Once a year we set out to explore someplace new for our annual family vacation. This year, we picked St. Augustine, Florida. We’ve never vacationed in Florida before, and we were looking for something that would have a decent mix of historical and tourist activites to entertain us, while not breaking the budget.
For our week in Florida, we rented a nice little apartment in downtown St. Augustine, which was apparently a smart move because parking in the downtown area can be difficult. After the long drive down, we lucked out with dinner, picking up some great barbecue at Smokin’ D’s, a little hole-in-the-wall place just on the way to the flat.
Saturday dawned bright and cheerful. We decided to walk around downtown and stumbled upon St. Austustine’s early St. Patricks Day parade.
Irish Storm Troopers?
Did Darth Vader Remember to Wear Green Today?
Ready for a Fight, or a Beer
Yo Ho Ho, it’s green necklaces for everyone!
Yes, there was something strange in this neighborhood
Eventually, the parade wound down, and we continued to explore downtown St. Augustine, stopping at Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille for lunch - po'boy shrimp sandwich for Wayne, Caesar salad for me, shrimp tacos for Colby, and a boring corn dog for Denali.
Next, we visited the Castillo de San Marcos, the distinctive Spanish fortification that is one of the highlights of the town’s historic attractions.
The defensive walls of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine
Entering the Castillo
Living quarters for soldiers
Inside courtyard of the Castillo
Take Aim!
Soldiers preparing to fire the cannon
Hope they aren’t aiming at that tall ship!
Outside the fortifications
If you look closely, you can see a lot of bullet holes in the wall (the sturdy walls are made from coquina, a porous stone made from shells that is remarkably resilient) - the holes are probably the remnants of firing squads. Yikes!
Sentries on lookout!
Cannon decoration
The Bridge of Lions opens to let something large pass through - bascule bridge or drawbridge
Denali in the Castillo, with her green St. Patrick’s Day beads
Colby sitting outside the Castillo
Colby, Christy, and Denali at the Castillo
Wayne at the Castillo
After a lot of walking and sightseeing, we headed back to our apartment and picked up sandwich fixings from the local Winn-Dixie grocery store for our dinner. That was enough for one day!