St. Augustine is Beautiful, Historical and Wonderful Family Destination!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun. And of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Thanks for joining me on mine.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. So over the
last few weeks you've been hearing about our road trip
that we decided to take from New York City down south.
We hit Charleston, we hit Savannah, and our last stop
on the trip is Saint Augustine. And what a great
place to end our trip. I only wish we had
more time. This city is so rich in history. So

(00:51):
you have a combination of rich history. You have lots
of tours that could explain all of the background to you,
which we'll talk about in minute. You have plenty of
fun activities, lots of kid friendly activities which we'll get into,
such as a dolphin experience and the Alligator Farm and
Zoological Park. There is just so much to do here,

(01:12):
but I wanted to kick off the show with Patrick Finnegan.
He is the general manager of the Saint Francis In,
which is just such a perfect place to stay when
you are in town, especially if you are traveling as
a family. This is a really unique property, which we'll
talk about in a minute. His family also owns Casa
de Suenos, So if you are traveling to Saint Augustine

(01:33):
and maybe you're lucky enough to get a kid free getaway,
this is the place that you want to stay as well. Patrick,
Thank you so much for joining me.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
Thank you so much for Michelle for allowing me to
join you on this beautiful morning here in Saint Augustine. Yes,
this is my family's business. My parents bought the Saint
Francis In in nineteen eighty five and it's been in
our family ever since. And my parents wanted a place

(02:07):
where you could take children, and it's not always the
case in bed and breakfast that children are allowed. We
have a total of nineteen rooms here at the Saint
Francis In and they're all children friendly. We do have
suites that have separate living rooms, separate bedrooms that can

(02:31):
allow children. And also we have several vacation style homes
which are two bedrooms, two bath that can commodate up
to six guests, and those are really perfect for families
because they have the separate living room, separate kitchen, dining area.
And then we have our brand new San Sebastian River Houses,

(02:53):
which are entire homes and each of those are two bedroom,
two and a half bath, kitchen, living room area, and
patio that overlooks the marsh and the San Sebastian River.
We're really excited to get those online and a part

(03:14):
of our inventory here, and we're just excited about the
possibilities of introducing another type of guests as those new
properties of the San Sebastian River properties we're traditionally Airbnb's
before we bought them, and we are trying to introduce
them to our style of hospitality and our style of service. Yes,

(03:38):
we'll still be putting them on Airbnb, but you'll get
a lot more amenities versus just going with Airbnb. You'll
have our customer service. You know, if you make a
reservation over the phone, if you add a package, whether
it's a romance, package, or you're looking just to add,
you know, some chocolate cover strawberries or some wine in

(04:01):
the room before you get there.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
We'll definitely help.

Speaker 3 (04:05):
You with that and make your experience as personalized as possible.
And the only difference those houses normally will not have
breakfasts included, like if you're staying at the inn.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
And you know, it's so funny that you mentioned Airbnb,
because I was thinking these are so unique because, like
you said, you have the Airbnb experience. So if you're
traveling with kids, you have the full kitchen, you have
the washer and dryer, which is such a bonus when
you are on vacation, especially with children. And yet, like
you said, you have the amenities of being part of

(04:40):
the full Saint Francis in experience. So that is really nice.
And you know, obviously what comes with that is being
able to walk over to the inn and talk to
you and talk to other people about what there is
to do in the area, and to get those tips
and maybe come in for a cup of tea or water,
and so it really is very nice and it's just

(05:02):
been such a wonderful experience for us. And I should
mention that the homes are gorgeous, fully renovated, beautiful, just
such a great place to stay. You'll probably be, you know,
deciding do I go out on the town or do
I stay in this beautiful home and just enjoy and relax.
So you said that your family has owned the Saint
Francis in since the eighties, and your dad is also

(05:25):
a little bit of a legend in this area.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yes, he likes to joke around saying he's the oldest
innkeeper and he's also the longest continuously operating innkeeper here
in town as well. He and my mom fully took
over operations in the mid nineties when we renovated the inn.

