Sunshine & Summertime

Tolomato was in use as a cemetery from the 18th century until 1884, when all of the old cemeteries in St. Augustine were closed and new cemeteries were established. It is the final resting place of approximately 1,000 St. Augustine residents, including many people important to the history of Florida and the United States. The cemetery is located on the site of what was once an early 18th century Franciscan  Indian Mission, Our Lady of Guadalupe of Tolomato. The Indian group was made up of Guale Indians from Georgia. Tolomato was the name of a place, potentially a river, where they lived before they came to St. Augustine during the 16th century after attacks from hostile tribes. They moved to the current site during attacks by British forces from South Carolina and Georgia that destroyed the Florida Missions in the 1700s. When the Minorcans arrived in 1777 after their rebellion in New Smyrna, they brought their priest, Fr. Camps with them. Patrick Tonyn, the British governor of St. ...

The Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to defend St. Augustine, Florida, and the Atlantic trade route. As with many things in the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States, it is the oldest masonry fortress in the continental US and preserves more than 450 years of cultural intersections. Located on the western shore of the Matanzas Bay, its construction was ordered by Governor Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega after a 1668 raid of St. Augustine by English privateer Robert Searles that destroyed much of the city and damaged the existing wooden fort. It was designed by Spanish engineer Ignacio Daza, with construction beginning in 1672. Construction of the core of the fortress was finished in 1695, although the fort would undergo many changes, additions, and renovations over the centuries. The fort was a continuously occupied military installation for 251 years, though it changed hands between the Spanish, the British several times, and finally the United Stat...

 When people ask me where I think the best places in Florida are, St. Augustine is always at the top of my list. The city is filled with history, family friendly, pet friendly, and packed with award-winning museums and restaurants. The Ximenez-Fatio House, which managed a ranking of the number one museum in St. Augustine during the pandemic of 2020, is no exception. Don Andres Ximenez built the house and warehouse in 1798 for himself and his bride, Juana Pellicer Ximenez. Juana's father, Francisco Pellicer, led the Minorcans from New Smyrna to St. Augustine in 1777 at the invitation of British governor Colonel Patrick Tonyn. This is the same group of Minorcans I've previously mentioned who fled their captivity as slaves of Dr. Andrew Turnbull. Pellicer brought about 600 people to St. Augustine, and they settled at the north end of St. George Street near the City Gate. In his original plan for the location, Ximenez included a grocery store and storage room, tavern, and billiard ...

 The Oldest Store Museum Experience recreates the original St. Augustine general store owned and operated by C.F. Hamblin in 1908. The contents of the museum were once Hamblin's own property. When he initially opened the general store, its primary purpose was to supply Henry Flagler with whatever goods he would need to move forward with his many construction projects, including the famed Ponce de Leon Hotel (which later became Flagler College). The living history tour guides act the part of clerks and salesmen as they demonstrate the latest inventions for turn-of-the-century "modern" living - everything from unicycles to tonics to a goat-powered washing machine. In an effort to protect, preserve, and catalog the massive amount of 19th and 20th century American memorabilia sitting there, the building housing all of it was purchased by Historic Tours of America. A 5,000 square foot, climate-controlled facility was built to warehouse the items, with the first floor being use...

 A visit to one of the most haunted cities in the country wouldn't be complete without visiting its famed cemeteries. Established soon after Florida became a US territory, the Huguenot Cemetery is in a high traffic area of downtown St. Augustine, just outside the Visitor Center and across the street from the Old City Gate. It was first used for the interment of victims of the 1821 yellow fever epidemic, then for burial of members of the city's Protestant population. The burial traditions and funerary materials demonstrated at Huguenot, compared with the nearby Tolomato Cemetery (established by the Catholic Church in 1777), highlight both the differences and commonalities in funerary and religious practices and traditions of the two distinct groups residing in 19th century St. Augustine. The Huguenot Cemetery's primary significance is derived from the fact that it was the first cemetery in St. Augustine dedicated for Anglo-American civilians rather than preserved strictly fo...

 Magnolia Avenue in the ancient city of St. Augustine has been labeled "one of the most beautiful streets in America" by National Geographic. 61 trees made up of 59 live oaks, one water oak, and one laurel oak make up a graceful canopy over the street, dripping with Spanish Moss. It is a breathtaking example of the natural beauty that abounds in Florida. Near the Fountain of Youth, you'll turn right on Myrtle Avenue just north of Mission Nombre de Dios, go to the end, and turn left. The canopy has thinned since the hurricanes in 2004, but in 2005, the city paid an arborist to examine each of the 61 trees to investigate problems and make recommendations.  The street is highly photographable, and well worth a stop to get out and look around.

 Dating back to the early 18th century the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is located at the north end of St. George Street in St. Augustine, not far from the City Gate. None of the wooden structures built in the city before 1702 still stand, because the British burned Spanish St. Augustine to the ground that year. As a result, the earliest property records for the schoolhouse date to 1740. The original structure consisted of a one room, single story building with a detached kitchen, made of wood siding with a coquina chimney, where food was prepared for the family. Kitchens were commonly separate structures in those times, not only to keep the house cool during the hot summer months, but also to prevent any kitchen fires from spreading to the residential areas of the home. The exterior of the house was made of bald cypress and red cedar bound together by wood pins and iron spikes, all made by hand. In addition to the separate kitchen, there was a privy with a privacy wall and a well, al...

 The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Keeper's House serve as both a scenic attraction and a maritime museum. Still an active aid to navigation on the North Florida coast, the Lighthouse and Maritime Museum is a private, non-profit museum dedicated to its mission "to preserve, present, and keep alive the stories of the Nation's Oldest Port as symbolized by our working St. Augustine Lighthouse." Standing 165 feet above sea level, the Lighthouse overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Matanzas Bay from Anastasia Island. Visitors can climb the 219 steps to the top of the Lighthouse for an incredible view of the city of St. Augustine and the ocean. You'll have the opportunity to experience life at a Light Station through the exhibits at the Keeper's House, stroll through the grounds, check out the gift shop, or take a "Behind the Scenes" guided tour, included with admission. "Behind the Scenes" tours are offered on the hour from 11am to 3pm every day. It ...

 If you're on A1A Highway about three miles north of St. Augustine, you'll catch a glimpse of the turrets of Castle Otttis (yes, there are three t's in its name, I double checked). Designated as a garage due to a clerical error, it's an unusual sight to see as you're driving along the coastal highway. Built by Ottis Sadler and Rusty Ickes between 1984 and 1988, its design was based on Irish castles from about 1,000 years ago. It was designed to be a landscape sculpture, open to the elements and rising over 50 feet tall. When the pair began working on the castle, it was not intended to be a business or residence. Their primary goal was the creation of a work of art, one that would evoke the spirit of an old Christian Church or Irish Abbey. Sadler and Ickes handled all of the masonry themselves with no additional paid labor. Once they had built the walls tall enough to be  easily noticed, they were told they needed a construction permit, at which point a clerical erro...