive museums
or attractions that are especially fun for the younger kids.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Absolutely? Yes. I think the one of the oldest wooden schoolhouse,
which is really kind of cool because it's this building
from back in the eighteenth century that it was a
home of minorcan settlers, but they turned it into the
schoolhouse and it has kind of like the animatronic talking
(10:57):
about the students and they can purchase paint with some
of the banter back and forth, and then in the
garden there they can see how they cooked and all
of that. The Fountain of Youth Park is really cool
because there's a lot of hands on interactive and participation.
They have the Tumukua Indian Village where they demonstrate how
(11:20):
to do in Adelaide. They have hands on archaeological dig
that kids can participate in. They have cannon firing demonstrations.
And then at the Colonial Quarter, which is right down
in the heart of the historic district and it's adjacent
to the Pirate and Treasure Museum, there's a lot of
(11:43):
one the interactive with the guide so that the kids
are living the history and they're very, very engaging. They
can climb up into a tower and learn about the
different views of the city and the history that it portrayed,
the map reading and the same as the Pirate and
(12:03):
Treasure Museum to go in there and learn about the
real pirates that were not just here but in the Caribbean.
I think the most impressive of all of our museums
for kids is at the lighthouse and at the Saint
Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. When you go into the
light keeper's house, it starts out with you get to
(12:26):
see how the families lived in the keeper's house. But
then you go into the next part because they have
this program with maritime archaeologists and they have exhibits on
how they look for archaeology under the water and how
they do mapping and X rays of the things that
(12:50):
they find under the water. And then you go down
into the basement part and there is a collection of
all the treasures that they found off of one particular vessel,
and the end of it you learn what the vessel was.
So there's a whole history of the ship and how
they investigate it. So I've seen kids that are just
(13:12):
so engaged with that. We also have at the GTM,
and you ask museums to me. Our museums are indoor
and outdoor because this is a year round destination and
there's a lot outdoors at the Guano and we'll call
it the GTM. It's an estruman research reserve and they
(13:34):
have a visitor center there that there's life size right
whale and her caf and dolphin and manta rays that
are suspended from the ceiling, but down below they have
all these interactive programs that you learn about all the
things in the estuaries. They even have programs for kids
(13:56):
that they'll take you out and you can learn how
to pull a sane net and then pull up the
critters and help them identify and document what we're seeing
in the estuaries, because that is that places mission is
to reserve, preserve and restore our estuaries because they're very,
(14:19):
very healthy here and it's uh, it's one of the
four National Estuary Research Reserves in Florida. Their programs and
interactive are it's fun to watch the kids engage with us.
The eyes light up and they really learn. They make
fun learning here.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, that's it's always tricky, especially with a family like mine.
We have to trick, have to trick the rest of.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Them into learning. Yeah, so the more interactive the better.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Well, you mentioned the Castillo decend Marcus, and I know
that's it's iconic for Saint Augustine.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
What can families expect when they visit? What are the
different ways they can explore it and you know, find
fun in a meaningful way, so I'm going to start.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Right from this. Walking around the outside is really kind
of cool because you can look at the walls. The
walls are made of Coquina rock and there's some explanation
about this is a very unique rock and it was
never taken under siege. So just walking around the outside.
The really cool part about it is with all national parks,
(15:34):
the admission is fifteen dollars for adults, but kids under
fifteen are free, so it's very affordable. And if you
have a National Park pass, well then you know you're in.
So it's an affordable experience. But when they come into
the castillo, they walk through this plank and over the
(15:56):
dry moat is not a wet moat, into the steo
and their first place they see is the barracks that
the Spanish soldiers lived in because Saint Augustine was a
Spanish presidio, so we were a military based protecting the
Spanish fleet as they went back to Europe. They would
(16:18):
come up the Gulf Stream and then slingshot across the
Atlantic from this area, so it was a military outpost
for the Spanish fleets. As people walk through, they can
go into the different rooms and just the exhibits there
(16:40):
are very authentic, with the first gates on the building
looked like what the natives. It has an incredible history
because it was Spanish, and then every time Florida changed hands,
whether it was Spanish, it was British, it was Spanish again,
and then it was Colonia, it was US territory before
(17:03):
it came to state. So you saw different phases that
the fort was used for. But I will say this
is the most impressive thing. That fort was never ever
taken under siege. It was under siege, but it was
never taken. The only time it ever changed hands was
by a pen. As you go through, you learn all
this history and it's really quite fascinating. The coolest part
(17:26):
is you get to go up on the gun deck
and up there there are displays of the different kinds
of cannons that they use, and then of course standing
up there you get to look out over at the
inlet and the ocean, so it's very impressive. The storytellers,
the rangers do demonstrate, They have talks throughout the day,
(17:49):
and a really fun part is on the weekends up
on that gun deck they do cannon firing demonstrations and
it's where they'll come out in a colonial guard in
their colonial attire and then march through and the whole
(18:09):
process of what they go through to fire cannon, because,
believe it or not, there were twenty seven steps that
you had to go through the fire's cannon.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
They're just fascinating little things like that that make it
such an interesting and unique place.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
My husband loves history, so this sounds like a.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Really great place to go, and it's funny that she's
asking the questions about history and I'm the one that
actually enjoys this.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
One's salivating, right.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, it was never my subject of interest, but it
really sounds like a cool place and some really cool
things like the cannons and all that sounds like it'd
be really fun.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
Yeah. I think it's really cool that you let the
tourists fire the cannons. I'm just kidding. I'm just just kidding.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Are there any annual festivals or local events that are
particularly fun for families to plan around.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Yes, we have a lot of festivals throughout the year.
The next one coming up is in September and that's
really kind of for everyone, and it is the Sing
Out Loud Music Festival, So we have free music all
over the city every weekend at different locations, whether they're
you know, they're free concerts and they're performed by local, regional,
(19:30):
and national acts. Their free concerts every weekend, except for
there's one weekend not necessarily for kids that there are.
They could build out a big stage in downtown Saint
Augustine and they have mainline performers come in. We have
also one of the most spectacular events of the year
(19:54):
and in Florida is what we call Nights of Lights.
So this Saturday before for Thanksgiving and through mid January,
the entire city of Saint Augustine lights up with millions
of tiny white lights. It is really a sight to
be seen. And along with that there comes special tours.
(20:14):
You can take a tour of the Knights of Lights
with a Grinch driving a little electric car. Scrooge does one,
you can walk through it, you can do a horse
drone carriage. The sightseeing trains and the trolleys do fun
tours through the city with playing music and providing with
(20:35):
you know, apple cider. So it really sets the tone
for the holiday season and we try to make it
available to everyone and recommend that they take advantage of
the saddle light parking and come in and do a
walking or do one of the tours. Otherwise there's too
many cars. It's that popular. It is a huge, huge event.
