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Kellie
Sharpe ~ St Augustine, FL and Monticello, GA ~ Email
Me!
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One
day! Only one day to spend in The Nation's Most Fascinating City? Well...
sometimes that's how it goes. I meet a lot of people who stop off for
an
overnight stay
on their way somewhere else. You can see and do some fun things during
a one-day stay in St Augustine - IF you know where to look for them!
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For
longer visits, a trolley is nice because you can usually buy your tickets
to see the attractions you want to see when you buy your trolley ticket. The
trolleys go everywhere in the city, and you can get on and off wherever you
want. Trolleys are particularly good for elderly visitors or families with
small children. Just remember - you have to get back on the same color trolley
you got off of!
The
horse-drawn carriages are a lovely way to take a long, slow, leisurely walk
through the city, with a knowledgeable guide who will tell you all about the
history of St Augustine as you go. Evening rides can be very romantic, and
the city is particularly beautiful at night. What I have always liked about
the carriage tours is that you can decide which places you especially wish
to see up close, and you can walk or drive to them later and make the most
of the time you have available to spend in St Augustine.
Another
fun way to see the city from a different angle is to take a harbor cruise;
St Augustine looks entirely different from the bay! The Victory
III sightseeing boat leaves the City Yacht Pier, and takes passengers on a
slow boat ride through Matanzas Bay and out past the old Castillo. The fort
is beautiful viewed from the water! If you are lucky (and I have been every
time I have been aboard the Victory III) dolphins will swim near the boat
and you will get a most delightful look at them. Another quite beautiful sight
I once saw from the boat was a flock of Roseate Spoonbills feeding along the
beach at Anastasia State Park. Check at the City Yacht Pier for sail times.
I
highly recommend the Ghost Walks as a wonderful way to see the city. Friendly,
professional, knowledgeable guides dressed in period Spanish costumes will
walk you through the darkened streets by lanternlight and tell you stories
of St Augustine's ghosts and legends. You don't have to believe in ghosts
- these walks are just plain fun! But be careful... you will look over
your shoulder! The
ghost tours give visitors a chance to see some of St Augustine's beautiful
buildings up close and hear some fascinating stories about them.
Ghost tours are lots of fun all year long but October is the best time to
visit St Augustine for "ghost hunting!" The tour companies go all
out to make the tours even more thrilling and interesting.
Just
strolling about the city can be quite enjoyable, even if you don't know all
of the significance of what you are seeing. St Augustine is a pretty town
to stroll about in, and shopping on St George Street and in the neighboring
areas is a lot of fun. There are plenty of unique and interesting shops to
browse in, and many are located in buildings with historical significance;
some have beautiful gardens out back where you may sit and rest for a bit.
