Okay so maybe he did not really but that still does not diminish the love that I have for this sleepy little city to the north. I have had the good fortune to have traveled most of this world and I am so pleased that one of my favorite places to be just happens to be in my own backyard. Saint Augustine is a great day trip for those of us in the Central Florida area, but if I might suggest splurging and getting a hotel for the weekend. Either way the time you spend in Saint Augustine will not be forgotten.
I honestly do not ever need a reason to go to visit SA. All I need is someone to say let’s do it. However, my daughter was generous enough to decide that Flagler College was where she wanted to go to school and yep you guessed it people, it’s right in the heart of Saint Augustine. So you can add that to the list of reasons why I love SA. I remember the first time I ever saw the town. I was pregnant with my oldest sons. Yes, that is a long time ago, but thanks for not mentioning it. It’s not your typical beach or college town although it is both. I am glad that spring breakers do not desire to spend their time at SA beaches. There are countless other beaches in FL. Leave this one to the locals.
With that in mind, I decided to take my daughter some mail she had received and ventured up to see her on Saturday. The fun part was two of her best girlfriends where tagging along to surprise her. I love seeing a town through the eyes of someone who’s never been there. My daughter’s new friend from Flagler had not really had a chance to play tourist and that is all the excuse we needed. We did not get to do all the things there are to do in SA, but we did shop like pro’s on Saint George St. and went to Ripley’s Museum. We also got to do things not every tourist gets to do and that is venture up into the Flagler hotel which is now home to the women’s dorms. I feel like I’m part of a cool secret society when we ascend the stairs to the rooms above the lobby. You see the looks of longing from the other tourists wishing they could to go and see what lies above them. Can you blame them?
Flagler hotel is a landmark, one of the first buildings ever to have electricity in the area and to have Edison himself be the person who did the electrical designs. I’m walking in history. Okay, so I am a little “nerdish.” I love history, I like being part of something bigger than myself. I love odd tidbits of information I’ve gathered over the years.
The city itself has the distinguished title of “Oldest City in America”; see I listened on those field trips. I doubt highly that particular information is going to win me the final jeopardy question, but it is still a neat little piece that can be tucked away for future reference.
There are a great number of things to do in SA and I believe something for everyone: wax museums, art galleries, pirate cruises on the inter costal waterways, and for good measure there’s Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum. I do chose to believe it. I am a kid at heart and enjoy oddities.
If you are a pirate at heart or love a good ghost story, SA is a town for you. There are 3-4 different ghost tours you can take on any given night. Grab your favorite person to be scared with and go have a blast. I could go on for days about how fun it is to visit Saint Augustine. I hope after reading this you take a day to go visit this wonderful place. That being said, I saved what is in my opinion, the best for last, a favorite spot of mine is just over the bridge and along the ocean and that is the beaches of Saint Augustine. So pristine and beautiful I am in heaven any time I get to set foot on those beaches. If anyone wins the lottery and would like to purchase a beach house for me, I am totally okay with that. Oh and the standing invitation would be a given. So what are you waiting for? Grab a friend (or two) and go spend a day or weekend in Saint Augustine. It will do your body and soul good.
goatcenter 