(21:00):
There's or stay in one of the hotels right downtown
and then you don't have to worry about any of that.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Then there in the spring, we have a couple of
other great festivals. We have the Seafood Lions Festival. We
have a family weekend that's just all for kids. It's
all about kids that they do. Fire trucks come in
and the kids get to learn about that. They have
music and entertainment and games just for kids. But most
(21:30):
of the events that take place in the spring, whether
it's the Seafood Festival, uh, there's a couple of other
music festivals and other food festivals, and they all have
interaction with kids. There's always a kids port with it.
And then we have uh, you know, just being in
Saint Augustine is a magnicent, magnificent event. Throughout the year.
(21:55):
We have we have a couple more that it's like
the Saint Augustine History Festival. It takes place over a
two week period and there are a lot of reenactments
that take place through that. We have at Fort Moseic
our third fort by the way. We have Castillo, we
have Fort Mantanzas, and we have Fort mose which is
(22:16):
the site of the very first free African American settlement
in North America. So the underground railroad actually came here
to Saint Augustine because the Spanish would give them freedom
as long as they became loyal to the Spanish flag,
and they became Catholic and that was the requirement. They
(22:41):
had their own community and a fort, and they just
rebuilt they just built the replica of the original fort.
So that's open to the public and they have festivals
and events every week the excuse me. Every month. In
the first week they have an interactive Fort Mosey with
(23:05):
the some of the people that are storytellers that portray
the people that live there. They have an event in
February that tells the story of the runway slaves and
what they came for and the experience they had along
the way. And they have trails so that you get
to interact with the storytellers all along the trails. Then
(23:29):
we have in in June there's another great event that
we celebrate Fort Mose then too, and again more storytellers
and reenactors. We have in March, we have an event
called Searles Raid, so they this one's kind of fun
(23:52):
through the historic downtown Saint Augustine. They have the Spanish
fighting the Saint Augustine, the French fighting the Saint Augustine residence,
and the British fighting the Saint Augustine residents and then
protecting the city. And they go right down Saint George
Street with the battle from the plaza to the city gate.
(24:15):
So that's kind of fun and exciting. And I know
my kids and my grandkids have always loved going down
and watching that because it's it's it's like bringing history
to life.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yeah, I'm sold. Well, yeah, I'm ready. I'm ready. Well,
so this is the most important part of the show.
We're going to talk about food, and I'm not seeing
every restaurant you talk about has to have seafood, because
my wife does not somehow does not enjoy seafood. But
when I come down, I need to know what restaurants
(24:50):
do I need to go to to get my seafood fixed?
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Any one of them?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Because we have an ocean in our front yard right,
so we have a lot of fresh seafood, and the
best part about that is we have all the accompaniments.
The agriculture is in our backyard, so we have we're
surrounded by a rural area, but we have the ocean.
So we have a lot of fresh seafood. Whether you're
downtown Saint Augustine, if you go to one of the
(25:18):
restaurants that like Cutch twenty seven meaning fish twenty seventh,
Fla is the twenty seven state, so it's fresh Florida fish.
We have Pesca that is rooftop at the Hyatt Hotel
over on Bollano Beach, and that's always great, well fun
light eats and that's rooftop, so it's exciting. There are
(25:44):
numbers of those fresh seafood. We have so many great,
great restaurants here, and we have some that actually have
a lot of meat in them, and one in particular
is called a Sado Life. This restaurant sits waterfront on
the San Sebastian River in Saint Augustine and they do
(26:06):
live fire cooking on the waterfront and that food is
amazing there. So they'll do some seafood dishes, but let
me tell you they bring on the beef. It's one
of my favorite places. When I'm craving that meat, that's
where I'm going. And then we have a few other
(26:27):
very upscale restaurants. Lotus is one that is more like
a Japanese French fusion restaurant, and it is their chef
is he had been with La Bernardine and got their
Michelin star, so that's the quality of that kind of restaurant. There.
(26:47):
We have lots of fine dining between Lotus and Michael's
and La Kachina, which is another rooftop restaurant, and that's
kind of fun because that's on top of the winery
and their food has a little bit of a Latin influence,
and that's casual or fine dining, and it's a mix
(27:09):
of fresh seafood and then of course some traditional Latin foods.
And then another two more of my favorite seafoods are
Caps on the Water and that's on the Intercostal Waterway
up at North Beach and next to it as Aunt Cakes.
(27:31):
Both of them have fantastic seafood. Love love love eating
in those restaurants. And then over on Saint Augustine Beach
you get to really get to go into the more
contemporary fun side of things at the Salt Life food
check and at this kind of a huge thing. You
can even buy the saltlf T shirts there, but they
(27:55):
you can go rooftop or in the very casual dining.
It's open air, beautiful, refreshing, and the food is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Do you have a favorite seafood dish? I, oh my goodness,
I love them all, but I can tell you there's
a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Saint Augustine is well known for our fried shrimp. There's
a certain style the way that they cook fried shrimp.
But I like fried shrimp and it's not it's not
like anywhere else either. It's the way they batter it
and they cook it and it's just perfect. And then
when it comes to fish, this girl loves a grouper, okay,
(28:38):
and there's no shortage of grouper around here, and right now,
this time and the year. The other thing is redfish
because it's red snapper is Oh my goodness. You don't
get together all the time, but right now is the time,
and it's great. It's one of the sweetest, most tender fish.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Sounds good to me.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah, Rod likes seafood, but I have a sweet tooth.
So are there any ice cream shops or dessert shops
that you would recommend?
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Absolutely? First of all, we have a chocolate factory downtown
with Stones Chocolates, and they're artists and chocolates and you
can go on a factory tour and they have free
samples too, so you can get that sweet tooth sweetened.
We have a couple of sweet shops that were known
for down on Abblas Street, which is the oldest street
(29:35):
in the United States. There's this cute little shop in
there called Peace Pies and there are ice cream sandwiches
that are made with a short bread cookie, a scoop
of ice cream, and a pie filling. Oh my gosh,
they're so good, so you get a combination of cookie,
pie and ice cream all in one. Another one that's
(29:58):
really well known and is I'm popular all over the
state and it started here is Hippo Gourmet pops So
their gourmet fruit, fresh made popsicles using all fresh ingredients
and they have all different kinds of flavors and unique ones.
They have the strawberry doattle pepper popsicle. They have a
(30:20):
pineapple mint popsicle. I' mean just a dozens of flavors
that they have, and I will tell you that they
do try and use. As with most restaurants and foods
around here, they try to stay as local as they
can so that people that live and eat here and
people that visit here get a real sense of the
(30:43):
local flavor.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Well, you had my wife at chocolate factory, so I'm
surprised you didn't hear tires squealing on their way down. Well,
let's talk about accommodations. What kinds of lodge options work
best for families in Saint Augustine. I know that you
know you've got resorts, rentals, beachfront hotels, but call out
(31:08):
some that are good for families.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Okay, so one that I mentioned already is the Embassy
Suite ocean Front Resort at Saint Augustine. It is not
just an embassy suites, it is a resort and it's
ocean front. It's adjacent to Anastasia State Park. Book early.
