Disclosure: All the entrance fees for locations visited were waived for review purposes by Florida’s Historic Coast. However, all opinions are true and sincere. This post may also contain affiliate links.
My family and I traveled to Saint Augustine, on Florida’s Historic Coast, and fell in love with the oldest town in America. Little did I know that visiting Saint Augustine would make my kids smarter. No, there wasn’t a magic spell or a potion, what happened was more natural and unexpected. We were surrounded by new information that opened up their minds to the possibilities and awe of our world. When you visit Saint Augustine, this will happen to your kids too. There are so many places to visit and so much history on Florida’s Historic Coast, our 3 days were not enough, but we made the most of our time. We visited 10 places in Saint Augustine. Below are our favorites in number order and what we learned while visiting that contributed to making my kids a little smarter.
1. Ripleys Believe It or Not Museum – Here you see Oddities and things that are hard to imagine are real, yet they are. You’re left in wonder as you check out replicas of The tallest man, the thinnest man, the snake man, portraits made of candies and shrunken heads made by Indians of Ecuador just to name a few. Your kids will learn about things they never knew existed, may not have thought possible but will remember forever.
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2. Ghost Tours of Saint Augustine – While on a Ghost Tour, that the kids enjoyed more than I anticipated, my eight year old came out of his shell in a way I’ve never seen before. He kept asking the tour guide questions, anxious with curiosity, I saw his interests spark up a side of him I rarely see. Completely out of his shell, he was entranced by the stories and information shared with us. We learned about the Flagler era in Saint Augustine and the many ghost sightings that are seen at Flagler College and around Saint Augustine.
3. Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park – The grounds are gorgeous. They have a planetarium at the fountain of youth that shows you how Spanish explorers used celestial navigation, the sky quadrant and stars, to navigate their way to St. Augustine from Spain. How fearless these men had to be, to cross the vast ocean. There is also a huge globe called the Discovery Globe that shows you on the map how far the explorers traveled. There are gorgeous peacocks, my favorite bird, that you can feed, fountains displayed, and let’s not forget the Spring House containing the Fountain of Youth water. You will see a restructured church from 1587 and villages of the Timucuan indians. Trust me you’ll want to linger here for a while.
4. St. Augustine Alligator Farm – Did you know there are Albino alligators? Or that Crocodiles and Alligators are different? Here you will see big alligators, little alligators, a huuuuuggee Komodo dragon, and exotic birds galore. Forget that fake huge alligator from Jurrasic World, check out Maximo, their 15 foot, 1,250 pound crocodile up close and personal through an underwater viewing window. If you check out the alligator feeding, make sure to remind the kids not to try that at home!
5. Scenic Cruise Saint Augustine – You sail on a two story boat, bottom covered, top open air along the Matanzas Bay. You can see the Castillo de San Marcos from the boat, and even the gorgeous Saint Augustine Lighthouse. The boat driver, explains what you are seeing as you relax, enjoy the breeze and soak it all in. The kids learned that relaxing can be fun.
6. The oldest Wooden School – Back in the day if you were a naughty child at this school and behaved badly you’d be placed in the dungeon under the stairs at the oldest wooden school. Imagine the kids suprise when they saw an exhibit showing just that. Other than giving them an idea of what it must have been like to go to school in the late 1800’s, it also showed them how far we’ve come. No more wooden houses, or out-houses.
7. Potters Wax Museum – This fun place is full of Presidents and the original settlers of Saint Augustine, including a figure of the namesake of the oldest town in america. Your kids may ask you to explain who is who and why there is a wax figure of them. There are many familiar faces but also many new ones. It was great to put a face to the names of the towns explorers and founders that we heard about all through the trip. And for those of you who like creepy, there are a few creepy ones too. For my kids, this is the first wax museum the’ve visited and learning about who was who was pretty enlightening.
8. Castillo de San Marcos – Reading about the fort which guarded the Spaniards from other explorers and pirates trying to take over the colony they established was interesting. There were fights between the Spaniards and the English, including the dutch. This happened back and forth many times but the Fort was never conquered. Being able to walk around it, inside it and see cannons used, takes you back. Impressive to be so close to real history. The children were drawn buy it’s bigness and couldn’t wait to explore it. It took 25 years to build the Fort, a good time to point out perseverance to the kiddos :).
9. The Old Jail – Considered to be one of the most haunted places in America, it is the oldest jail with a history of torture and hangings. On a tour here, the kids saw where prisoners were kept, jail cells, and even where they were hung. Sounds creepy but our tour guide had good information to share with us. He played the role of deputy really well, never breaking out of character. Not an enticing place to be put in, it definitely shows the kids reasons to stay out of trouble. It’s supposed to be a very haunted place but since we went during the day, no ghostly issues here. I think it was good to have the kids see where the bad guys go, even if it is very different then what it is today. Encourages them to stay on the good side 🙂
10. Colonial Quarter – Different exhibits are on display such as an actor playing a blacksmith. They have each of the different Flags that at one time represented Saint Augustine. Climb the watchtower used to look out over to the Fort directly across the street, or check out a soldier’s authentic home. We went during the early morning where most of the exhibits were unmanned, so if you go, make sure to ask what time they will have tours. The Colonial quarter gives you history over three centuries, the 16th, 17th and 18th. Your kids are bound to learn something new here.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Saint Augustine and will be returning to visit many other places we didn’t get a chance to check out. Pack lightly when visiting different museums and parks. No reason to bring a big purse along if you can avoid it. Remember to stay hydrated and always have sunscreen on hand. Take frequent breaks and if possible book a hotel near the historic district. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Historic District Location on Ponce De Leon Blvd. Location was right around the corner from all the attractions. They are just down the street, definitely within walking distance, from Old Town Trolley Tours, as well as near a McDonald’s and Denny’s.
We drove to Saint Augustine from South West Florida and it was about a 5 hour drive. You can fly in to Jacksonville, which is 50 minutes away. This year St. Augustine celebrates their 450th year anniversary September 4th to 6th with a Music & Street Festival. Follow Florida’s Historic Coast on Facebook and Instagram for updates on St. Augustine’s huge celebration as well as gorgeous pictures of this must see city. If you’re looking for ideas on where to stay and what to do, make sure to visit Florida’s Historic Coast website and check out the great offers they have available to you year round. When you visit Saint Augustine, let us know what your favorite thing to do was and how it enlightened your family.
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