Looking for the best things to do in Saint Augustine, Florida? Look no further! Check out what these historic city have to offer in our list of must-see sights.
The oldest city in the nation is full of experiences to keep you occupied. Founded in 1565, Flagler brought the railroad to the area in the late 1800s, and breathed new life into it by turning it into a bustling vacation spot.
You will find everything from castles and beaches to museums and national parks, in addition to ghost tours and distilleries to wineries.
Globally, Saint Augustine is already a beautiful city, and one with a lot of romance to offer to become one of the best cities of Florida to go as a couple, it is a perfect destination to do it throughout the year, be it to take a spring break getaway or a simple visit. Perfect for families, couples, and solo adventurers situated on the Atlantic coast.
Hungry after your adventures? Here are our suggestions for the top St. Augustine restaurants!
List of these Top Spots in Saint Augustine, FL!
1. Dine at Columbia
Columbia Restaurant has various locations throughout Tampa, Sarasota, and Saint Augustine. Known by many as one of the top dining spots in Florida, this grill is worth going to! One of the oldest restaurants in Florida, this spot naturally fits into the historic district of the historic city of St. Augustine.
The restaurant boasts Las Vegas Strip swagger and a winning Spanish and Cuban cuisine combination in a high-energy dining atmosphere. The menu highlights local Gulf staples and family recipes that have been in their family for decades. It’s perfect for stopping in during a lunch break when you’re out and about exploring the historic sites of Saint Auggie.
Great bets are the seafood paella, the la Completa Cubano bonanza of roast pork, empanadas, the huge 1905 salad, Grouper Jimmy, stuffed shrimp…
They serve lunch until 4 pm. Among the popular plates are: Arroz con pollo (also known as chicken and yellow rice), palomilla steak with onions, mahi mahi, meatloaf, and the original Cuban sandwich. Make sure you have space for desserts such as key lime pie or churros.
Post dinner, you can keep following the historic street and go on a quick walk through the Colonial Quarter to burn off all those calories. Also, be sure to read all about the best places to have breakfast in St. Augustine!
2. Enjoy a Trolley Tour
One of the best ways to experience Saint Augustine is aboard a trolley, and they provide both daytime and night tours! The city’s festive lights can be seen with tickets for a single day and two days, or with special after-dark tours in the holiday season.
Featuring 22 hop-on hop-off spots and a live narrator that is well informed of the area, the Old Town Trolley Tours are a great way to travel all around St. Impeccably conducted by a guide who spins engaging stories on St Augustine’s green and orange trolleys, you cruise through America’s oldest city.
If you choose to stay on board, the full loop takes about an hour and a half – but trolleys stop at each location every 20 minutes. Your ticket also includes admission to the Saint Augustine History Museum and service to most Saint Augustine hotels.
3. Go on a Ghost Tour and Get Scared
Saint Augustine Ghost Tours Hundreds of haunted stories make this city perfect for a paranormal experience! It’s well-suited to autumn and Halloween visits.
Below is our list of the Best DailyROM ghost tours in Saint Augustine. These are some of the most haunted tours in the city that offer ghost encounters and tales of terror as you stroll or drive through the spooky streets and alleys when the sun goes down.
One of Saint Augustine’s classics get ready for a bone-chilling experience. If you are into spooky HALLOWEEN type of stuff, well, then stay at a HAUNTED HOTEL!
4. Lighthouse with great views
The oldest lighthouse in Florida is The Saint Augustine Lighthouse. Work began in 1871 and was completed three years later. First lit on October 15, 1874, it is still an active aid to navigation.
The lighthouse is 167 feet above the bay and requires 219 steps to the top, and is adorned with its distinctive black-and-white spiral stripes and a red lantern that has been protecting Florida’s oldest port. The brick-built structure houses a museum within detailing more than 500 years of history.
The shipyard playground at the base of the lighthouse is family-friendly for anyone visiting with young ones or anyone under 44 inches tall (too short to climb the steps).
