Fun in America’s Oldest City
Are you looking for things to do in St. Augustine? Below are 10 things to do in St. Augustine. Some of them are well known and some are hidden gems.
If you haven’t booked a place to stay yet, read my post on the beach house I stayed in. That house really exceeded my expectations.
If you are looking for delicious places to eat, read my post on where to eat in St. Augustine. It includes amazing fresh seafood places, mouth-watering dessert shops, and more. My mom doesn’t eat seafood. So, each restaurant (even the fresh seafood ones) have good non seafood options.
It can be overwhelming to plan a trip to St. Augustine. There is just so much to do and you only have so much time on your vacation. Look at my week in St. Augustine itinerary for help!
1. Take a Historical Tour of the City
The top thing to do in St. Augustine! There are many guided historical tours to choose from in St. Augustine. I recommend booking one on Viator. It’s the site I typically book all my tours on and I rarely have any issues with them.
My family and I chose to do the Private Guided Historic Electric Cart Tour of St. Augustine. It was a small group tour and only held up to six people. That was perfect for us though because there was only six of us total. Our tour guide was awesome! He told us all kinds of Spanish and American history throughout the town. He also told legends and oral history that has been passed down.
2. Visit Saint George Street
When looking at things to do in St. Augustine you will always see Saint George Street come up. Commonly referred to as George Street by tourists, Saint George Street is one of the most popular places to go in St. Augustine. It’s a pedestrian street full of boutiques, restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes, and more. There are even some museums here!
The Spanish Bakery is one of my favorite stops along this street. It’s very authentic and everything is made fresh daily. Some of the most popular stops (that aren’t shops) are the Old City Gates, Oldest Wooden School House, Pena Peck House, and more. You can also get to the Castillo De San Marcos easily from this street.
Know before you go: There are a lot of homeless people on this street. Typically, they keep to themselves and don’t bother you. However, you will see some with signs and a couple did ask us for money. The city is currently trying to do something about the homeless population, but, as of now, expect to see them there. As I said, the ones we talked to were nice and harmless. We bought food and gave it to them; they seemed very grateful.
3. Visit Castle Otttis
Few people know about Castle Otttis in St. Augustine. Even fewer have been able to go inside of it. So, you could say it is a hidden gem and one of St. Augustine’s best-kept secrets.
It’s on private property and the gravel road to it is blocked by a gate. In other words, if you aren’t part of a tour to go inside, then you can’t see the outside of it either. It’s also not very visible from the road, you can only barely see it when driving by.
They typically do tours every week. However, at the time of this post, they have stopped doing tours. According to their website the castle isn’t open to the public right now. Their site states they will provide updates about future plans for the castle in the coming days. Sadly, it doesn’t say when exactly those future plans will be announced.
Check their site before your trip to see if they begin doing tours again. As of now there isn’t a “Contact Us” button on their site. If that changes and you see one, then click it and send an email to ask if they’re doing tours. That is how I was able to be apart of one. I clicked the “Contact Us” button, sent an email asking about tours, they got back to me very quickly, and I booked the tour.
4. Go on a Chocolate Tasting Tour at Whetstone Factory
This is one of my favorite things I did in St. Augustine! On the tour my family and I got to learn the difference between artisan chocolates and chocolates that are mass produced (like Hershey’s, Mars, etc.). We also got to see some of the chocolatiers in action — which I thought was super cool!
It’s a four-tiered tasting experience like no other. Personally, I don’t like dark chocolate. However, I liked the dark chocolate they make here. To say I was surprised is an understatement. Along with tastings you will hear all about the history of Whetstone Chocolates. You will learn how they started as an ice cream shop and then ventured on over into chocolates. The tour ends in the Whetstone Chocolate Store where you can buy all the chocolate your heart desires.
5. See Raw Coquina Stone in the Wild
Coquina stone is made out of calcified seashells. It was used often as a building material back in the day. If you take a historical tour of St. Augustine you will hear about it a lot. However, most people don’t go see it in the wild. In other words, seeing raw coquina is considered a hidden gem and you most likely won’t see it on lists of things to do in St. Augustine.
