St. Augustine promotes tourism with the slogan "Forty Miles of Beach and the Rest is History." The beach part is self-explanatory but you may not be familiar with the outline of history. The city was founded in 1565 by the Spanish to protect their claims to New World colonies and the sea routes taken by their treasure fleets being carried north on the Gulf Stream. (Just for perspective, the British colony at Jamestown was founded in 1607.) Pedro Menendez sighted land at what is now St. Augustine on Aug. 28, the feast day of the saint. It is the oldest continuously occupied city in the continental US and served as the Spanish capital of Florida for more than 200 years. Still, it was primarily a military outpost. In 1562, French Huguenots had tried to establish a colony but it was destroyed by the Spanish. The on-going European struggle for dominance in America included the burning of St. Augustine in 1586 by Sir Francis Drake during the Anglo-Spanish War. Two years later, the huge Spanish Armada was destroyed trying to invade Britain.
European conflicts continued to have a great impact on the history of Florida. In 1763 the Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years War (known as the French and Indians War in North America) giving Florida to the English in exchange for leaving occupied Havana. The British garrisoned Castillo San Marcos for the same reasons the Spanish wanted to be there and Anglicized the name to Fort St. Mark. The Second Treaty of Paris in 1783 concluded the American Revolution and returned Florida to Spain in recognition of their efforts on our behalf. The Castillo got its Spanish name restored. During the Napoleonic Wars, Spain was too busy at home to develop any settlements in Florida. In 1821 the Adams-Onis Treaty produced the peaceful transfer of Florida to the US.
Touring Old Town and the Spanish fort Castillo San Marcos should be part of any visit to St. Augustine. The Colonial Spanish Quarter is quite modest in size considering the strategic importance of the Castillo. Near the Quarter are the historic landing site of Menendez and the Fountain of Youth associated with Ponce de Leon. Shirley took a sip even those she did not really need it. There is the usual assortment of touristy trinket and T-shirt stores, bars and restaurants. As you move away from the original Spanish settlement, St. Augustine has all the amenities and facilities of any modern American city of its size.
Before retirement, St. Augustine was about as far south as we could get in the limited time available. Everglades National Park ultimately became our primary Florida destination but that added two days on the road (going and coming) that we thought was better spent at St. Augustine. Anastasia State Park is just across the Bridge of Lion and offers miles of uncrowded beach. We continue to stay there when we are in the area. We also highly recommend the Alligator Farm--a lot less cheesy than it sounds--with extensive zoological exhibits and demonstrations. You can also climb the picturesque lighthouse.
Castillo San Marcos helped protect Spanish galleons laden with gold.
When we visit St. Augustine, we stay at Anastasia
State Park on the island just across the Bridge of Lions.
Flagler College is named for Henry Flagler who built the railroad all the
way to Key West. He is largely responsible for creating the possibility of
Florida tourism. His 1888 luxury hotel, the Ponce de Leon, is now the core
building of the attractive campus.
It is hard to find a Florida beach with so little crowding.
The historic city gate was built in 1730
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