That is why you very popular. Also along the beach
(31:31):
is the Guy Harvey Resort. And then there are several
small mom and pop kind of motels, but they're really
nice and clean. On Belano Beach. We have the Hyatt Place,
which is where Pesca and Michael's restaurants are, and then
we have a Holiday and Express. So these are all
pretty family affordable lodging. In downtown Saint Augustine, we have
(31:57):
it ranges. It can be from the very high end.
We have the Casamonica Resort, which is one of the
Kessler Hotels and it's an autograph hotel. And we have
about twenty six bed and breakfast inns, and believe it
or not, there are several of those inns that have
(32:18):
adjusted to accommodate families, so they have family suites and
that kind of thing. So if you really want to
immerse your children into a really great historic experience is
stay in one of the old inns like Bayfront. Marion
House and Saint Francis In are two right off the
top of my head that really work hard to accommodate families.
(32:42):
We also have downtown the Renaissance Hotel in the historic district.
We have the smallest Hilton Hotel in the US is
right on our Bayfront. I mean, there are several other
lodgings like that. Pepper throughout, but is also a great
option here between Anastasia State Park, and then up on
(33:05):
North Beach we have North Beach Campground, and then we
have several campgrounds inland, so there's lots of camping for
families that like to camp. And then on the outskirts
of the area there are lots of affordable hotels, the
chain legacy brands. And then when you go just a
little bit north of Saint Augustine into pan Ofviedra Beach,
(33:28):
if you really want to go upscale, the Pawnavidra Inn
in Club is a triple A five diamond resort and
their sister property, the Lodge and Club. Both of these
are ocean front and just spectacular. They have family programming
and that it's all inclusive with that. And then we
have for families that like golf. This is golf mecca
(33:52):
because the Ballgrass Marriotte Resort is adjacent to TPC Sawgrass,
which is where the Players Championship takes place every year.
It's the fifth major. But they also have the PGA
Academy is there, so there's lots of golf lessons and
(34:16):
and you can actually play the TPC saw Grass. A
lot of those big courses like that the general public
can't play but a family coming can do that and
they can get lessons. You can actually even get if
it's a family that's really into golf, you can get
(34:36):
your own caddy and get the names on your bibs,
and they do it. They do it up. There's a price,
But if it's a dream thing, it's so golf is
Golf is great, and it's it's also an experience where
(34:58):
people families do come here for the golf experience because
it's just such a great place to learn it and
play it together. And then when you're done playing golf,
you get to go do all the history fun stuff
in the beaches.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
We have it all sounds good to make.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Well. We have a teenage boy that loves to go fishing.
I don't think that he's ever gone deep sea fishing,
but I actually love to go deep sea fishing. What
kinds of fish do the deep sea charters catch around
Saint Augustine.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Well, at different times of year, they have different ones
that they catch. And we not only have the deep
sea because that is the Atlantic Ocean. I know right
now they had the temper the one day red snapper
season was last month, but throughout the year you can
catch all kinds of fish, hog fish, you can get
(35:55):
different kinds of snapper. You come a little closer inland
and you get flounder, But in June and July, kingfish
is huge here, so there're pretty much if it's in
the Atlantic Ocean, you can catch it here. And then
on our inland waters. We have a lot of fishing
(36:17):
guides that will take Because we had that inlet and
we're an estuary, some of those big fish come in
and eat, so there's a lot of fish to be
caught in the inland waterways as well. Lots of flounder.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Oh, flounder, hogfish. I think that's an underrated fish. I
love the taste of hogfish.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Oh, it's fantastic. My brother is a spear fisher. Yeah,
so every once in a while he'll get one, and
I get a nice filet from that. It is very sweet.
It's very much kind of along. It's not quite like grouper,
but it's kind of halfway between grouper and mahe and
(37:04):
that flavor. So it's really a nice, nice fish. I
enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It's the wrong time of day to talk about seafood,
So what are some under the radar or local favorite
spots that returning families might want to seek out.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
We have some fantastic parks, and right outside Saint Augustine
to the west of US is this little town called
Hastings and it's kind of a farm community, but they
have a lot of small, little restaurants. It's got that
little small town field feel to it. And we have
some outfitters that'll take families on kayaking excursions and you
(37:49):
go on these backwater waterways that this is real old
Florida with the big giant cedar and oak trees with
Spanish moss hanging on them. Paddle a half a mile
up the waterway and you are just totally immersed in
what the world was like five hundred years ago. So
(38:09):
they have that. And then one of my other favorite
things is we have a botanical garden out there. It's
the Saint John's Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve and this
doctor Rossi is the founder of it, and it has
every species of palm tree that you can imagine in there,
and it's just a nice walk through a natural area.
(38:33):
And then you go with all of his manicure gardens too,
but when you go to the backside, it's a nature Preserve,
and again you're walking along Deep Creek and this beautiful
old Florida scenes. I was walking along that creek one
day and I want to say, it was kind of
in March, and I looked across the there's wild oranges
(38:57):
growing out. So it's it's kind of like a beautiful
step back and time and nature. So those are some
of the little hidden things with the small town experiences
you still have here. Plus we have a lot of
parks and different kinds of recreation. But I would say
our biggest thing that's kind of under the radar is
(39:20):
the quality of our beaches. They're just there's so many
little parks and I've already been sharing with you some
of the secrets, you know, finding sharks teeth on the beach,
But there are lots of fun things like that. We
have something on our website that would help people kind
(39:41):
of plan their vacation a little more. Our website is
Florida's Historiccoast dot com. There is an s on the
end of Florida, but when they go on, they can
just put a search in for the must do experiences
and it pops up with this menu of all these
fantastic experiences. Because there's so many of them, it's kind
(40:06):
of hard to you know, just that's not all there
is so much we're here and there's probably about twenty
five videos, but it gives you a little taste of
the kind of things that you can experience and expect
to have or should put on your itinerary on your visit.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Do you have any advice for families visiting in the
summer months versus you know, the fall or winter.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
So one of the things that's the most popular time
of the year here for families always seems to be
in the spring and a lot of time in the
summer for visiting here. In the summer, my recommendation to
people is always go to the beach in the morning.
(40:55):
This is Florida and it's the tropics. It rains every afternoon,
so there are a lot of indoor activities to do.