(05:49):
Before that, from eighty five until about ninety four, we
had a innkeeper who managed it. We were off site.
We were living in another state at the time, and
my parents thought, if we want this investment to be
the potential retirement plan we thought it could and would be,
or could be, they would have to manage it the

(06:11):
way they would want it to be run, and so
we came down in the mid nineties. We did a
full gutting renovation of the inn, which took a couple
of years, and then my dad started running it full time.
And my mom was a full time faculty member at
Fagler College here in town. She was the head of

(06:33):
the deaf education department there, and she was the spearhead
of getting Flagler's first master's program and probably one of
their most successful programs. Their deaf education program now has
a undergraduate and master's program due to my mom. And
that is just a couple of blocks away from the

(06:54):
inn itself, and all the little touches like or what
we say set ourselves apart. We like to say we're
the best deal in town. As ben and breakfasts aren't
usually traditionally cheap to stay at, they're a little bit
more expensive than your limited service hotels. We like to

(07:17):
say we're the best deal because you do get a
lot if you do stay with us on property, not
just the lodging. We have the customer service.

Speaker 4 (07:27):
We have bikes for guests to use.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
We have free tickets in the Santouncing Lighthouse for all
of our guests, free tickets to the Lincolnville Museum and
Culture Center fifty percent off the oldest House museum. We
have our pool which is family friendly as well, and
we have access to the Anastasia Fitness Club on the island.
If we do have guests at are traveling and want
to use a fitness facility, we have passes for our

(07:54):
guests to go over across the island about five to
seven minute drive from here to go work out. We
have lots more amenities, not just those, but if you're
staying in the main inn, you would also get breakfast
each morning, which is a full buffet style, and then
on the weekends we have champagne for mimosas said, I'll
seemed to stir le vodka for Bloody Mary's. And then

(08:17):
we have the hot entree items each day, and then
we have our regular buffet items which are.

Speaker 4 (08:23):
Out every day.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
And then in the evening we like to invite our
guests back for a social hour where we have commentary, beer, wine,
light snacks, and then from seven to nine each evening
we have desserts out and weather permitting, we'll put a
little basket out with items to make smores here in
our fire pit in the courtyard, and that is loved
by everybody, not just only kids. The amount of adults

(08:47):
that I've seen get excited about making s'mores has been unbelievable.
It's more than you think and a lot of them
would be I haven't made one of these since I
was ten years old, or I haven't made one of
these in twenty years, since my grandkids we're eight and
nine years old, and they're just seeing the joy on
their faces when they're making us more and getting the

(09:10):
marshmallow all over themselves again is amazing to see that
emotional connection with the guests. And that's really what we're
here to do, is to create those memories for our
guests that will last a lifetime and want them to
come back.

Speaker 4 (09:24):
Again and again and again.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
And that's what really separates us from some of the
other bed and breakfast here in town is our longevity
and our huge repeat guest return rate. And that's really
our best form of marketing is our repeat guests and
word of mouth. And it's been the same owners for
all these years, and we have you know, we rotate

(09:47):
our menus often, but our guests know they're going to
get the same experience time and time after again. And
we also have a lot of tenured employees here with
us as well. Like Janis in our kitchen has been
us sixteen years, Nancy in our kitchen has been with
us fourteen years, Kira about twelve. You know, El's been
with us about ten years. Maria has been our housekeeper

(10:10):
who has been with us about nine years, maybe ten
years now, And we just have a long, ten yeared
team that has been with us, which is really a
testament to my parents, and they're wanting to make sure
it's a good work environment and taking care of our
employees who and then will take care of our guests.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
Exactly. That's us speak, wonders, and that do us speak volumes.
And I know you had mentioned before that your mom
was so instrumental at Flagler College, and I want to
talk about that a little more coming up next. I
love that you are able to dive into the community
in which you are so active to bring people here
for employment opportunities, and how it is really a family

(10:49):
run operation and it really is reflected in everything throughout
the day, and the fact that you have those social
hours and you have those times at night where you
can come together for dessert and s'mores. It is such
a wonderful experience. So coming up next, I want to
talk with you more a little bit about the area
and a little bit about Casa de Suenos. I'm Michelle Jerson.
We're speaking with Patrick Finnegan from the Saint Francis Inn.

