Introduction
Founded in 1565, St Augustine is the oldest European settlement in the United States. Our tour today will visit the most important landmarks throughout three different periods: Exploration, The Henry Flagler or Gilded Age and The Civil Rights movement.The first European who landed in the continental United States was the famous explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon came to the New World during Christopher Columbus second trip to the Americas in 1493. The young explorer had vast experience as a soldier and was also a farmer. Two very good skills to have if you are trying to conquer a new land. The galleons sailing from the East had enough food onboard for the six weeks it used to take to sail across the Atlantic however, finding supplies and food for the return trip was a completely different story and Ponce de Leon skills proved to be very useful. Because of this, he was given a section of the Dominican Republic to rule over and eventually the island of Puerto Rico.In the year 1506, Christopher Columbus died and his son, Diego, visits the Caribbean and finds Juan Ponce de Leon as the governor in Puerto Rico. Part of the agreement between Columbus and the Royals was that he would rule over all the land he would claim for Spain; he would receive a 10 percent of all the profits generated by these lands and, more importantly to our tale, his eldest son would inherit all these rights. Needless to say, Diego Colon was not very happy to find Juan Ponce de Leon in his post and was able to replace him as the governor.Meanwhile, the Tainos were tired of getting slaved and used for extracting gold and silver but, in spite of several attempted revolts, had not being able to get rid of the now invaders. They came up with a plan to convince them to sail away from Puerto Rico. They invented the existence of a fountain with magical waters located in the island of Bimini in the Bahamas. These waters would provide eternal youth to whomever should drink from it. This was too hard to resist for Juan Ponce. He had finally found a sure way to prove his value to the King and Queen of Spain by finding this magical fountain for them. In 1513 he sets sail for the Bahamas in three ships. However, he misses the Bahamas entirely and ended up making a landfall by Cape Canaveral, Florida where he claims the entire land for Spain. Since then, Florida was recognized as part of Spain by all the big countries in those days and they decided to stay away from the newfound land. However, the French had a different idea and invaded by building a fort by Jacksonville to the north of St Augustine. Oh la la! Furious, the king of Spain sends his top admiral, Don Pedro Menendez de Avilés, to get rid of the squatters. Don Pedro eventually finds a group of about 400 in Anastasia Island and gives them what he thought was a merciful ultimatum: swear allegiance to Spain and become Catholic and your life will be spared! However, these French Huguenots had precisely left their country in search of freedom from government and the church. They bravely stuck to their guns! as a result they were slaughtered right on Anastasia Island 20 at a time. The river to the east of St Augustine and the harbor are named Matanzas which is the word in Spanish for massacre or slaughter. The Timucuans natives who used to populate the region used to call it the Bay of the Dancing Dolphins. a more suitable name for this place if you asked me.Your tour will visit the landing site for Pedro Menendez in a few minutes as well as the Fountain of Youth and the old Jail which is, probably, the best place to have a ghost encounter in the city, after this visit uptown, your tour will drive you by the Flagler's era hotels and the Lincolnville section of St Augustine to go over these very important times in St Augustine's history.
Castillo de San Marcos
The Castillo de San Marcos is the number one attraction in St Augustine. Built in 1695 in order to defend the entire territory of La Florida, San Marcos is the tenth of a series of forts erected in this location. The prevoius nine forts were all made out of wood and none of them survived the elements, attacks by pirates, fires or termites. For this reason, the queen Mariana of Spain ordererd the construction of a masonry fort in 1672. The problem became finding the stones in Florida. There are no significant mountains in Florida, hence, not many stones. Luckily for the Spaniard they came across Coquina, a local natural formation comprised of shells and sand that fuse together and becomes like a natural cement block once it dries. Coquina proved to be the perfect material for building a fort. The fort became impenetrable. As a result, no attack to the fort was succesfull and the Castillo was never taken in battle. The Spaniard were able to hold on to the terrirory in spite of two main attacks by the British in 1702 and 1740.The 400 thousand blocks of coquina used to built the fort came from Anastasia island across the river. Not only did the Spaniard came across the perfect material for building a fort but they found all of it right next to the site. Imaqine you are building a home and finding a home depot next door.Today, the Castillo is a national park open to the public. Here, you can experience how these fortifications were built and get a glance of how living in St Augustine must have been like in the early days. You can observe a live cannon firing demostration on saturdays and enjoy magnificent views of the Matanzas harbor from the gundeck.