Between the Pirate and Treasure Museum, we have the very
first Ripley's Believe it or Not museum here and it's
fantastic and as in one of our magnificent historic buildings,
so you get authentic history tied in and Ripley's always
(41:18):
has a good story. So we have a few things
like that that you can do. In the afternoon, you
can do one of the trolley tours. I always like
to recommend a family when your first come to Saint
Augustine is to do either The Ripley's has a sightseeing
train tours and the Historic Tours America has the Old
(41:41):
Town trolley tours. These are a narrated tour the whole city,
so it's a great way to get acclimated with the city,
learn where everything is, and get a narrative of the history,
kind of in a timeline and just in little bite
sizes so you can digest it. And then with the trolleys,
if you buy a ticket and you go in the morning,
(42:02):
you can use the trolley on and off throughout the
city throughout the day. So that's really a convenient way
to do it. But my recommendation is to do that,
and then if you're in and that's any time of
year in the summertime, I highly recommend doing the beach
in the morning. In the spring, you're okay all day long.
(42:22):
It's just an incredible weather here in the spring and
in the fall. In the winter you get the occasional
beach day, but it is really just a comfortable time
to walk around downtown, just to walk along Saint George
Street and Abby Lass Street. There are lots of little
side streets with lots of fun things to do and
(42:45):
adventures to go on. We do have a The A
one A is the road that goes along and it
is called the A one A National Scenic and Coastal
by Way. So there's a lot of things to do
along the coast and you can easily pick up a
(43:06):
map in our visitor center of all the different things
that there are to do along the A one A drive,
because it's an incredible road. If you like a road trip,
that's an afternoon of just enjoying the beautiful coastal drive.
Plus we can drive on our beaches here.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Oh okay, well, it sounds like there is a lot
to do in Saint Augustine. So to wrap it up,
if you had one perfect family day in Saint Augustine,
how would you spend it?
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Oh, my goodness, no pressure.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
I think to do the perfect day, I think one
should start in the morning doing one of that trolley
or train site seeing for because that's where you're going
to be able to digest the most. There are a
few other things that if your older kids, I would
recommend doing the tour of Flagler College because they're going
(44:09):
to have an appreciation a little bit more for the finery.
But I would definitely work in a museum, whether it's
the oldest house or the oldest school house, or if
it's Ripley's and do that. And then in the afternoon,
I would do something outdoors, whether it's at the Alligator
Farm or at the lighthouse or just going to play
(44:32):
on the beach. And then the evenings, you know, there's eating.
I would be eating a lot of really good food
almost anywhere, but make sure you get that peace pie
in the afternoon or a chocolate tree.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
We won't miss it. Well, Barbara, thank you so much
for coming back on the show. I'm ready to plan
my trip now before the episode's even over. So thank
you so much for coming on.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Hey, thank you for having me, and I hope that
we get to see you in Saint Augustine too, and
with your listeners as well.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and substack for
more family travel tips, photos and bonus content.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
And if you're visiting Saint Augustine this year, tagus. We'd
love to see your family finds and share them with
our community.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Remember, folks, to keep your passports and your hearts open.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Safe travels everyone.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
I've got it.
Speaker 1 (45:37):
All the beaks places in the hotel stasis.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
I'm using the buck rides, lot of sides, mountain ranges
and seasonal changes. I'm need to serve.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
I'm the family vacation I've got in food on other
beach predeces and hotel spaces.
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Amusement park rids and water slides, mountain ranges and seasonal changes.
I'm here to serve.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
I'm the family vacationers, your family vacationer, your family vacation
Today, I'm a family vacationer. Cobblestone streets, Spanish forts, family
friendly beaches. Saint Augustine brings history to life with Coastal Charm.
Episode one eighty five starts right now. Welcome to the
Family Vacationer with Robin Tracy, your go to podcast for
families on the moon. Hey, friends, and welcome back to
(00:28):
the Family Vacationer. This is episode one eight five.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm Rob and I'm Tracy. Thanks for joining us as
we continue our series on America's Best beach towns.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Today, we're returning to one of our favorite places on
the Florida coast, Saint Augustine. This is actually our second
time spotlighting this incredible destination. And if you've ever been,
you already know why. And if you haven't, well you're
in for something special.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Saint Augustine isn't just any beach town. It's the oldest
continuously occupied European established settlement in the Continental US, founded
in fifteen sixty five by Spanish explorers, forty two years
before Jamestown and fifty five years before the Pilgrims landed
at Plymouth Rock.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
And that history is everywhere from the Castilio to Saint Marcus,
the oldest masonry ford in the country, to centuries old
city gates, colonial era buildings, and even pirate legends and
ghost stories. But what makes Saint Augustine really unique is
how it blends that incredible heritage with the laid back, beachy,
(01:35):
family friendly vibe, and with.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Forty two miles of Atlantic coastline, you've got sun and
sand just waiting for all that living history. From eco
tours and kid friendly museums to seafood on the waterfront
and ice cream on Saint George Street, there's something for
every member of the family.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Joining us once again to help us die into all
things Saint Augustine is Barbara Golden, our go to expert
on this charming and historic town. Barbara, welcome back to
the show.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
Thanks Rob, glad to be with you again. I always
enjoy it talking about my favorite place. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
So we know that Saint Augustine is so much more
than a beach town. But for someone who's never been,
which I've never been, can you paint us a picture
of what makes it such a special place for families?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Sure, it is absolutely a tremendous destination. Not only do
we have some of the most gorgeous beaches here, but
it is also the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in
North America, so we were really kind of the first
city in our country. There's lots of attractions and they're
(02:54):
all learning experiences, whether it's going to the Fountain of
Youth and learning about the Tumukuin natives that were here
first and what Spanish life was during the first settlement.
There's the Pirate and Treasure Museum where you can learn
about the real pirates that came here. There are just
(03:14):
so many things for families to enjoy in this destination,
from wildlife doing to visiting the alligator farm to see
all the different species of crocodilia that are in the world.
We have here at our Zoological Park.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
There's two things. There's more than two things, but there
are two huge things that St. Augustine has going for it,
and that's the rich history and then that coastal energy.