(11:11):
More coming up in a few you're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson. I'm here with Patrick Finnegan, the GM
of the Saint Francis Inn and Casa de Suenos two
beautiful and historic bed and breakfast right here in downtown
Saint Augustine. Patrick, tell me a little bit about Casa
de Suennos.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
Thank you so much, Michelle. Casa de Suenas is our
sister property. We have owned that for about ten years now.
That is also in the Historic District of Saint Augustine,
interest on the opposite end of town from the Saint
Francis n. The Saint Francis N is located on Saint
George Street, three short blocks from the main town plaza,

(11:52):
and Casa Desuenos is on the northern end of town,
in the area closest to the Potters Wacken Museum and
the City Gates, both in the historic district. Both inns
are historic Coedsuanias is a more modern building than the
Saint Francis in. The San Francis In was built in

(12:14):
seventeen ninety one, as a private home for a Spanish
military officer, and Costa Desuenios was built in nineteen oh
four or different styles, but both historic and both are fantastic.
Costasuenos has seven rooms, all within one building. The Saint
Francis In has total of five buildings, total of nineteen rooms.

(12:37):
Costa de Asuenos is for adults only. We do not
allow children under fourteen in the inn. You get all
the same amenities as the Saint Francis In breakfast, social hour,
evening desserts, tickets to the lighthouse, tickets to the Lincolnville
Museum and Culture Center, and if they want to use

(12:58):
the pool at the San Francis in the more than
welcome to do that. So everything is the same, just
on a different scale, and we don't allow children over there.
Costa Desuinos also has one full eighty eight compliant room.
They're called our niavis Room. It has a rollin shower,
has a private wheelchair accessible ramp that leads directly into

(13:20):
the room, so we're very fortunate to have that. And
also we have two seating rooms there, one overlooking Cordova
Street where you can watch the trolleys and the horse
and carriages go by, and in December you can watch
the Santas and Christmas parade go by. You can watch
the Easter parade go by, as it's right along the

(13:41):
parade route there. And then we have our other sitting
room which is right off the main entrance there as well,
so you kind of have two options. And we have
several rooms there that have private balconies. We have a
total of four rooms that have large private balconies, table chairs,
lounge chairs, and the rooms over there are very well appointed,

(14:04):
just like the Saint Francis in try to keep that
historic charm but also have modern amenities in the rooms.
We have subrooms there that have large whirpool tubs and
separate showers all within the same bathroom. We have rooms
with king beds queen beds just like here at the
Saint Francis, but most of the rooms there do have

(14:26):
king sized beds, just because the rooms are a little
bit newer, a little bit larger than these smaller historic
rooms here at the Saint Francis in.

Speaker 4 (14:36):
And the costs.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Has the touch of a real small bed and breakfast,
as we have one innkeeper on in the morning, one
keeper on in the evening. You're innkeeper greets you, welcome
to you, cooks your breakfast, cleans your room, and then
the evening innkeeper will welcome you, make social hour, put
out desserts for you, and they will, you know, have

(15:02):
that more one on one intimate connection with our guests
at Saint Francis, And we also have only nineteen rooms,
but we do have a lot more going on at
the Saint Francis, and we answer the phones for both properties,
so the phones are ringing a lot more so the
innkeepers can get pulled in many more directions, and our
guests at Cosa Desuinos don't have that phone ringing all

(15:27):
the time. They have the full innkeeper's undivided attention at
all times. And we are very lucky to have those
innkeepers down there, as they wear mini hats and they
all do it with a smile. I don't know if
many people can do that, but we are very lucky
to have the ladies down there that we do that
are really passionate about their job about making sure our

(15:51):
guests are taken care of, and you can really see
it in their work that they enjoy what they do
and they want to make sure that you have the
best part possible time here in town that you can.

Speaker 2 (16:05):
And you know, we originally were going to stay for
three nights, and I think many people when they arrive
here will say, though, that's not nearly enough time. And
so while it is nice to get away, if you
only have a weekend, of course you should come by.
But for how long would you recommend guests staying to
really get the full Saint Augustine experience.