Mission Nombre de Dios
The Mision Nombre de Dios is the site of the first Catholic mission built in the United States and also it is the landing site for the city founder, Don Pedro Menedez in 1565. To some extent it is the birthplace of the United States. The big cross marks the exact location where the spaniards first landed. The cross is the tallest stainless steel cross in the United States gifted to the city of St Augustine by the Vatican in the year 1965 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of St Augustine.One of five catholic shrines in the US, Our Lady of La Leche is believed to grant miracles to those couples who, unable to conceive, pilgrimage here by the thousands every year and report miracously being able to bare children after visiting the site. So, unless you want any more children, keep your thoughts to yourselves for the next few minutes.When the spaniards arrived they were met by a group of Timucuan natives who, seeing these men dressed in that manner and speaking an odd language, assumed they were coming from the heavens and welcomed them into their land. To celebrate, they sat down and shared a meal. The menu most likely consisting of turkey and corn provided by the natives and salted pork stew with garbanzo beans provided by the Spaniards. This was the first Thanksgiving celebration which took place right where the cross stands in 1565 or 55 years before Plymouth Rock.Currently, the Mision is a park, open to the public from 10:00 until 5:00. there is no admission fee. a visit to the MIsion Nombre de Dios must be in everyone's plans while visiting St Augustine.
Fountain of Youth
This street is considered by National Geographic one of the 10 most beautiful streets in the US. This is Magnolia Avenue. In 1961 it appeared on the cover of the magazine as the prettiest street in America. The Fountain of Youth site is located to our right behind this tabby wall made with crushed shells and a mortar. Unlike Coquina which is a natural formation, Tabby was man made.We are going to drive thru the entrance of Fountain of Youth. In addition to multiple exhibits describing the early times in St Augustine, you may observe several of the hundreds of peacocks that roam around this 15 acres site.You can imagine the experience of the early tourists visiting St Augustine during the Gilded Age and being faced with the flora and fauna of the southern part of the nation. Florida was he wilderness to all these visitors,The Fountain of Youth attraction has a natural spring that some people believe to be the fountain of youth that Juan Ponce de Leon was searching for however, there is no historical or archeological evidence to support this claim. You will enjoy the grounds and the multiple exhibits like the navigators planetarium and live cannon firing demonstrations that take place every hour but you will most likely not get any younger from drinking the fountain waters.
Old Jail
After construction began of Henry Flagler's first hotel, the Ponce de Leon in 1885, his team realized there was jail located across the street from where the wealthiest people at the time in the US would be spending their winter vacations. The jail would have to be relocated. The City agreed on relocating the jail but Flagler was required to pay for the building. Here is the jail on your left. It was a hanging jail until 1953. You can see a replica of the gallows where 8 prisoners were recorded to have been hung based on jail records. Most likely there were more.The Old Jail is considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in St Augustine. Haunting tours are offered every night. You may book a ghost tour by golf cart with us by clicking the link on your screen. Currently the jail houses a museum among several attractions.
Book a Tour!
Lets take the next few minutes to help you plan your visit to the Oldest City. We have compiled the most important activities at a discounted rate. From narrated harbor boat tours where you can see dolphins, observe the lighthouse and admire this wonderful city from the Matanzas Harbor to the Ponce de Leon Legacy tours where students of Flager College guide you around the former hotel.If you are into the paranormal, you may join our Riding with Ghosts tour or a Haunted pub crawl.Click the Book a Tour button at the bottom of your screen for additional information or complete your reservation.
