Day 89 - St. Augustine - Arrgh!!

It rained throughout the night but the morning was sunny.  Unfortunately that did not last and it was raining by the time we got to St. Augustine.  That was our planned next stop so we decided to drive there since we couldn’t go by boat.  St. Augustine is a charming town and the oldest town in the US, dating back to 1565. 

 

The rain got heavier so we started with an inside tour of the Oldest House, built in the early 1600’s.  It was added onto and redone several times over the next 400 years.  The historical society purchased it along with a few surrounding homes in the 1950’s.  There is a small outbuilding that houses a map exhibit.  Next door is the Tovar House, a smaller home that had a photography exhibit of pictures depicting life in Lincolnville, a black area of St. Augustine, in the 1920’s.

 

 

 

 

As we walked through the courtyard to see the map exhibit we saw 4 statues, representing the 4 seasons.  It turns out that these statues were part of the Columbian Exhibition held in Chicago in 1893 and brought to St. Augustine by one of the later owners of the house.  Below is a picture of Summer.

 

The rain had slowed considerably but had not yet stopped.  We chose the Pirate and Treasure Museum for our next stop.  It has authentic pirate treasure, documents and possessions.  One of two original Jolly Roger Flags (this one from 1850) is on display there, as well as a 400 year old treasure chest, Captain Kidd’s family bible, gold and silver bars, jewelry, and ship logs.  The museum is largely made up of pirate artifacts and treasure collected by Pat Croce, a entrepreneur, treasure hunter, author, former President of the Philadelphia 76ers and owner of the Rum Barrel Bar and Grill in Key West - see Day 47 - among other things.  A tour was starting as we arrived and we spent the next hour with a costumed “pirate” as he told stories, debunked myths, and told us things we never knew about pirate life.  For example, according to him, no one ever “walked the plank” on a real pirate ship.  This was purely a Hollywood invention.  After he ended the tour, we had to run out because our parking meter was expiring.  We planned to return later and more closely review the exhibits in the museum as our admission was good for the day.

 

On to the Fountain of Youth Park as the skies were clearing.  Ponce de Leon landed near St. Augustine in 1513.  In his search for fresh water for his crew, he found a spring which was named the Fountain of Youth in honor of his search for a mythical fountain that would make older people young again.  While there is no evidence that the spring has such powers, I made sure to drink from it – just in case!!  The park has other historical exhibits and displays, including a garden full of peacocks.

 

 

By now we were starving and went to Collage, the number 1 rated restaurant in St. Augustine, specializing in seafood and Mediterranean cuisine.  The food was excellent but Captain Randy is not likely to return as they did not have rum; only wine.  The Captain is a pirate at heart! 

Following dinner we stopped at the Castillo De San Marcus, the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S. It was started in 1672 by the Spanish to protect St. Augustine from the British colonies to the north.  We could not tour it because it was closed for the day.  We went back to the Pirate Museum to look at the exhibits more closely before driving back to Daytona Beach.  I highly recommend a few days at St. Augustine for a very interesting and entertaining time in a charming town.