Five Sites to See in St. Augustine

Lightner Museum 

Despite having grown up in Florida, I somehow had never made it to St. Augustine until now. Settled in 1565 by the Spanish, it's the oldest city in the United States. That's a lot of history to take in! Read on to learn about five sites we took in during our getaway. 

1) Shockingly (not), the impetus for the trip was not a history lesson but to see the holiday lights. St. Augustine does Christmas in a big way, stringing more than 3,000,000 lights on buildings and palm trees and hedges throughout the downtown area. As we say in my family, nothing succeeds like excess. People can enjoy the Night of Lights (which miraculously lasts almost two months) on foot or by trolley or carriage. We opted for a trolley tour and were rewarded with some groan inducing holiday-themed jokes, hot cider and a sugar cookie. I recommend it! 

57th Columbia Light Roadster High Wheel (1889(

2) The Lightner Museum (shown above) was built as a hotel by Henry Flagler in 1888. The ground floor of the hotel featured a large swimming pool filled with filtered sulfur water where male guests could get in a few laps. (There was a separate pool for the women.) Today the area is home to the Museum's restaurant. For some pics of then and now, click here. 

Known for its fine and decorative 19th c. art collection, the Museum is home to many, many dusty objects. Interesting enough, but not exactly my cup of tea. I did, however, enjoy the vintage bicycle collection from the Keith Pariani collection. The text for this bike noted that "The prospective rider devoted weeks of effort and endured frequent spills acquiring the correct technique for mounting the vehicle." Um, yeah. 

Cheers! 

3) No visit to St. Augustine is complete without a stop at the Fountain of Youth. As you probably know, Ponce de Leon arrived on the west coast of Florida back in 1513. He had been told by Native Americans that restorative waters existed near Bimini that gave those who partook of them a newfound spring in their step. When his fleet ran low on fresh drinking water, Ponce had an idea. Why not go for a two-fer and replenish their store of water from the rejuvenating springs? Ponce's navigation skills were a bit off, though, and the ships landed near what is now St. Augustine instead of the Bahamas. 

Today, the legend is perpetuated at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. We spent a fun morning there that included taking a sip of the sulfuric spring water. You can taste every one of the 30+ minerals in it. I can't say that I feel (or look) any younger, but a girl can dream. If you go, don't miss the chance to fire a faux cannon. For more on the Fountain of Youth, click here.  

Fort Matanzas

4) My biggest historical takeaway from the trip was compliments of a guide on our visit to Fort Matanzas, the only Spanish watchtower in the United States. Did you know that cannonfire could reach up to three miles away? It is from this fun fact that the now defunct three mile limit to a country's territorial waters was derived. Sure, it was hard to have an accurate aim at that distance, but 18 pounds of iron coming at your wooden vessel would get your attention. 

As far as forts go, this is a cute one. Fort Matanzas was home to between seven and 15 men. Even at the minimum number of residents, the quarters would have been tight. The soldiers must have been trim because the opening to the lookout area was none too roomy. Of course people are bigger these days.

Fort Matanzas was owned by the Spanish until 1821, when the United States took control. It was never used in military operations again. For more on the site, click here.

Cannon at Castillo de San Marcos

5) Castillo de San Marcos is a more sizable fort that protected the citizens of St. Augustine (then under the control of Spain) from both conflicts and natural disasters. After a sequence of nine wooden forts at this site failed to protect St. Augustine and its fleet from attack, the Spaniards wisened up and used coquina as their building material. Coquina is a type of stone made more or less out of compressed seashells. In addition to being fireproof, the stone could absorb cannonfire rather than succumb to it. (The fact that the walls are 12 feet thick was also helpful.) 

Both the location and the design of the Castillo were carefully chosen. Situated on the winding, narrow channel of the Matanzas River, neither pirates (!) nor warships could turn broadside to deploy their weapons. Clever. Then there's the Castillo itself, which is shaped like a five-pointed star. The configuration forced would-be invaders into position where they would get caught in a crossfire. 

The Castillo also featured a deep, wide ditch surrounding the walls of the structure. Yes, it was a moat, but not of the variety you might envision. Other than a period in the 1900s when the National Park Service flooded the ditch, it was a dry moat. Keeping the moat water-free was a practical decision. When the city was under attack, both its citizens and their livestock evacuated to the Castillo. The people harbored inside while the animals lived and grazed in the moat. In case you're concerned, the banks of the moat and the surrounding landscape protected the animals from attack. They were, after all, the residents' primary food source. For more on the Castillo de San Marcos, click here. 

Whew. That's a lot of history!  I'm going to let my brain rest for a few days before sharing my favorite historical site we visited -- the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Historical Museum. Stay tuned!