5. If You Drink, Partake in Saint Augustine Distillery
Located in the heart of the historic district, The Saint Augustine Distillery is one of the area’s most popular attractions for guests 21 and over. Visitors to the distillery established in 2013 by 20 local families learn something about spirits by the time they leave, which is why it is among the most visited distilleries in the U.S.
The Saint Augustine Distillery has the number one whiskey tour in North America and whiskey lovers will, of course, be interested in this. This free tour is available daily, making it an excellent choice for the wallet-friendly traveler.
The distillery, located in the historic Ice Plant building, allows guests to see firsthand how the distillation process works and the crops of Northern Michigan change into premium spirits.
6. Explore Castillo San Marcos
St. Augustine, FL – Castillo San Marcos is one of the top national parks in Florida. Built by the Spanish to protect their empire from other European powers, it was taken over by the British following the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
It was built between 1672 and 1695 over a period of 23 years, designed to protect Saint Augustine from pirates and the British invasion, which took place in 1702 and claimed to have caused widespread destruction.
Because it is the oldest masonry fort in the United States, and it spans 315 years of history, a visit to Castillo San Marcos is a trip back in time. Take a ranger-led interpretive tour of the soldiers’ quarters, observe cannon firings, experience the gun deck, and MORE.
7. Visit the Lightner Museum
For History and art lovers, The Lightner Museum is one of the best places to visit in Saint Augustine. A very good indoor activity indeed, well, unless it’s raining heavily.
The museum, which is located in the former Alcazar Hotel built by Henry Flagler, reflects the opulence of its day and drew more than 25,000 tourists annually in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Formerly the ‘palace of joy’, it is steeped in history.
One of the best collections of fine and decorative arts in the nation, The Lightner Museum was founded in 1948. This museum traces daily American life in the Gilded Age with exhibits ranging from paintings, furniture, and stained glass to the Otto Lightner Collection.
If you are wondering what to do in Saint Augustine this museum should be at the top of your list!
8. Capture Castle Otttis
In St. Augustine, is the historical Castle Otttis designed and built in 1988 by Ottis Sadler and Rusty Ickles. The castle, which stands as a “monument of Jesus Christ,” was constructed over the course of three years and can be toured by appointment only.
Starkly reminiscent of 20th-century Irish castle design, turrets reach up from the trees at Castle Otttis. The open-air building with 50-foot-high stone walls flows with the surrounding landscape
Inside the ambiance of an Abbey or older Irish church has been evoked with the help of Catholic historians. It’s the intention of the present owners that visitors feel this profound spiritual experience, and they are sensitive about allowing those who visit anywhere on the property act with reverence. There are also scheduled religious services, which can be found on the website.
The Fountain of Youth is the only one in the world and a landmark that you cannot visit in Saint Augustine.
9. Hike Anastasia State Park
Best Saint Augustine white sand beaches Anastasia State Park Encompassing 1,600 acres, the park is renowned for its wide variety of wildlife, its beautiful beaches, saltwater marshes and sand hammocks.
Anastasia State Park is a must-visit, especially for those who long to explore the great outdoors. Paddle in the sea, inlets, and creeks, or travel the 5-mile wooded road on bikes; walk the Ancient Dunes Trail; fish the Blackrock Lake; or do nothing but languish on four unspoiled miles of beach.
The Spanish utilization of coquina helped make the rock Indigenous noto rin, and close to the place, where it was quarried from 1691 as a construction material for the fortification of Castillo San Marcos Monument. You can also see the Saint Augustine Lighthouse from the park.
This 700-acre park ranks #1 on the list for camping in the Sunshine State with over 139 full-service campsites located near the beach. It is also a perfect spot for families and there are countless activities that you can do with kids and create beautiful memories.
10. Enjoy Tastes at San Sebastian Winery
Another wonderful adult activity in Saint Augustine, San Sebastian Winery Founded in 1996 inside a historic railroad building downtown that once belonged to Henry Flagler.
Tours and tastings are free, so you can enjoy your time as you wander through the winery and see how wine is made. Your tour ends with a wine tasting of some delicious Florida wines.