Visitors Center / Huguenot Cemetery
On your right you can observe the City Visitors Center. The VIC as commonly referred to is the best place to start your exploration of the Oldest City. The Visitors Center has one of the best history museums in the city and plenty of information about what there is to do in St Augustine.Next to the Visitors Center, you can observe one of four cemeteries in the city. The Huguenot Cemetery was the protestant cemetery since only Catholics could be buried within the colonial city at the Tolomato Cemetery which you will see next coming up on your right. The Huguenot was established in 1821 as a burial ground for non-Catholics when a yellow fever pandemic killed about one third of the city residents. This Cemetery is the main source of ghost stories in the city given the fact that St Augustine had to resort to burying its dead in mass graves, some of those headstones may have more than 10 bodies underneath.In front of you is the old City Gate, the entry point into the colonial city, Behind the Old City gate is St George Street which is a pedestrian only street with plenty of shops and the center of activity in the Oldest City.
Ponce de Leon Hotel
We invite you to travel in time to the Gilded Age in the United States. After the American Civil War, the US experienced a period of economic growth, industrialization and expansion with inventions such as the automobile and electricity. During this time, powerful businessmen dominated American society. Men like John Rockefeller, The Kennedys, Astors, Carnegie and Henry Morrison Flagler.We are arriving at the hotel district in St Augustine. Coming up you will see the three largest hotels built during the Flagler's or Gilded age, two of which were built by Henry FlaglerA partner of John D Rockefeller and co-founder of Standard Oil, Henry Flagler decided to build the American riviera here in St Augustine by building these magnificent hotels for the wealthy to come and spend the cold winters.As you observe these hotels, keep in mind that they were built to accommodate the elite at the time and they were designed for Flagler’s guests to spend three months in the city. These hotels were equipped with the latest amenities available at the time: running water to every room and electricity. impeccable décor. Thomas Edison himself installed the electricity and the plumbing and Louis Comfort Tiffany decorated the interior of the Ponce de Leon. The Ponce de Leon has the largest collection of Tiffany windows in the world that is still in use still decorating the former dining hall of the hotel, now, the cafeteria for Flagler College students.Flagler College and the Alcazar building across the street are both opened to the public and can be visited free of charge every day.
Alcazar
Built in the Moorish-Spanish architecture style and utilizing the same materials and building technique, The Alcazar was the second hotel constructed by Henry Flagler in St Augustine in 1889. Unlike the Ponce de Leon, the Alcazar would provide more affordable accommodations on a per night basis and it would house all the amenities available at the time for Flagler’s demanding clientele.At the Alcazar, you could find a variety of sport entertainment, from tennis courts, archery ranges and a bicycle academy and the hotel most renowned attraction, the largest indoor swimming pool in the world.In addition, the hotel had casinos, ballrooms, saunas and Turkish and Russian baths.Nowadays the Alcazar building house the Lightner Museum and St Augustine’s City Hall which occupies the building façade. The building is one of the preferred wedding venues in St. Augustine.The swimming pool area is a not to be missed site in the city. The pool area is open to the public every day until 4 pm. Entrance is free of charge.
Lincolnville
Spain would allow former slaves of the British plantations in the Carolinas to settle in the south district of St Augustine, named Lincolnville. By 1930, Lincolnville had become an integral part of the city emcompassing the african American community itself and the adjacent white residential areas.One of the most important and sometimes overlooked eras in St Augustine's history is the civil rights movement. The oldest city became the epicenter of protests against segregation that ended when the US congress enacted the Civil Rights Act in 1964. There were three important events that took place in St Augustine between 1960 and 1964 that forced the US government to re examine the effect of segreagation in the American society.One of those incidents was the St Augustine Four when four high school students where arrested at the lunch counter of a Woolworths store for ordering a hamburguer at what used to be a whitesonly cafeteria and subsequently not following the judge's order to name the movement organizer. Pay attention to the door handles of the shop behind Trinity Episcopal Church south of the Plaza.Another event took place at the former Monson Motor Lodge now the Bayfront Hilton where in 1964 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for trying to have dinner at the hotel;s restaurant. His arrest prompted a protest by his followers who entered the hotel's swimming pool seven days later along with the largest concentration of American Rabbis who responded to Dr Kings invitation to join the protests. In oredr to flush th eprotesters out of the pool, the hotel manager pours acid in the pool water. This was the largest mass arrest of rabbis in United States History.