Speaker 3 (16:27):
That's a tough one. That's a tough question. The answer is,
I would love you to stay as long as you can,
but a quick wee can get away. I think it's
a little too short if you're really wanting to dive
into the history. But if you're here for a concert
at the Saint Honestine Amphitheater, which has huge acts that

(16:48):
are coming, or you're coming here for the Sing Out
Loud Music Festival or one of the mini festivals we
have here in town, or events that are going on
a weekend, might be perfect. You know you're going to
really focus in on going to those concerts, going to
maybe one or two attractions, having some great meals here
at our fabulous restaurants we have in town. But if
you're really coming to dive into the history. I'd say

(17:13):
about four days. Five days would really give you that
enough time where you're not feeling rushed to experience all
these attractions that we have.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah, there really is so much to see and do here,
and so I'd love to have you on for one
more segment and we'll talk all about all of the
different things that you should put on your schedule if
you are arriving here in Saint Augustine. I'm Michelle Jerson
here with Patrick finnigin more coming up in a few
you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson here with

(17:44):
Patrick Finnigan. And it's been such a treat to sit
and talk with you because your family has such a
history here with inns in Saint Augustine. And I'm always
in awe about a family run business like this that
you provide such hospitality for those who come visit you,
and I imagine it is so rewarding for you as well.
You meet so many interesting people everybody who comes through

(18:06):
here and those who do come here. I would love
to find out from you the highlights what you think
people should come see when they are here in Saint Augustine.

Speaker 4 (18:17):
Thank you so much, Michelle.

Speaker 3 (18:18):
The town has such a rich history and there's some
amazing attractions and local vendors here. There are quite a
few highlights. It depends on who you're here with. If
you're here with a family, we direct you to a
couple of different things. And if you're really into history,
you want to dive in to some history and art

(18:40):
will steer you in a little different direction, but there
are some that no matter who you're here with or
what you're wanting to do, we recommend. We recommend going
on Old Town Trolley. They have such a great trolley ride,
great tour guides that will narrate on the trolley for
you our and forty five minute trip all throughout town.

(19:03):
And we really like our guests to also enjoy the
Sant Euston Lighthouse. It is not just the lighthouse. The
old lighthouse keeper's house is a museum and you can
climb it the lighthouse, and then they have the grounds
which are very nice to walk around, and they also
have the maritime portion where they're actively going and excavating

(19:30):
on land and also in our waterways artifacts, which is
really really cool. They have also partnered with the University
of Florida and the Sithsonian Institute, which is pretty awesome.
And then our guests also have access to the Lincolnville
Museum and Culture Center. A couple of years ago, they
were put on USA Today's Top ten Best Small Town

(19:51):
Museums in the country, and that is such a great
museum and what they're doing over there is fantastic, and
that's why we want our guests to see and go
to both of those attractions, as we feel those are
some of the top attractions here in town. Some of
our other favorites would be the Castillo d San Marcos

(20:14):
or the Fort is part of the National Park System,
so if you have a National Parks pass, you can
go for free. And there is also Flagler Legacy Tours,
which is not an incoming freshman tour. It is the
history of Henry Flagler and the hotel itself, and they'll
take you around the college which is the old hotel.

(20:37):
They'll tell you about the history of Henry Flagler, tell
you about the history of the hotel, and you'll get
to go into the dining room which is the old
Grand Ballroom. So the current student cafeteria is the old
Grand Ballroom with the dome gilded ceilings, the Tiffany stained glass.
It's pretty spectacular. Another local favorite as well is the

(21:01):
Lightner Museum. It's a collection of private art that has
been turned into a museum, which is in another old
hotel called the Alcazar Hotel, and you can also dine
there as well. They have the Cafe Alcazar, which is

(21:21):
the dining room portion is in the deep end of
the old pool and that was the first indoor hotel
pool in the world, so you get to dine in
the deep end of that, which is pretty.

Speaker 4 (21:32):
Unique dining experience.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
And then if you're traveling with kids, we also recommend
the Fountain of Youth.

Speaker 4 (21:39):
That is fantastic. It's not just.

Speaker 3 (21:43):
The fountain, it is they have a whole park that
really talks about the landing and the discovery of San Augustine.
It's really really well done. And there is also the
Alligator Farm, which is fantastic and they do a lot

(22:04):
of it's a zoological park, so they do a lot
of education as well as having all the different animals.
They're not just alligators, crocodiles, ostriches, turtles. And then another
favorite is the Pirate Museum for families. Those are some
of the popular popular ones for kids of all ages

(22:24):
and big kids as well, and the Colonial Experience. That's
also another great great spot to learn a lot more about.

Speaker 4 (22:33):
The history I have on a scene.

