Sunshine & Summertime

 Located on Florida 16 just off I-95, the St. Augustine Aquarium opened in 2016. Somewhat small in size while the owners are building their dream, this open air facility still provides family oriented fun. Leave your notions behind about traditional larger aquariums. This is a small, open-air experience that's still growing, and is more of a sanctuary than what people expect from an aquarium. Their mission is "marine conservation through education," and their informative staff is always on hand to educate guests about life under the sea and conservation efforts. The aquarium offers a snorkel adventure, and provides the gear. Guests just need to bring their swimsuits and towels for the chance to snorkel with hundreds of Florida Reef Fish and Rays. Clear vision rafts are also available upon request. There are hands on experiences available where you can feed fish and Cownose Rays, interact with some of Florida's most beautiful marine species, touch invertebrates, feed t...

 When my fiance and I stay in St. Augustine, we always stay on Anastasia Island, where St. Augustine Beach is actually located. We love being within walking distance of the beach and the pier. In fact, St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier is often one of our first and most regular stops. There's a lot of personal history for my fiance there, as his grandparents regularly visited and had their photographs posted up in the pier gift shop for many, many years (it actually might still be there, I forgot to check on our last visit). There's also a lot of history in general regarding the pier, just as there is with everything in St. Augustine. In the 1800s, Anastasia Island was actually known as South Beach, and from the city of St. Augustine, beachgoers would take a ferry over the Matanzas River to the Island, then a donkey cart over dirt roads to the lighthouse. Later, a wooden bridge was built over the river, and visitors took the South Beach Railroad from the bridge to the b...