Riberia St / Distillery
The peninsula of St Augustine is isolated from the main land by two rivers: The Matanzas on the East and the San Sebastian river now in front of you. On this area of town you will find several places of interest. For example the St Augustine's Disitillery coming up on your left was the old ice plant that used to provide ice to Flagler's era hotels and the important shrimping industry that used to be based in the city.Down the next road on your left you will find San Sebastian Wines. They offer various types of wines made with a locally grown Muscadine grape that the winnery grows in Clermont, Florida to make their wines. Both, the winnery and distillery offer free tastings tours several times a day.In this area you will find several restaurants including a very good French bakery named Parfait down on your left on King street.Across King Street is the area called the Model Land Company which was a real estate development by Henry Flagler and John Rockefeller to sell highend lots for the society wealthiest to build their winter homes in town. This area contains 238 historic buildings which are listed in the US National Register of Historic Places.
Flaglers Memorial Presbyterian Church
In the year 1889, Henry Flagler's daughter, Jenny Louise, died from complications from childbirth at sea on her to visit her father. Henry Flager then dcided to build a church as a memorial to his beloved daughter.Considered one of the eight religious wonders in the US, the church was designed by architects Carrere and Hastings who seeked inspiration for the design in St Mark's Cathedral in Venice. They utilized the same construction method as Flagler's hotels, a mix of pour concrete with italian materials.To enter the Flagler's Memorial Church is like being transported to Venice with its italian 100' tall copper dome, rare woods and white terracota finishes. Constructed in the Venetian Renaissance style, the Memorial Presbyterian Church offers its visitors the opportunity to admire a perfect combination of exquisite materials from Italy and Germany like the Mahogany pews, Italian marble floors or German stained glass windows.Amazingly, the construction of the Church only took 321 days. Mr Flagler brought thousands of workers directly from Italy so you may say the Flagler's Memorial Presbyterian Church is an Italian church built in the United States.The church welcome visitors on Fridays between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm. There is a suggested donation of $5.00 per person.
Flagler College
In the year 1968 The Hotel Ponce de leon became Flagler College. Flagler College is one of the top ranked liberal arts and science colleges in the southern US. Most of the 2500 students who attend Flagler College get to spend their first year living in the former hotel rooms turned into students dormitories located in the front of the main building. Some of them report observing the ghost of Henry Flagler walking the halls at night. It must feel like you are attending Hogwarts.The Former Hotel was equipped with electricity and running water to every suite. Thomas Edison himself came to complete the intallation of the electricty and the plumbing by 1888. In contrast, the US Whitehouse did not get electricity until 1892. Louis Comfort Tiffany provided the decoration of the building and created the largest collection of Tiffanny stained glass windows in the world. This collecton, still in use, now decorates the existing students cafeteria. Look at the rotunda on your right to see part of the collection.The students of Flagler College offer tours of the facilities twice every day at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. You may click on "book a tour" button on your screens for more information or to make reservations.
Closing
We would like to thank you for being our guest in todays exploration of the Oldest City. It is our hope that you received enough information to better plan your stay and spend some time at some of these historically significant sites.In St Augustine, you will find a diverse mix of restaurants. From Greek or Italian to Spanish, Colombian, Polish or Mexican. Your guide will be available to answer any question about things to do, directions or dinnings options at any of the local restaurants.We would love to meet you again in the oldest city as our guest. The best time to visit St Augustine is during the Nights of Lights celebration between mid november until the end of January. You will find the city transformed into a Christmas town with millions of white lights decorating most buildings.It has been our pleasure showing you this amazing city. Enjoy your stay!
