St. Augustine, FL – Dec 2023

On December 17^th I arrived at Four Lakes RV Park about 30 minutes from St. Augustine, FL. I had so much fun in this area and there were so many things to see. My first tourist experience was at St. Augustine Light Station from 1874. Not only were the grounds extensive, but you could walk up 219 stairs to reach the very top of the lighthouse. It was a sunny day and, WOW, what a view from up there. Being so near Christmas, the entire complex was decorated with holiday décor and Christmas trees.  Many of the buildings were restored to look like the original barracks or officer’s quarters. There was also a Boat Building exhibit. After the Light Station I stopped nearby at Anastasia State Park. The beach was lovely although windy and cold. The waves were big and there were lots of shells on the beach.  I and other people had a lot of fun looking at the myriad types of shells.

The RV Park was very nice, and they had a Driver & Van to take people into St. Augustine and back. I happened to be the only one who signed up for the van, so had interesting conversation with the driver. My driver highly recommended the Hop On Hop Off bus tour.  After seeing the visitor center, I decided that would be a good way to see the city at a glance and determine what parts I wanted to spend more time.  I didn’t make it very far when I hopped off the bus and spent the next couple of hours walking the main tourist street with shops, restaurants, and historic buildings.  It may be totally touristy, but I loved St. Augustine. There was so much history (it’s the oldest city in the continental U.S.). St. Augustine is known for their fantastic Christmas decorations and lights in the historic district which I’ll describe later. Here are places that I saw (in an effort to shorten this post since I’m so far behind):

1. Castillo De San Marcos: First phase of the fort was completed in 1695. They used a local stone called Coquina which consisted of sand and shells that was hardened and compressed. There are several examples of Coquina walls and posts throughout St. Augustine. As I was on the top level of the fort it started raining… hard sheets of rain. I was going to exit along with everyone else when I realized I would be the only one up there. What a great picture taking opportunity. Of course, I was drenched by the time I finished. Luckily it was a warm day!
2. Flagler College – a Liberal Arts College: this was originally the Ponce De Leon hotel. It is beautiful outside and inside. The courtyards are lush with tropical plants while the inside has lots of dark wood and a dome ceiling of gold.
3. Lightner Museum: Another stunning building that was originally the Alcazar hotel. Quite different from other museums I’ve seen, the major theme here is Gilded Age Antiquities including opulent art and furnishings. There was a special exhibit on Art Nouveau from the Chrysler Museum of Art. This is one of my favorite styles and the exhibit was very good.
4. Nights of Lights in Historic St. Augustine: For multiple weeks around Christmas, the historic downtown area is decked with mostly white lights! I spent one evening walking around town and along the waterfront taking in the beautiful displays. Even the boats in the harbor had lights. It was truly magical. I couldn’t believe how many people and families came out to see it all.  It was very festive. I had a special treat of freshly cooked mini donuts drizzled with cream cheese icing and Nutella. Gooey good!

On my last night in the area, I happened upon a small nature preserve. It was very late in the afternoon, so I was only able to walk half of it. As the hour grew later and the sun was setting, large flocks of Ibis, Egrets, Herons and other large wading birds flew in to find their roosting place for the night. I was so shocked at how many birds packed themselves into this area.  I so wish I had run across this sooner to experience more that this preserve had to offer.  And to experience the magic as hundreds of birds flew in one flock after another!