When conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés became the first Spaniard to visit St. Augustine in 1565, there wasn’t nearly as much to see and do as there is today. You will enjoy exploring the oldest city in the continental United States. Here are highlights you should not miss.
This Carrara marble Medici lion is one of two guarding the entrance to the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, Florida. These carvings by F. Romanelli were a gift from local philanthropist Dr. Andrew Anderson. The bridge has been called “The Most Beautiful Bridge in Dixie.” It is even more beautiful after an $80 million restoration was finished. The male lion with his paw on an orb was patterned after the originals commissioned in 1576 for the Italian garden of Ferdinando I dé Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. The pair from the 16th century is now in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy.
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Spanish settlers first lived on this site dating back to the 1600s. Tomas González Hernandez built this Spanish Colonial home in the early 1700s when the area was still under Spanish rule. Over time it became known as the González-Alvarez House. The last owner, George Reddington, sold it to the St. Augustine Historical Society in 1918. This National Historic Landmark is now part of the Oldest House Museum Complex.
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Prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorers in 1513, there were more than 100,000 Timucua American Indians living in the area now known as northern Florida. Although many of the Spaniards were brutal to the native people, others established missions among the Timucan chiefdoms starting in 1565. In tribute to those early missionaries, this statue of a Franciscan monk with his arm around the shoulder of a young boy was erected in the Oldest House Garden.
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In 1887, Henry Flager, the co-founder of Standard Oil and railroad tycoon, built his second posh accommodation for rich northern snowbirds in St. Augustine called the Alcazar Hotel. This elegant Spanish Renaissance structure delighted its guests with the world’s largest swimming pool until it closed in 1932. Fourteen years later it was purchased by Otto C. Lightner, a newspaperman from Chicago, for his collection of Victorian art, furniture, costumes, musical instruments and glassware. He gifted it all to the city in 1948 when it became the Lightner Museum.
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Ponce de León Hotel was built for $2.5 million in 1887 for Henry Flagler, the co-founder of Standard Oil. This 10,000 square foot courtyard and garden were the entry for the massive 4.5 acre building. The property had 540 rooms with electricity installed by Thomas Edison. The hotel was supposed to be the centerpiece of Flagler’s vision to transform St. Augustine into a luxury resort city. His dream was never realized. But perhaps it came true for the female students at Flagler College. They now use this magnificent building as a dormitory.
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The Ponce de León lineage started in 13th century Spain and means “of lion.” So it seems appropriate that the 19th century hotel named in honor of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León would have two dramatic lion carvings guarding either side of its front gate. The most famous lions in St. Augustine, however, are the Medici Lions on the Bridge of Lions. That photo is also on this website.
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The inside of the Ponce de León Hall at Flager College is still as grand and glorious as it was when it opened as a luxury hotel in January of 1888. Muralist George Maynard painted this lobby rotunda which rises 86 feet. The images represent Adventure, Conquest, Civilization and Discovery. Louis Tiffany created 70 stained glass windows. And about forty works of art from Henry Morrison Flager’s collection still hangs on the walls. I wonder if the students at Flager College appreciate these masterpieces as they walk through the hall towards their dining hall?
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This stunning 150 foot tower is one of two that flank the Spanish Renaissance Revival building in downtown St. Augustine now known as the Ponce de León Hall. When it was a hotel in the late 19th century, each tower was a storage tank that contained 8,000 gallons of 86° water to provide their guests with hot running water. When the facility was occupied by the U.S. Coast Guard during WWII, some people believe these towers were used as a brig but experts disagree. The prison was on the fourth floor.
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Henry Flagler was a co-founder of Standard Oil, the “father” of Miami and Palm Beach plus a major benefactor for St. Augustine. In 1889, while building the Ponce de León Hotel (now Flagler College), his daughter Jennie Louise died during childbirth. The tragic event became the impetuous for creating the Memorial Presbyterian Church. The Venetian Renaissance design resembles St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. When Henry Flagler died in 1913, he was interred in a mausoleum beside his daughter and first wife.
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It is hard to believe this beautiful and ornate Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in less than a year in 1889. This feat was accomplished by two young architects who were working at a major New York City firm when Henry Flager entrusted them to design his Ponce de León Hotel. During that project, John Carrère and Thomas Hastings created their own firm. They went on to build several additional landmarks in St. Augustine, including the Grace Methodist Church, The Hotel Alcazar, and Henry Flager’s winter home called Kirkside. They also designed the New York Public Library and many other celebrated buildings in the U.S and around the world.
