Alternate title: If these walls could talk.
By the time I made it to St. Augustine after exploring Lake Apopka Wildlife Refuge and Blue Spring State Park, I’d only have time for dinner and a night exploring the historic downtown area. As it would turn out, this was not nearly enough time, but I did get a feel of the town nonetheless.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, the historic fort dating back to the 17th century, anchors the town and is really impressive — at least from the outside! This is something I wish I had time to check out during the day when they’re open for tours. Nevertheless, it’s possible to walk around the grounds on the exterior and get a feel for the size and scope of it.
Being a Saturday night, there was plenty of live music next door in the historic district (shoutout to the Saint Augustine live music finder app) and I stopped at a number of places to catch some acts. These stops included Ann O’Malley’s, Prohibition Kitchen, The No Name Bar, Meehan’s Irish Pub, Pierre’s Pub and Tradewinds.
It was a whirlwind of a tour and one I felt under-qualified to even attempt to document. Distracted by exploring, I hardly took any photos. There are so many details, so many little paths and alleys leading to shops, bars and restaurants, that it feels a bit like a maze. This is mostly a good thing though a daunting to task for a single night. Another full day and night here would have really been perfect and I hope to get another shot at St. Augustine in the future!