Speaker 3 (22:36):
And then just a couple of doors down from us
here at the Saint Francis In we have the Oldest
House Museum, which is the Historical Society, and all of
our guests get fifty percent off there, which is a
fantastic collection of homes and gardens and if you're looking
to do some research, that is the perfect place to

(22:57):
go to. And you can also request access to the
library if you're really deep diving into family histories things
like that. That's also another fantastic museum that we do.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
Like the Champion, I love it. I love the history
here and I love how there's the oldest home, there's
the oldest schoolhouse, there's the oldest jail, the oldest store,
and they all offer really fun experiences. I was reading
about the Oldest Jail tour and that also sounds really
interactive and fun for kids and adults of all ages.

Speaker 3 (23:32):
Yes, the Old Jail is fun, not just during the day,
but they also do ghost tours at night where you
can go do investigations and there are so many different
ghost tours throughout town as well. It's unbelievable how many
ghost tours there are in the mid nineties, or is
maybe one or two? And then the Ghost Hunter's TV

(23:52):
show came out and then there was a boom of
ghost tours here in town, not just in town, but
across the jelse a lot more ghost tour companies than
there used to be. Fun interesting fact, we were on
the pilot episode for the Ghost Hunters along with the
Castillo di San Marcos the Old Jail and this in

(24:15):
honesty lighthouse.

Speaker 2 (24:16):
What ghost is through? What paranormal activity has been found here.

Speaker 3 (24:21):
At the Saint Francis in There are several different stories.
The most famous one is about Lily. She was a
slave here at the end and she fell in love
with the owner's nephew and that is the true fact
that we know is true. And then at some point

(24:43):
it branches off to all these different speculations that he
was sent off to war and then she was so upset,
you know, she killed herself or you know, she was
shipped out to another plantation that the owner owned at
the time. And another one was when he was shipped

(25:04):
off the war, he was killed and she couldn't bear it.
There's a bunch of different variations, but Lily is our
ghost name, our most famous ghost name, and she likes
to play a lot of practical jokes. That's the stories
that we have heard from our guests, more practical jokes
than anything. It would be if there's a lady in

(25:25):
the room, they would have makeup on the counter and
then all of a sudden, the whole makeup bag would
get pushed off the counter. Or one guest told us
that there was a can of soda on the nightstand
and then the next thing they know, it's exploded, but
when they go to clean it up, it's all frozen.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
Wow.

Speaker 4 (25:47):
And we've had.

Speaker 3 (25:48):
Some guests also say they're here alone and they got
into bed, and they got in the covers, but they
felt someone get into bed with them. They turn over,
there's an impression of a body next to them, but.

Speaker 4 (26:06):
No one's there.

Speaker 3 (26:07):
And this was by a gentleman traveling without his wife,
but he said it felt like his wife was getting
to bed with him. Were like, she's not here with me.
But there's also been innkeepers that have seen things in
our first floor by the sitting room. We had an
innkeeper look over and saw a gentleman dressed in period

(26:29):
you know, colonial Spanish, colonial military uniform, smunky his cigar
in the sitting room and she was like, wait a second,
you can't do that. As she was walking by, and
then when she turned back around to speak with the gentleman,
he was no longer there, but she could smell the
cigar smoke.

Speaker 4 (26:46):
Still.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
It is so fascinating, and you know, you have to
wonder is this really And you know, of course there
are synics who say no, way, not possible. And you
have so many people saying so many different things. So
it adds to the intrigue of an old city like this.
And I know when we were in Savannah and Charleston

(27:10):
they also had the ghost tours and it's really interesting
to follow, like the road trip we did, and just
to follow down the coasts for the history and everything
that has happened in years past. Are there any restaurants
that you really enjoy in the area.

Speaker 3 (27:28):
There are so many great restaurants here in town. It
really depends on what you're in the mood for. If
we're in the mood for seafood, there are some fantastic
seafood restaurants here. Most of the restaurants here in town
will have a seafood option if they're not a seafood restaurant.
Some of my favorites would be Stint, Austine Fisch, Camp,
Catch twenty seven Me AND's Irish Pub are some of

(27:52):
my favorite seafood restaurants here in town. But there are
also some more fine dining options like Collage, which are
really rate special occasion restaurant. There's also Lau Novelle, which
is a French style restaurant, also here in the Historic district,
just over the Bridge of Lions. Another great one is Lama,
which is a Peruvian restaurant, which is fantastic. Those are

(28:15):
probably a couple of the more standout special occasion restaurants
that I really enjoy going to, but there are places
like Prohibition Kitchen, which is burger sandwich is kind of place.

