Blogs from Saint Augustine, Florida, United States, North America

Today we had a bit of a sleep in, woohoo!!! 8.45am Bags to coach to head to Kennedy Space Center. The space center was so cool. They have a place called "Rocket Garden" where they display some of the different rockets they used during the space race. We also watched an Imax 3D movie about the space shuttle program. It was really interesting but there was no need for it to be 3D. It just made my eyes water more than anything. After that, Nikki, Robyn, Erin and I went on the bus tour to Lauch Pad 39 and the Saturn V building. Launch Pad 39 is where the Apollo 11 mission lauched. We didnt go right there, but we saw it from an observation deck. It was really cool to see where such famous history ... read more

The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is an attraction in St. Augustine, Florida, on the Intracoastal Waterway. St. Augustine itself is a port city on the northeastern coast of Florida. Founded in the year 1565, it is considered the oldest European-established, continuously-occupied city in the continental United States. The Fountain of Youth is one of its major tourist attractions, drawing thousands of vacationers every year. According to legend dating back thousands of years, the Fountain of Youth contains magical waters that will restore the youth of anyone who drinks from it. This legend has origins in many societies dating back to the ancient Greeks. The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park occupies fifteen acres along Hospital Creek. It shows visitors details of the first permanent Spanish settlement in America -- or, as the Spanish called it, "The ... read more

Today was my last day in Florida. I spent it soaking up Florida history before the long drive to Charleston. My first site was The Oldest House. It really is the oldest standing house in St. Augustine, but that isn’t the reason it has the name. It was one of St. Augustine’s first tourist attractions. The house was originally built in the 1750s, and it had two rooms. When the English took over, they added more rooms, but it was still one story. When the Americans took it over, they added a second story. In the Victorian era, owner Charles Carver added a round turret and a garage, and covered the interior with wood paneling. The house was one of the strangest looking buildings in town, and the Carvers started showing it to tourists. They called ... read more

(usual prelude - written on a Greyhound on 2 March going N from St Augustine to next stop Savannah, Georgia – at last leaving the warm clutches of Florida) On a general note, better to write on the bus – otherwise I would have been up all night doing this – when in fact the more urgent chore (and it is in fact time rather consuming in itself) is planning the next day or so accommodation and location as close to the Greyhound as possible (rather than telling youse about what I did today etc). In the case of Savannah it is right across the street so this is better than ever thought possible! And my new buddy Brandon, met waiting at the St Augustine Greyhound “stop” (only really a sign on the rather large multi-storey ... read more

We arrived in St. Augustine on January 9th, which was two days earlier than planned as we were kicked out of McKinley campground in Georgia due to the approaching blizzard. It made for a few mail hassles as our forwarded mail arrived late in both places that we listed and I have to thank Bob’s daughter April and my sister in law and friend Kelly for forwarding these packages onward. I will list our daytrips separately but this entry is for several of the sights around St. Augustine. This is the oldest city in the United States and has served no fewer than five different flags. It was established by the Spanish but was also lived in by the French and the British and the architecture reflects this. It is right by the Mantanzas River and ... read more