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As the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine is blessed with numerous museums and historic attractions so the Government House is often overlooked. This was the governor’s residence from 1710 until 1821. Today it is a history museum managed by the University of Florida. Their exhibit is appropriately called “First Colony: Our Spanish Origins” because it tells the story of the area’s earliest settlers in the 16th century until the 1800s. It is located in the Plaza de la Constitución in the center of town.
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The oldest church in Florida began in 1565 when Spanish soldiers built their first Roman Catholic Church. It and several other structures were burned or destroyed until this Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine was completed in 1797. It was constructed from coquina or crushed sea shells which proved resistant to future fires. The bell tower was fashioned in a Spanish mission style but on a grander scale. One of these four bells dates back further than any other in the United States. The church was extensively renovated in 1966.
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Augustine of Hippo, who is the patron saint of theologians and the namesake for this city in Florida, was born in 354 AD. His feast day is August 28, the anniversary of when he died in 430. This stained glass window inside Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine shows him sitting beside his mother. St. Monica is the patron saint of married women and mothers. This is just one of several beautiful pieces of art that adorn “America’s Oldest Parish.”
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When this Mediterranean Revival style building opened in 1928 as the First National Bank, it was St. Augustine’s first high-rise and a proud symbol of Florida’s roaring land boom during the 1920s. Over the years it became the Exchange Bank, The Atlantic Bank and Espinoza-Sanchez. In 2014 it was renovated and renamed the Treasury on the Plaza. It’s enormous and opulent Grande Ballroom is now a venue for wedding receptions and special events. The former 18-inch steel bank vault is used as a service bar.
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St. George Street provides a pedestrian only walkway through the Old City of St. Augustine. Here you will find shops, restaurants and attractions – many of which are nestled in historic buildings – designed to make the tourist feel right at home in the nation’s oldest city. A less hectic and quainter neighborhood is along the cobblestoned Aviles Street. But there is so much more to see within a few blocks in every direction. Don’t want to miss a thing? Then stop inside this building called Casa del Hidalgo where you will find the Visitor Information Center.
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The house of Rodriguez-Avero-Sanchez was built in 1762. It is one of several original or reproduced 18th century buildings you’ll find as you walk along St. George Street in the Old City of St. Augustine, Florida. The structure’s significance was recognized by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Inside you’ll find the Casa Rodriguez jewelry store.
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A short distance from the city gate in the historic district of St. Augustine you will find this humble school reported to have been built before 1716. This qualifies as the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the United States. Peeking out the second story window is a mannequin. The figure represents the wife of the schoolmaster who used to live here with his family. Notice the heavy chains. They were installed in 1937 to prevent the red cedar and bald cypress structure from blowing away.
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In 1565, Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed his ships during the feast day of St. Augustine. He named his new settlement San Agustín. Every February, this Florida city celebrates the founder’s birthday with a jubilant procession. Droves of people don elaborate and colorful 16th century costumes. The parade is spectacular, especially as the Renaissance Spaniards approach the Old City Gates. Later that evening, the Lighter Museum hosts a fundraising dinner called Noche de Gala. The expensive event requires either black-tie or formal colonial attire.
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During the annual Noche de Gala parade in February along St. George Street in St. Augustine, you will be delighted to see people dressed up in all kinds of vibrant 16th century Spanish costumes. The atmosphere and sounds are electric. Most exciting are the huge papier-mâché heads called cabezudos. Apparently, each one represents a historic Spanish person from literature. This event celebrates the birthday in 1519 of the city’s founder, Pedro Menéndez. The fabulous tradition dates back centuries.
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This fortress was in military service for over 250 years. When built by the Spaniards in 1696, they named it Castillo de San Marcos. The walls were constructed with coquina. This is a mix of seashells and limestone. Encircling the citadel was a moat with seawater from Matanzas Bay. The British called it Fort St. Mark during their occupation from 1763-1783. When the U.S. took control in 1821, the Army base became Fort Marion. It was finally deactivated in 1933. Castillo de San Marcos is now a National Monument managed by the National Park Service.
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Touring inside of the Castillo de San Marcos while learning about its fascinating history is exciting. One of the highlights is when volunteers dressed as Spanish soldiers demonstrate their musket and then fire a cannon. The view of Matanzas Bay from on top of the fort’s gun deck is also worth the price of admission.
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Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. He first sailed to the New World in 1493 during the second voyage of Christopher Columbus. Twenty years later, Ponce de León led three ships to find and explore the island of Bimini. When he arrived, he named it La Florida after the Spanish Festival of Flowers. Many historians believe his landing occurred at St. Augustine. Legend also suggests he was seeking the Fountain of Youth. This statue of the conquistador greets you at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. The likeness of Ponce de León is wearing an etched comb morion (helmet) and holding a single-headed battle axe.
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