How does Saint Augustine blend the two?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
So it's really easy because first of all those Spaniards
that came here that came via the sea, so we
are the oldest port city in the country, and you know,
we have this beautiful Inlet, Augustine Inlet, where on the
north side of the inlet you have Blano Beach, you
(04:04):
have the Guana Talamano Metansas Research Reserve, which that has
like a four mile strip of beach that you can
walk down on that beach, it is where Punstillion first
sighted land in fifteen thirteen. So our beaches are very historic,
even we even have a statue of Punstilion down there
(04:27):
on the beach. Then you have on the south side
of the inlet you have Anastasia State Park and the
small little town of Saint Augustine Beach, which it is
part of Saint Augustine, but it's a separate entity and
it's a cute little kitchen town. And just a little
bit further south we have Matanzas Inlet, which is not
(04:47):
really the most navigable waterway, but that was the southern
approach to Saint Augustine in the Spanish colonial times. There's
another their little fort down there, Fort Matanzas, and the
National Park Service has a ferry over to it, so
you get to see this seventeenth century Coquina fort, small
(05:13):
one opposed to our big one, overlooking the inlet. In
Saint Augustine the Castillo de San Marcos, so the beach
and the coastal everything ties into our history. Even the
lighthouse is spectacular. You can climb the two hundred nineteen
steps and you get a bird's eye view for miles
(05:33):
and miles up each coast, the north coast and the
South coast, and inland along all the waterways. It's just
a tremendous place to combine your history with coastal life.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
What are some must do activities for families visiting for
the first time.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Well, I would say the biggest must do is that
I always like to rent recommend are definitely enjoyed the
beaches and a Stag State Park. It's fantastic and particularly
for families. There's camping there, but they have programs, nature
programs on all the time. The other must do is
(06:17):
are they you must visit the Custio Disan Marcos. There
is nothing else like it there. We have another fort
in this country that's a little bit bigger, and that
is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is a scaled
down version of that huge, huge fort, but they have
costumed storytellers and park rangers that are there to educate
(06:41):
and teach about the wonderful experiences, and they're just really
great learning, fun experiences. The Alligator Farm, as I mentioned earlier,
all the different species of crocodilia they have there, and
then the Fountain of Youth. One of the other great
(07:02):
adventures I like to recommend to people is go on
one of the kayak or paddle tours with we have
several outfitters. I'm right downtown Saint Augustine, some across the beach,
whether you're on a kayak tour or one of the
boat tours, because then you learn the history from the water,
(07:22):
and then what a spectacular view as you're going by
the Castillo de San Marcos on a boat. It's really
a spectacular Those are just things I think that would
just plan a memory in children's heads forever. It's just
such a cool place. The Pirate and Treasure Museum, and
(07:44):
we do also have a pirate ship. So those are
the kind of things I think that stand out the
most and that families I think would enjoy the most.
They should be on the Family Saint Augustine trip bucket list.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Well, you mentioned the beaches.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You've already hit on this a little bit, but what
makes the beaches in Saint Augustine especially ideal for families.
What kind of sand are we talking? What makes them special?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Sure? So I talked about that inlet in Saint Augustine.
You have north of it. The sand on the north
part is called Coquina sand now coquina Spanish for tiny shells.
And there it's where all this cinnamon colored sand and
the crunched up shells. It's also perfect for finding fossilized
(08:31):
shark teeth, and that's particularly up at the GTM and
Micheler's Landing and Panavidra Beach. Those that whole strip is
a really fantastic beach. Coming surfing is huge here, and
that would be whether it's on the north beaches at
Villano and Panavidra, but also at Sant Augustine Beach and
(08:56):
on the south inlet. At Sant Augustine Beach, you have
Anastasia State Park which has this four mile strip with
nothing but white, sugary sand beach. It is a total
opposite of what's on the north side. Great for finding
sand dollars, but it's also wonderful for surfing. I'm right
(09:19):
adjacent to Anastasia State Park. We have this beautiful embassy
suite resort that is ocean front and there's nothing like
staying right on the beach too. We have a beach pier,
and at the beach pier every Wednesday morning we have
a farmer's market. And then the further south you go
(09:41):
again you get these beautiful, pristine beaches. I think the
most spectacular thing that's this biggest standout on our beaches
is that there is not one single building taller than
four stories, so you don't have anything over late afternoon
shadows covering the beaches, no high rise. It's a very
(10:02):
very natural, preserved area. Even when there's buildings, you still
have the dunes and all of that. It's just really
a beautiful, beautiful beach, but it's not overbuilt and it's
just very comfortable. Lots of families come here just for
the beach experience.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
You talked to some about museums. Are there interactive museums
or attractions that are especially fun for the younger kids.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Absolutely? Yes. I think the one of the oldest wooden schoolhouse,
which is really kind of cool because it's this building
from back in the eighteenth century that it was a
home of minorcan settlers, but they turned it into the
schoolhouse and it has kind of like the animatronic talking
(10:57):
about the students and they can purchase paint with some
of the banter back and forth, and then in the
garden there they can see how they cooked and all
of that. The Fountain of Youth Park is really cool
because there's a lot of hands on interactive and participation.
They have the Tumukua Indian Village where they demonstrate how
(11:20):
to do in Adelaide. They have hands on archaeological dig
that kids can participate in. They have cannon firing demonstrations.
And then at the Colonial Quarter, which is right down
in the heart of the historic district and it's adjacent
to the Pirate and Treasure Museum, there's a lot of
(11:43):
one the interactive with the guide so that the kids
are living the history and they're very, very engaging. They
can climb up into a tower and learn about the
different views of the city and the history that it portrayed,
the map reading and the same as the Pirate and
(12:03):
Treasure Museum to go in there and learn about the
real pirates that were not just here but in the Caribbean.
I think the most impressive of all of our museums
for kids is at the lighthouse and at the Saint
Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. When you go into the
light keeper's house, it starts out with you get to
(12:26):
see how the families lived in the keeper's house. But
then you go into the next part because they have
this program with maritime archaeologists and they have exhibits on
how they look for archaeology under the water and how
they do mapping and X rays of the things that
(12:50):
they find under the water. And then you go down
into the basement part and there is a collection of
all the treasures that they found off of one particular vessel,
and the end of it you learn what the vessel was.
So there's a whole history of the ship and how
they investigate it. So I've seen kids that are just
(13:12):
so engaged with that. We also have at the GTM,
and you ask museums to me. Our museums are indoor
and outdoor because this is a year round destination and
there's a lot outdoors at the Guano and we'll call
it the GTM. It's an estruman research reserve and they
(13:34):
have a visitor center there that there's life size right
whale and her caf and dolphin and manta rays that
are suspended from the ceiling, but down below they have
all these interactive programs that you learn about all the
things in the estuaries. They even have programs for kids
(13:56):
that they'll take you out and you can learn how
to pull a sane net and then pull up the
critters and help them identify and document what we're seeing
in the estuaries, because that is that places mission is
to reserve, preserve and restore our estuaries because they're very,
(14:19):
very healthy here and it's uh, it's one of the
four National Estuary Research Reserves in Florida. Their programs and
interactive are it's fun to watch the kids engage with us.
The eyes light up and they really learn. They make
fun learning here.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, that's it's always tricky, especially with a family like mine.
We have to trick, have to trick the rest of.
Speaker 4 (14:48):
Them into learning. Yeah, so the more interactive the better.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Well, you mentioned the Castillo decend Marcus, and I know
that's it's iconic for Saint Augustine.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
What can families expect when they visit? What are the
different ways they can explore it and you know, find
fun in a meaningful way, so I'm going to start.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Right from this. Walking around the outside is really kind
of cool because you can look at the walls. The
walls are made of Coquina rock and there's some explanation
about this is a very unique rock and it was
never taken under siege. So just walking around the outside.
The really cool part about it is with all national parks,
(15:34):
the admission is fifteen dollars for adults, but kids under
fifteen are free, so it's very affordable. And if you
have a National Park pass, well then you know you're in.
