Sightseeing in St. Augustine

Date            April 5-7, 2012                            
Day             282-284
Departure   No Travel

Arrival        Still at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor, St. Augustine, FL                   

Miles                0.0

Cumulative   4394.5

 On Thursday, Friday and Saturday (the 5th - 7th) we took in some of the sights in St. Augustine

The Bridge of Lions - St. Augustine, FL

The lions that guard the "Bridge of Lions"

St. Augustine

 The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States.  Construction was begun in 1672 by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish territory. During the twenty year period of British possession from 1763 until 1784, the fort was renamed Fort St. Mark, and after Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 the fort was again renamed Fort Marion, in honor of revolutionary war hero Francis Marion. In 1942 the original name, Castillo de San Marcos, was restored by Congress. The site was never taken by force despite multiple periods of attack.

Live oaks and Spanish moss create a canopy over Magnolia Street

We attended a wine tasting at the San Sebastian winery

Why the big smile, Bob?

Beautiful flowers outside the winery

Flagler College resides in the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, a luxury resort built by Henry Flagler in 1888.  The hotel was only open January through March and guests had to pay for the full three months, even if only staying one night, one month or the full three months!  One of the suites could be rented for $100 per day!!

The lobby

The dome above the lobby

The St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874 and automated in 1955.  The tower is 165 feet and has a 30 second flashing lamp that can be seen for 24 miles.