Speaker 4 (28:26):
Which is just as great.

Speaker 3 (28:28):
It just really depends on what you're looking for, and
there's anything and everything in between. They're here in town,
all within walking distance of the Inn and all both properties,
even the San Smatian River houses. There is the Sandals
and Fish Camp, which is less than a five minute walk,
and also right next to that is the Stanals Distillery,

(28:51):
and inside of the distillery is the Ice Plant restaurant,
which is kind of a Southern style, farmed table style restaurant,
which is fantastic.

Speaker 2 (28:59):
Also sounds great, And I know there's also a winery
in town, and I was able to sample some of
the wine, which it was quite good. And so would
you say that that's a tour for families or just
for adults.

Speaker 3 (29:13):
Anyone can go on the tour of the distillery or
the winery. They just might not be able to participate
in that, but they can understand more of the wine
making process, this distillation process, and both attractions do have
a restaurant on property. The Ice Plant is the restaurant

(29:35):
inside the distillery and La Cocina is the restaurant inside
the winery, which is also another fantastic restaurant, little higher end,
but they also have their outdoor portion which a little
more relaxed, slightly different menu, a little more shareables and
charcouteri that kind of thing. And they also have live
music out on the weekends on the rooftop overlooking the

(29:58):
San Sebastian River, which is such a great location.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
It really is. And that's the other thing about this location.
It's so scenic and beautiful. The beaches are beautiful here.
Is there a beach or two that you recommend checking out?

Speaker 3 (30:15):
There are several beaches that I recommend. The sant Alestin
Beach is probably one of the more popular ones as
there it's right by the pier. There are a lot
of restaurants and hotels all along there as well, but
some people don't want all the hustle and bustle and
be around all those people. And if you go a

(30:37):
little bit further south, it's less crowded, but there might
not be all the restaurants there, which are fantastic. And
then if you're looking to do shell hunting or looking
for sharks teeth, I recommend going to Volana Beach as
that's where a lot more shells get washed up on
shore and the sand is a little bit different the
Santas Beach because of the traditional white, powdery sand, but

(31:01):
over on Blana Beach sand is more crush shells, so
you can find more sharks teeth and shells over there.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
So where can we go to book our stay at
the Saint Francis In and also at Casa de Suenos.

Speaker 3 (31:14):
You can go to our websites which is Saint Francisin
dot com or Costa da Suenos dot com. You can
look at all of our rooms options we have there,
lots of pictures, lots of great descriptions.

Speaker 4 (31:29):
We have our list of.

Speaker 3 (31:31):
Amenities, everything that is included with your stay on there,
and you can also call us at nine zero four
eight two four six zero six eight is our main
in number and our inkeebers can help you find the
perfect room for your stay. Whether it's a family coming
in or multiple families traveling together looking to find rooms

(31:53):
that are close to each other, or couples that are
traveling together. We can help you navigate that and trying
to find the best fit for your stay, as each
of our rooms are individually appointed in slightly different size
just due to the historic nature of the rooms. But
both our websites are easy to navigate, and you can

(32:13):
also find our Sansabastian River Houses on the Saint Francis
and website.

Speaker 2 (32:19):
Thank you so much. I'm Michelle Jerson. The Passport Mommy
more coming up in a few you're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson and we just ended our stay in
Saint Augustine, and I think the perfect way. I couldn't
think of a better morning being on the water, being
on the boat, and taking my kids fishing for the

(32:41):
first time. And I'm thrilled to be here with Chris Worth.
He is with the fishing charter company for what It's
worth Charters, and he and his first mate just gave
us the best time. Chris, thank you so much for
joining me today.

Speaker 5 (32:56):
Well, thank you, and.

Speaker 4 (32:57):
I'm glad you guys had fun. We had a blosh.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
Thank you. So I chose your company because I thought
it was really good for kids and just it was
just something about it. I thought, I thought, this one's
going to be really good, family friendly, all ages, and
it really was. You're so great with the kids and
they were so excited and it was their first time.
So I'm so curious to talk to you about how
you got started.

Speaker 4 (33:19):
Great question.