So it's an affordable experience. But when they come into
the castillo, they walk through this plank and over the
(15:56):
dry moat is not a wet moat, into the steo
and their first place they see is the barracks that
the Spanish soldiers lived in because Saint Augustine was a
Spanish presidio, so we were a military based protecting the
Spanish fleet as they went back to Europe. They would
(16:18):
come up the Gulf Stream and then slingshot across the
Atlantic from this area, so it was a military outpost
for the Spanish fleets. As people walk through, they can
go into the different rooms and just the exhibits there
(16:40):
are very authentic, with the first gates on the building
looked like what the natives. It has an incredible history
because it was Spanish, and then every time Florida changed hands,
whether it was Spanish, it was British, it was Spanish again,
and then it was Colonia, it was US territory before
(17:03):
it came to state. So you saw different phases that
the fort was used for. But I will say this
is the most impressive thing. That fort was never ever
taken under siege. It was under siege, but it was
never taken. The only time it ever changed hands was
by a pen. As you go through, you learn all
this history and it's really quite fascinating. The coolest part
(17:26):
is you get to go up on the gun deck
and up there there are displays of the different kinds
of cannons that they use, and then of course standing
up there you get to look out over at the
inlet and the ocean, so it's very impressive. The storytellers,
the rangers do demonstrate, They have talks throughout the day,
(17:49):
and a really fun part is on the weekends up
on that gun deck they do cannon firing demonstrations and
it's where they'll come out in a colonial guard in
their colonial attire and then march through and the whole
(18:09):
process of what they go through to fire cannon, because,
believe it or not, there were twenty seven steps that
you had to go through the fire's cannon.
Speaker 4 (18:17):
Oh wow.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
They're just fascinating little things like that that make it
such an interesting and unique place.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
My husband loves history, so this sounds like a.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Really great place to go, and it's funny that she's
asking the questions about history and I'm the one that
actually enjoys this.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
One's salivating, right.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, it was never my subject of interest, but it
really sounds like a cool place and some really cool
things like the cannons and all that sounds like it'd
be really fun.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
Yeah. I think it's really cool that you let the
tourists fire the cannons. I'm just kidding. I'm just just kidding.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Are there any annual festivals or local events that are
particularly fun for families to plan around.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Yes, we have a lot of festivals throughout the year.
The next one coming up is in September and that's
really kind of for everyone, and it is the Sing
Out Loud Music Festival, So we have free music all
over the city every weekend at different locations, whether they're
you know, they're free concerts and they're performed by local, regional,
(19:30):
and national acts. Their free concerts every weekend, except for
there's one weekend not necessarily for kids that there are.
They could build out a big stage in downtown Saint
Augustine and they have mainline performers come in. We have
also one of the most spectacular events of the year
(19:54):
and in Florida is what we call Nights of Lights.
So this Saturday before for Thanksgiving and through mid January,
the entire city of Saint Augustine lights up with millions
of tiny white lights. It is really a sight to
be seen. And along with that there comes special tours.
(20:14):
You can take a tour of the Knights of Lights
with a Grinch driving a little electric car. Scrooge does one,
you can walk through it, you can do a horse
drone carriage. The sightseeing trains and the trolleys do fun
tours through the city with playing music and providing with
(20:35):
you know, apple cider. So it really sets the tone
for the holiday season and we try to make it
available to everyone and recommend that they take advantage of
the saddle light parking and come in and do a
walking or do one of the tours. Otherwise there's too
many cars. It's that popular. It is a huge, huge event.
(21:00):
There's or stay in one of the hotels right downtown
and then you don't have to worry about any of that.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Then there in the spring, we have a couple of
other great festivals. We have the Seafood Lions Festival. We
have a family weekend that's just all for kids. It's
all about kids that they do. Fire trucks come in
and the kids get to learn about that. They have
music and entertainment and games just for kids. But most
(21:30):
of the events that take place in the spring, whether
it's the Seafood Festival, uh, there's a couple of other
music festivals and other food festivals, and they all have
interaction with kids. There's always a kids port with it.
And then we have uh, you know, just being in
Saint Augustine is a magnicent, magnificent event. Throughout the year.
(21:55):
We have we have a couple more that it's like
the Saint Augustine History Festival. It takes place over a
two week period and there are a lot of reenactments
that take place through that. We have at Fort Moseic
our third fort by the way. We have Castillo, we
have Fort Mantanzas, and we have Fort mose which is
(22:16):
the site of the very first free African American settlement
in North America. So the underground railroad actually came here
to Saint Augustine because the Spanish would give them freedom
as long as they became loyal to the Spanish flag,
and they became Catholic and that was the requirement. They
(22:41):
had their own community and a fort, and they just
rebuilt they just built the replica of the original fort.
So that's open to the public and they have festivals
and events every week the excuse me. Every month. In
the first week they have an interactive Fort Mosey with
(23:05):
the some of the people that are storytellers that portray
the people that live there. They have an event in
February that tells the story of the runway slaves and
what they came for and the experience they had along
the way. And they have trails so that you get
to interact with the storytellers all along the trails. Then
(23:29):
we have in in June there's another great event that
we celebrate Fort Mose then too, and again more storytellers
and reenactors. We have in March, we have an event
called Searles Raid, so they this one's kind of fun
(23:52):
through the historic downtown Saint Augustine. They have the Spanish
fighting the Saint Augustine, the French fighting the Saint Augustine residence,
and the British fighting the Saint Augustine residents and then
protecting the city. And they go right down Saint George
Street with the battle from the plaza to the city gate.
(24:15):
So that's kind of fun and exciting. And I know
my kids and my grandkids have always loved going down
and watching that because it's it's it's like bringing history
to life.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yeah, I'm sold. Well, yeah, I'm ready. I'm ready. Well,
so this is the most important part of the show.
We're going to talk about food, and I'm not seeing
every restaurant you talk about has to have seafood, because
my wife does not somehow does not enjoy seafood. But
when I come down, I need to know what restaurants
(24:50):
do I need to go to to get my seafood fixed?
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Any one of them?
Speaker 4 (24:54):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Because we have an ocean in our front yard right,
so we have a lot of fresh seafood, and the
best part about that is we have all the accompaniments.
The agriculture is in our backyard, so we have we're
surrounded by a rural area, but we have the ocean.
So we have a lot of fresh seafood. Whether you're
downtown Saint Augustine, if you go to one of the
(25:18):
restaurants that like Cutch twenty seven meaning fish twenty seventh,
Fla is the twenty seven state, so it's fresh Florida fish.
