After a pleasant night, we left our anchorage on our way to St. Augustine. The day was again a little cloudy and chilly. It wasn’t much of a challenge to get back on the ICW because we were barely off of it in our anchorage!

The ride was similar to the previous day. There were wide open areas and narrow stretches. Fancy houses and marshes. Lots of variety and things to look at.

Dolphins played along the way, and today we had one bridge we needed to open for us. The bridge opens on demand, so Owen called the operator on the radio. The man said he would open it as we got closer. And that’s exactly what he did.

We got to our marina in the afternoon and were a little leery about the slip to which we were assigned. It sure seemed like we wouldn’t be able to get in it. Paul was there to help us, and it took two tries but Paul said Owen was “masterful” in his docking. I agree with Paul. Paul also works for tips. But I don’t think he was exaggerating.

Our plan was to hunker down in St. Augustine for some time, as Daughter #3 was coming for a visit. We did some exploring on our own, some with D3, and some days were just me. St. Augustine is one of my favorite Loops stops.

What We Did:

We took the Old Town Trolley Tour ($35ish per person with none of the extras) to get an idea of places to go. It was nice to hear the history and lore of the town. Some of the guides were better than others. The most memorable one was Summer. We know this because every time the trolley started moving, she would welcome newbies aboard and say, “My name is (ding, ding) Summeeeeeerrrrrrrr!” Her stories were more entertaining and energetic than some of the others.

We got on the trolley at the first stop, the very touristy “Old Town.” We walked through the St. Augustine History Museum, which was included with our ticket. That only took a few minutes. We also went to the spice and tea store there at another time. I bought rice at the spice and tea store. The store sells TWO THINGS and I came out with a third one. It’s like getting seafood at a steak place.

We enjoyed the Visitors Information Center. This building contains a brief history of the town, which was helpful in our other exploring. There are clean restrooms, a gift shop, and $15 parking for the day.

There are a couple beautiful churches in town. We particularly admired the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, which has stunning details and a lovely garden. When the trolley stopped in front of the church, there were young children outside with teachers. The kids waved at the trolley and said good morning. They were adorable. I know I took pictures of this gorgeous building, but they disappeared. Huh.

Villa Zorayda was a surprising treat. It’s a home designed similarly to the Alhambra Castle in Granada, Spain. We arrived just 40 minutes before closing time, and the audio tour is about 45 minutes long. Timing made it a necessity to rush through, but we wish we had another 15-30 minutes to look around. The house is packed with history and items from around the world. We even saw a game table similar to the one Owen has from his time in the Middle East. And a mummified foot. That was a little disconcerting. Still, the tour was well worth the $12, and I wish we could have stayed longer. No pictures allowed here!

The Lightner Museum was a treat for myself when our daughter had left and Owen was working. I went right when they opened and soaked up my time there. Since our time in Marathon, I had read about Henry Flagler and his railroads. St. Augustine is about Henry Flagler and his hotels. The Lightner Museum is the former Alcazar Hotel. What a palace it must have been when it opened in 1888! The rooms of the hotel now serve as City Hall offices, but the Lightner Museum is where the fun stuff happened at the hotel years ago. The Russian bath is still intact, and the Turkish bath now houses antiquities. The stunning pool area now serves as a white tablecloth cafe. The museum itself contains a variety of collections, including glass, cut glass, and porcelain, furniture, and even a lion that once belonged to Winston Churchill. I spent about an hour and 45 minutes there but probably could have stayed longer.

We walked through the Plaza de la Constitucion and down Aviles Street, noted as the oldest street in the nation. It was first mapped out in the 1500s. We also walked up and down George Street, walking in and out of the shops and reading the historical markers. One gets a lot of reading done in old cities like this!

We walked through the national cemetery and Seminole Wars Memorial and around the Barracks that serve as the current home of the National Guard.

We walked past the marina we didn’t use, which is right in the middle of it all. River’s Edge was a little out of the way, but we were happy with our choice. There certainly was less traffic in our little corner of the world.

The Castillo de San Marcos was a big hit with all three of us. Owen and I walked around it the first day we were there. It was closed so we didn’t go in. We waited in line for 45 minutes to see it on a weekend day with our daughter. Rather than paying $15 per person, we bought a national parks pass for $80, which covers 4 people at many parks. So we’re prepaying for our time in the Chesapeake! We soaked up that fort and all it had to offer. Lots of history there.

The weather didn’t cooperate the days we wanted to go to the beach, but we did some shelling and strolling while we were there.

What We Ate:

We ate out more than usual during this time. We started at A1A Ale House, which we enjoyed so much. We waited a very long time to eat at Harry’s, which was excellent. Hurricane Patty’s is at the marina, and it was standard marina fare. The Grilled Cheese Gallery is as full of cheesy goodness as you would expect. Bai Tong Thai and Sushi hit the spot but took a long time. Castillo Ice Cream satisfied a craving. And we had some Lenten walleye and a touch of home at Culver’s. We ate okay burgers at One Two Three Burger House. We also had some pretty good pizza at Carmelo’s Marketplace. Brunch at Georgie’s was good but slow. No one went hungry in St. Augustine!

Side trip: Kennedy Space Center

We cheated. We rented a car. I needed to pick up our daughter from the airport and take her back, so we kept the car for the time she was here. She and Owen love space, and I can be a space cadet sometimes, so going to the Kennedy Space Center was a no-brainer.

I went when I was 5 and Owen and I went six or seven years ago, but our daughter had never been there. I think that was her favorite day of her trip. It’s such a treat to go. Last time we were there, Owen and I bought a special tour that took us to the shuttle building and launch sites, but that was not available this time.

We got to see the new rocket that was just rolled out to the launch pad the day before we arrived. This is the rocket that will send people back to the moon. The highlight for me was the Atlantis exhibit, which I loved, loved, loved. It continues to blow my mind that a people that needs to be told not to eat Tide Pods was able to launch multiple humans from earth to the moon and bring them home safely. It makes me want to be an astronaut. I think my time has passed, but I admire the people involved in that work!

The Airport

Our daughter flew into Sanford in Orlando (SFB), which was about an hour and 40 minute drive from the marina. It’s an itty bitty airport with easy in and out. It looks like it houses Spirit Airlines (never again!) and a couple Canadian airlines. It’s easy to get into and out of, and it would be impossible to get lost in it.

Buccee’s

Also, this was my first time seeing a Buccee’s outside of Texas. The store was backwards from all other Buccee’s I’ve been to, but everything else was the same. It was still jarring, and I don’t know how I feel about it. This was the first Buccee’s I’ve seen with a swimsuit section. I did not buy the Buccee’s one-piece or any other swimsuit. I did buy beaver nuggets. They are gone already.

Conclusion

We could have stayed another few days in St. Augustine and not been bored. It’s disappointing that the weather didn’t cooperate so that we could have spent another couple days exploring. There are some places we stop where we feel like we got a good taste of the town and we are ready to move on. St. Augustine is a city that deserves a return trip.