St. Augustine

We had three whole days to explore St. Augustine.

On our first day we were able to walk from our vacation rental to the Light House Museum.

 

It was free for us because a pass for the whole family was included in our vacation rental. We didn't climb the 200 + stairs to get to the top of the lighthouse - too hot for that.

The little boy loved the playground there.

 

After we left the lighthouse we took a walk to the nearby beach. We started on the pier before venturing out onto the sand (where he later cut his foot). All smiles here though.

We watched the mini sailboats and the small kids steering them (I'm not a sailor so my terminology could be all wrong here).

The next day offered a chance to take in some history. We started at the Fountain of Youth.

This is it folks: The Fountain of Youth. Not much more than a drip.

I loved the old trees in St. Augustine. This is one in the Fountain of Youth Park.

 

It was hot and steamy whenever the sun was out, but in the shade under a tree or when the sun went behind the clouds, it was pleasant. It was especially nice before the rain shower at Castillo de San Marcos.

Here is baby girl sporting the wind-blown look!

 

Touring this old fort was probably the hubby's favorite.

 

 We made the most of the overcast skies on our last day. It felt great outside. 

We started at the public beach where I noticed another difference in this ocean and the Gulf. Cliffs separated the sand from the water below. 

 It may look like the sand is connected to the water here, but it's not. I'm used to being able to walk right into the ocean. I had to slide down the sand to get to the water (I took a cue from the surfer's entering before me). Getting down was the easy part. I thought the hubby was going to pull my arm out of socket trying to help me back up.

And what's a trip to Florida without some putt-putt? Some of my favorite childhood memories of beach trips include playing putt-putt with my brothers.

 

We ended the day at The Alligator Farm. 

I mentioned in a post before we left that I was sure we would find something to do even though I didn't have anything planned. You can tell from these pics there was plenty to see and do. 

I'm just sorry I didn't get any pictures of the beauty of the buildings downtown. The history behind the European settling (some might say invasion) of this town is apparent in the old-world Spanish structures lining the main streets of St. Augustine.