Speaker 5 (33:20):
So, yes, I did have a career for twenty seven
years on the railroad, and my whole life's been on
the Atlantic of the Great Lakes, and I'm a big
water person in my kids are big water people, and
so when I went through that career change, you know,
I took the opportunity and put my captain's license to use.

Speaker 4 (33:39):
A little earlier than scheduled.

Speaker 5 (33:42):
And it's been almost nine years now and it's been
a great transition.

Speaker 4 (33:46):
It's worked out very well.

Speaker 5 (33:49):
And I tell you it's a completely life changing experience
going from high paced business world to your own businesses
and having the opportunity to meet so many different people
and try to, you know, teach them and then show

(34:09):
them the area.

Speaker 4 (34:10):
Where you live and so forth.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah, it's really wonderful. And so much of going out
on a fishing trip is more than just hey, going
out on the boat and let's see what we catch.
It is everything that we learn on the way. And
how you showed my kids how to fish for the
first time was really great. What are some of the
fish we could expect to find here in the waters
of Saint Augustine.

Speaker 5 (34:33):
So we've got a big variety here obviously. Today you know,
we've caught a flounder, we've got a mangrove snapper, the
sting ray. Fortunate to get two different types of puffer fish,
which was fun. We got the pinfish. It wasn't the

(34:53):
most active day, but we did catch quite a few
species and your son brought home to the keepers for lunch.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yeah, he was so excited. And it's great and like
you said, you know, summer for lunch, summer to throw back,
and you do everything in the most humane, fun way
for the family. And I suppose it's up to each
group whether or not they want to keep them.

Speaker 5 (35:15):
Think I think you nailed it on the head though,
that it's it's more than just fishing. It's the experience.
Fish don't bite every day, unfortunately, And you know, I'm
glad you know people you know, like you, you know,
are understand that and are also looking for the experience,
you know, looking at the turtles, looking at the dolphins,
noticing the birds. Well, you get a lot of people
that don't don't look at that stuff, and you know,

(35:37):
you ask them when you get back from the trip,
you know, hey, did you see that spoon bill? You know,
and they're like no. I was like, man, we get
to do this every day. Like never take advantage of
what your surroundings that are around you. And Saint Augustine,
like I said earlier, it's probably one of my favorite
places in Florida. Hit the historical side of it, the

(35:58):
laid back ness lifestyle and.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
You take out private groups. How many people can you
take out at one time?

Speaker 5 (36:06):
We can take up to six people, six guests and
then but that's the most we can do. There are
a few boats in Saint Augustine they can take out
more than six. But no, I try to do everything
as private trips, at your trip, at your day. You know, sometimes,
especially with little kids, you may have to change or adapt.

(36:26):
You know, they might want to fish for an hour
and a half and then boat ride for a half hour,
you know. Like we noticed at the end of the
trip and like they were interested in the live shrimp
in the live well and I was surprised it took
that long.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
But yeah, my son loved and my daughter too, and
they're playing with the shrimp and they put the shrimp
on the rods. They prepared their own fishing rods, which
is great to see because you really taught them. And
the first words out of my son's mouth after the
trip was when can we go fishing again? And I
want to go fishing and can you buy me my
own rod?

Speaker 4 (36:58):
No, that's awesome.

Speaker 5 (37:00):
I think the most important thing, especially when it comes
to young kids. My kids are all grown. You know,
so I guess that gives me a lot of patience.
But just watching their facial expressions and just watching them
and making sure that they have a good experience, because
I want them to always if it's not come back
with me, you know, if they don't live locally, but

(37:22):
they if they hear a fishing trip, they're like, oh gosh,
you know, I want to go. Remember the last time
we went, you know, and try to make that happen
for him.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
Absolutely, So where can we book you for what It's
Worth Charters? How can we find you and book our trip?

Speaker 5 (37:37):
So you can go online worth Fishing charter dot com
And that's my website and I do offshore trips and
in shore trips. We also do Echo Tours, we do
Dolphin Tours, Sunset Tour.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
Chris Worth with for what It's Worth Charters. Thank you
so much again.

Speaker 4 (37:55):
Thank you. I had a great time.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
I'm Michelle Jerson. The passport mommy.

Speaker 4 (38:00):
They becount that.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
Then thret got bad