Inner Sole: Grapes are grown in a 75-acre vineyard located in a neighboring city, Clermont, Florida, and from the Florida panhandle. On the third floor of the winery is the Cellar Upstairs – a when you can have steaks, seafood, and live music on the outdoor deck, Friday-Saturday-Sunday.
When you are done with your trip to San Sebastian Winery, stop at the Crave restaurant just across the street for some delicious dinner.
11. Fort Matanzas National Monument
Saint Augustine, Fort Matanzas National Monument, Completion Date: 1742 The fort was built from coquina, which defended the Spanish military settlement of Saint Augustine from the British and protected the Atlantic coast along the Matanzas Inlet and River.
With a valid park entrance, visitors can access the fort through a complimentary, five-minute ferry ride from the Visitor Center to Rattlesnake Island. The name Matanzas, which means slaughter, honors Menendez’s massacre of some 250 French Huguenots in 1565.
The fort features reenactments and living history shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays to give visitors a sense of the past. Also, there are boardwalks within the forest for strolls through the woods to collect shells, fish or have a picnic.
13. Go to the World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Found at the World Golf Village in Saint Augustine, this museum provides an interactive experience See how good a golfer you are with the Challenge Hole, which replicates the 17th at TPC Sawgrass. The ticket includes one shoot and there will be another shoot to buy and try again.
Visit the Locker Room and 1,800 square-foot “THE PLAYERS Experience,” an exhibit with dozens of stories and photos.
The museum also hosts rotating exhibits that recreate some of the most iconic holes in golf. Saint Augustine, This activity is a big deal in Saint Augustine.
14. Explore the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum
Great for older kids, the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum offers an interactive pirate-themed museum experience. A museum that will take you through 300 years of history, all the way to Jamaica.
You will discover famous pirates such as Sir Francis Drake and Robert Searles as you wander through more than 800 artifacts on display.
Notable artifacts encompass the earliest known wanted posters, Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge treasure, the oldest in-tact treasure chest, real cannons, and an authentic Jolly Roger flag. Pirate tours are guided every 30 minutes during the day, and a treasure hunt through the museum will keep kids occupied.
15. Visit the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in Ponce de Leon
The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is one of the premier historic learning spots in St. Augustine. The inhabitants of the early village were Timucuan people who had settled between 1000 BC and 1000 AD.
This site, discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513 and later settled by Pedro Mendez Aviles in 1565, is the oldest European settlement in North America, pre-dating Plymouth Rock by 55 years.
This is a chance for you to look deep into the history of the land, the waters themselves, and the Timucua people. One of the oldest attractions in Saint Augustine, and in all of Florida, is the spring which is known as the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. The spring itself is drinkable-Ponce de Leon did, after all the site is near a Timucuan burial ground.
16. Chill Out at the Saint Augustine Beach
Saint Augustine Beach was recently voted, the Top 10 Beaches in America by Southern Living Magazine Walk these two miles of white beach sand, and you will quickly understand why this is on the top of the list of places to visit in Saint Augustine.
Families with small children will appreciate this beach; there are so many things to do so you are sure to make lasting memories here. Children can make sandcastles, play in the splash park, and enjoy the shallow waves.
For adventure seekers, go surf, catch a wave, or play some sand volleyball on the oceanfront court. With proper permits, one can even drive on the beach.
Great for fishing and bird watching at the pier. There are also restaurants and shops next to the beach area, where you can have a rest from the sun.
17. Oldest Wooden School House
If you love history, the Oldest Wooden School House Historic Museum & Gardens provides an intriguing step back in time.
Although most of St.Augustine, including wooden buildings like this one, burned in the fire of 1702, it is mentioned in the tax lists of 1716. It was originally a house but was turned into a school by Juan Genopoly in the 1780s. And, when he later opened a larger version of the school that included girls, it was the forerunner of the first co-educational school in the United States.
The tour is fun and interactive, and you get a diploma at the end!
Situated within the Minorcan Quarter at St. George Street along the Old City Gate, this is considered as one of the best attractions for history addicts in Saint Augustine in Florida.