We have Pesca that is rooftop at the Hyatt Hotel
over on Bollano Beach, and that's always great, well fun
light eats and that's rooftop, so it's exciting. There are
(25:44):
numbers of those fresh seafood. We have so many great,
great restaurants here, and we have some that actually have
a lot of meat in them, and one in particular
is called a Sado Life. This restaurant sits waterfront on
the San Sebastian River in Saint Augustine and they do
(26:06):
live fire cooking on the waterfront and that food is
amazing there. So they'll do some seafood dishes, but let
me tell you they bring on the beef. It's one
of my favorite places. When I'm craving that meat, that's
where I'm going. And then we have a few other
(26:27):
very upscale restaurants. Lotus is one that is more like
a Japanese French fusion restaurant, and it is their chef
is he had been with La Bernardine and got their
Michelin star, so that's the quality of that kind of restaurant. There.
(26:47):
We have lots of fine dining between Lotus and Michael's
and La Kachina, which is another rooftop restaurant, and that's
kind of fun because that's on top of the winery
and their food has a little bit of a Latin influence,
and that's casual or fine dining, and it's a mix
(27:09):
of fresh seafood and then of course some traditional Latin foods.
And then another two more of my favorite seafoods are
Caps on the Water and that's on the Intercostal Waterway
up at North Beach and next to it as Aunt Cakes.
(27:31):
Both of them have fantastic seafood. Love love love eating
in those restaurants. And then over on Saint Augustine Beach
you get to really get to go into the more
contemporary fun side of things at the Salt Life food
check and at this kind of a huge thing. You
can even buy the saltlf T shirts there, but they
(27:55):
you can go rooftop or in the very casual dining.
It's open air, beautiful, refreshing, and the food is fantastic.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
Do you have a favorite seafood dish? I, oh my goodness,
I love them all, but I can tell you there's
a couple of things.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Saint Augustine is well known for our fried shrimp. There's
a certain style the way that they cook fried shrimp.
But I like fried shrimp and it's not it's not
like anywhere else either. It's the way they batter it
and they cook it and it's just perfect. And then
when it comes to fish, this girl loves a grouper, okay,
(28:38):
and there's no shortage of grouper around here, and right now,
this time and the year. The other thing is redfish
because it's red snapper is Oh my goodness. You don't
get together all the time, but right now is the time,
and it's great. It's one of the sweetest, most tender fish.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Sounds good to me.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah, Rod likes seafood, but I have a sweet tooth.
So are there any ice cream shops or dessert shops
that you would recommend?
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Absolutely? First of all, we have a chocolate factory downtown
with Stones Chocolates, and they're artists and chocolates and you
can go on a factory tour and they have free
samples too, so you can get that sweet tooth sweetened.
We have a couple of sweet shops that were known
for down on Abblas Street, which is the oldest street
(29:35):
in the United States. There's this cute little shop in
there called Peace Pies and there are ice cream sandwiches
that are made with a short bread cookie, a scoop
of ice cream, and a pie filling. Oh my gosh,
they're so good, so you get a combination of cookie,
pie and ice cream all in one. Another one that's
(29:58):
really well known and is I'm popular all over the
state and it started here is Hippo Gourmet pops So
their gourmet fruit, fresh made popsicles using all fresh ingredients
and they have all different kinds of flavors and unique ones.
They have the strawberry doattle pepper popsicle. They have a
(30:20):
pineapple mint popsicle. I' mean just a dozens of flavors
that they have, and I will tell you that they
do try and use. As with most restaurants and foods
around here, they try to stay as local as they
can so that people that live and eat here and
people that visit here get a real sense of the
(30:43):
local flavor.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Well, you had my wife at chocolate factory, so I'm
surprised you didn't hear tires squealing on their way down. Well,
let's talk about accommodations. What kinds of lodge options work
best for families in Saint Augustine. I know that you
know you've got resorts, rentals, beachfront hotels, but call out
(31:08):
some that are good for families.
Speaker 3 (31:10):
Okay, so one that I mentioned already is the Embassy
Suite ocean Front Resort at Saint Augustine. It is not
just an embassy suites, it is a resort and it's
ocean front. It's adjacent to Anastasia State Park. Book early.
That is why you very popular. Also along the beach
(31:31):
is the Guy Harvey Resort. And then there are several
small mom and pop kind of motels, but they're really
nice and clean. On Belano Beach. We have the Hyatt Place,
which is where Pesca and Michael's restaurants are, and then
we have a Holiday and Express. So these are all
pretty family affordable lodging. In downtown Saint Augustine, we have
(31:57):
it ranges. It can be from the very high end.
We have the Casamonica Resort, which is one of the
Kessler Hotels and it's an autograph hotel. And we have
about twenty six bed and breakfast inns, and believe it
or not, there are several of those inns that have
(32:18):
adjusted to accommodate families, so they have family suites and
that kind of thing. So if you really want to
immerse your children into a really great historic experience is
stay in one of the old inns like Bayfront. Marion
House and Saint Francis In are two right off the
top of my head that really work hard to accommodate families.
(32:42):
We also have downtown the Renaissance Hotel in the historic district.
We have the smallest Hilton Hotel in the US is
right on our Bayfront. I mean, there are several other
lodgings like that. Pepper throughout, but is also a great
option here between Anastasia State Park, and then up on
(33:05):
North Beach we have North Beach Campground, and then we
have several campgrounds inland, so there's lots of camping for
families that like to camp. And then on the outskirts
of the area there are lots of affordable hotels, the
chain legacy brands. And then when you go just a
little bit north of Saint Augustine into pan Ofviedra Beach,
(33:28):
if you really want to go upscale, the Pawnavidra Inn
in Club is a triple A five diamond resort and
their sister property, the Lodge and Club. Both of these
are ocean front and just spectacular. They have family programming
and that it's all inclusive with that. And then we
have for families that like golf. This is golf mecca
(33:52):
because the Ballgrass Marriotte Resort is adjacent to TPC Sawgrass,
which is where the Players Championship takes place every year.
It's the fifth major. But they also have the PGA
Academy is there, so there's lots of golf lessons and
(34:16):
and you can actually play the TPC saw Grass. A
lot of those big courses like that the general public
can't play but a family coming can do that and
they can get lessons. You can actually even get if
it's a family that's really into golf, you can get
(34:36):
your own caddy and get the names on your bibs,
and they do it. They do it up. There's a price,
But if it's a dream thing, it's so golf is
Golf is great, and it's it's also an experience where
(34:58):
people families do come here for the golf experience because
it's just such a great place to learn it and
play it together. And then when you're done playing golf,
you get to go do all the history fun stuff
in the beaches.
Speaker 4 (35:14):
We have it all sounds good to make.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Well. We have a teenage boy that loves to go fishing.
I don't think that he's ever gone deep sea fishing,
but I actually love to go deep sea fishing. What
kinds of fish do the deep sea charters catch around
Saint Augustine.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Well, at different times of year, they have different ones
that they catch. And we not only have the deep
sea because that is the Atlantic Ocean. I know right
now they had the temper the one day red snapper
season was last month, but throughout the year you can
catch all kinds of fish, hog fish, you can get
(35:55):
different kinds of snapper. You come a little closer inland
and you get flounder, But in June and July, kingfish
is huge here, so there're pretty much if it's in
the Atlantic Ocean, you can catch it here. And then
on our inland waters. We have a lot of fishing
(36:17):
guides that will take Because we had that inlet and
we're an estuary, some of those big fish come in
and eat, so there's a lot of fish to be
caught in the inland waterways as well. Lots of flounder.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Oh, flounder, hogfish. I think that's an underrated fish. I
love the taste of hogfish.