The famous fort in St. Augustine, Castillo De San Marcos, was actually made with coquina. The people were unsure of it and didn’t know how the fort would hold up since it was being made with this “new” stone.
However, it was a great idea! Why? Because when they were under attack the cannonballs would hit the coquina walls and the walls wouldn’t shatter or break. Instead the coquina would absorb the shock and the cannonballs would just pack the coquina in tighter. The cannonballs would also get stuck inside the walls. Each day they would go outside and get the cannonballs out of the walls and shoot them back at their enemy.
Coquina stone is found along the beaches of St. Augustine. So, there are quite a few places you can go to see it. I went to Jubbah Beach near Marineland. To go to the exact area I went to put this address in your GPS: 9600 Oceanshore Blvd. Then, park on the parking lot that’s on the same side as the ocean. Next, walk south along the boardwalk and you will see the coquina.
6. Tour the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine
The cathedral is absolutely breath-taking. I’m not Catholic, but I really enjoyed touring this cathedral. If you are religious at all, you will enjoy it too. The stain glass windows, the murals, it’s all beautiful.
I didn’t take a guided tour, my family and I did a self-guided tour. However, I’m pretty sure they do offer guided tours. They have candles available at all times and visitors are welcome to light one for loved ones at any time during their visit. Once you’re finished there is a gift shop that offers religious items. It reminded me if a Christian Book Store. Aside from tours, they also have mass weekly if you would like to attend.
7. Visit the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum
The lighthouse in St. Augustine is the nicest lighthouse I’ve ever been in! Personally, I love lighthouses. Haha! If there is one nearby, you can guarantee I’ll be visiting it — and going inside it if that’s allowed!
I was shocked at how spacious the inside of this one was. If you’ve ever been in one, you know how tight and narrow they typically are. That wasn’t the case here. There was plenty of room to climb up/down, and room to stand off to the side if you wanted a break. It’s 219 steps so I definitely needed a couple breaks!
Once at the top, the view was gorgeous! It was also pretty spacious so we were able to stay up there for a bit without feeling like we needed to hurry and leave for other people to get their chance.
Aside from the lighthouse you also get to tour the keepers house. They also have demonstrations, a children’s play area, gift shop, and more.
8. Visit the Lightner Museum
The museum is really interesting and the building itself is beautiful! It used to be Hotel Alcazar. The hotel was built in 1887 and appealed to wealthy people who traveled south for the winter. It closed in 1931 and the Lightner Museum opened in 1948. The museum occupies three floors of the former hotel, so expect to be in here for a bit.
Before you go inside the museum, check out the courtyard. Not only is it gorgeous, but there are shops that line the courtyard. Once inside the museum you will see mummies, geological specimens, dishware, paintings, a dinosaur egg, and so much more. You will also see the former spa and turkish bath of the hotel.
If you look the museum up, it’s known as a museum of antiques. However, I am not an antique person and I really liked this museum.
9. Visit Flagler College
It is a private college, however, it used to be a luxury resort known as Ponce de Leon. The resort opened in 1888 and closed in 1967. Flagler College opened in 1968.
Visitors are invited to walk around on the quad. They can also come inside and walk around in some areas. The areas you can’t go in are roped off, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally wandering somewhere. Just remember you’re not allowed to go down any residency halls. If you don’t want to do a self-guided tour, Flagler College does offer guided historical tours daily.
Not only does the college hold a lot of St. Augustine’s history, but it’s also breath-taking to see!
10. Have Fun on the Beach!
Last, but certainly not least, you want some beach days during your trip! It doesn’t matter if you stay on the beach or in the historical city. It really is a short drive between the two. My family and I chose to stay on the beach and then drive into the city for our “history” days as we called them. Haha!
Remember, you can drive on St. Augustine beach. But, if you don’t have a four wheel drive vehicle, don’t do it. I can’t tell you how many cars, minivans, small SUV’s, etc I watched get towed out because they got stuck. Tow trucks sit on the beach and wait for vehicles to get stuck, then they go and help them for a fee. I’m not sure how much the fee is but I imagine it isn’t cheap.
I really liked the house we stayed in. It was right on the beach, close to the pier, restaurants, an ice cream shop, and more.