Speaker 3 (36:42):
Oh, it's fantastic. My brother is a spear fisher. Yeah,
so every once in a while he'll get one, and
I get a nice filet from that. It is very sweet.
It's very much kind of along. It's not quite like grouper,
but it's kind of halfway between grouper and mahe and
(37:04):
that flavor. So it's really a nice, nice fish. I
enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
It's the wrong time of day to talk about seafood,
So what are some under the radar or local favorite
spots that returning families might want to seek out.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
We have some fantastic parks, and right outside Saint Augustine
to the west of US is this little town called
Hastings and it's kind of a farm community, but they
have a lot of small, little restaurants. It's got that
little small town field feel to it. And we have
some outfitters that'll take families on kayaking excursions and you
(37:49):
go on these backwater waterways that this is real old
Florida with the big giant cedar and oak trees with
Spanish moss hanging on them. Paddle a half a mile
up the waterway and you are just totally immersed in
what the world was like five hundred years ago. So
(38:09):
they have that. And then one of my other favorite
things is we have a botanical garden out there. It's
the Saint John's Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve and this
doctor Rossi is the founder of it, and it has
every species of palm tree that you can imagine in there,
and it's just a nice walk through a natural area.
(38:33):
And then you go with all of his manicure gardens too,
but when you go to the backside, it's a nature Preserve,
and again you're walking along Deep Creek and this beautiful
old Florida scenes. I was walking along that creek one
day and I want to say, it was kind of
in March, and I looked across the there's wild oranges
(38:57):
growing out. So it's it's kind of like a beautiful
step back and time and nature. So those are some
of the little hidden things with the small town experiences
you still have here. Plus we have a lot of
parks and different kinds of recreation. But I would say
our biggest thing that's kind of under the radar is
(39:20):
the quality of our beaches. They're just there's so many
little parks and I've already been sharing with you some
of the secrets, you know, finding sharks teeth on the beach,
But there are lots of fun things like that. We
have something on our website that would help people kind
(39:41):
of plan their vacation a little more. Our website is
Florida's Historiccoast dot com. There is an s on the
end of Florida, but when they go on, they can
just put a search in for the must do experiences
and it pops up with this menu of all these
fantastic experiences. Because there's so many of them, it's kind
(40:06):
of hard to you know, just that's not all there
is so much we're here and there's probably about twenty
five videos, but it gives you a little taste of
the kind of things that you can experience and expect
to have or should put on your itinerary on your visit.
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Do you have any advice for families visiting in the
summer months versus you know, the fall or winter.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
So one of the things that's the most popular time
of the year here for families always seems to be
in the spring and a lot of time in the
summer for visiting here. In the summer, my recommendation to
people is always go to the beach in the morning.
(40:55):
This is Florida and it's the tropics. It rains every afternoon,
so there are a lot of indoor activities to do.
Between the Pirate and Treasure Museum, we have the very
first Ripley's Believe it or Not museum here and it's
fantastic and as in one of our magnificent historic buildings,
so you get authentic history tied in and Ripley's always
(41:18):
has a good story. So we have a few things
like that that you can do. In the afternoon, you
can do one of the trolley tours. I always like
to recommend a family when your first come to Saint
Augustine is to do either The Ripley's has a sightseeing
train tours and the Historic Tours America has the Old
(41:41):
Town trolley tours. These are a narrated tour the whole city,
so it's a great way to get acclimated with the city,
learn where everything is, and get a narrative of the history,
kind of in a timeline and just in little bite
sizes so you can digest it. And then with the trolleys,
if you buy a ticket and you go in the morning,
(42:02):
you can use the trolley on and off throughout the
city throughout the day. So that's really a convenient way
to do it. But my recommendation is to do that,
and then if you're in and that's any time of
year in the summertime, I highly recommend doing the beach
in the morning. In the spring, you're okay all day long.
(42:22):
It's just an incredible weather here in the spring and
in the fall. In the winter you get the occasional
beach day, but it is really just a comfortable time
to walk around downtown, just to walk along Saint George
Street and Abby Lass Street. There are lots of little
side streets with lots of fun things to do and
(42:45):
adventures to go on. We do have a The A
one A is the road that goes along and it
is called the A one A National Scenic and Coastal
by Way. So there's a lot of things to do
along the coast and you can easily pick up a
(43:06):
map in our visitor center of all the different things
that there are to do along the A one A drive,
because it's an incredible road. If you like a road trip,
that's an afternoon of just enjoying the beautiful coastal drive.
Plus we can drive on our beaches here.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Oh okay, well, it sounds like there is a lot
to do in Saint Augustine. So to wrap it up,
if you had one perfect family day in Saint Augustine,
how would you spend it?
Speaker 4 (43:42):
Oh, my goodness, no pressure.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
I think to do the perfect day, I think one
should start in the morning doing one of that trolley
or train site seeing for because that's where you're going
to be able to digest the most. There are a
few other things that if your older kids, I would
recommend doing the tour of Flagler College because they're going
(44:09):
to have an appreciation a little bit more for the finery.
But I would definitely work in a museum, whether it's
the oldest house or the oldest school house, or if
it's Ripley's and do that. And then in the afternoon,
I would do something outdoors, whether it's at the Alligator
Farm or at the lighthouse or just going to play
(44:32):
on the beach. And then the evenings, you know, there's eating.
I would be eating a lot of really good food
almost anywhere, but make sure you get that peace pie
in the afternoon or a chocolate tree.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
We won't miss it. Well, Barbara, thank you so much
for coming back on the show. I'm ready to plan
my trip now before the episode's even over. So thank
you so much for coming on.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Hey, thank you for having me, and I hope that
we get to see you in Saint Augustine too, and
with your listeners as well.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and substack for
more family travel tips, photos and bonus content.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
And if you're visiting Saint Augustine this year, tagus. We'd
love to see your family finds and share them with
our community.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Remember, folks, to keep your passports and your hearts open.
Speaker 2 (45:26):
Safe travels everyone.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
I've got it.
Speaker 1 (45:37):
All the beaks places in the hotel stasis.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
I'm using the buck rides, lot of sides, mountain ranges
and seasonal changes. I'm need to serve.
Speaker 4 (45:52):
I'm the family vacation I've got in food on other
beach predeces and hotel spaces.
Speaker 3 (46:05):
Amusement park rids and water slides, mountain ranges and seasonal changes.
I'm here to serve.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
I'm the family vacationers, your family vacationer, your family vacation
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