Explore St. Augustine
What to Do
Dining
St. Augustine has quietly become one of the South’s most exciting food towns — Southern Living even named it the region’s #1 Small Town for its dining scene. Start at St. Augustine Fish Camp for upscale coastal seafood in a waterfront setting with oldFlorida style, or grab a seat at Catch 27 for Southern-inspired plates like deviled eggs with fried oysters and crawfish-andouille salmon. Forgotten Tonic, tucked on historic Aviles Street, blends European charm with a serious cocktail program, while DJ’s Clam Shack serves up legendary lobster rolls on a breezy outdoor patio. For breakfast, locals swear by the Beachside Diner’s Bloody Mary menu and full Southern spreads. Whether it’s Minorcan-influenced chowder or Peruvian-style burgers, the city’s 450 years of layered culture show up on every plate.
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St. Augustine blends history with beach-town ease. Climb the Castillo de San Marcos, one of only two forts in the world built from coquina shell-stone, or wander the cobblestone streets of the historic district. Beach lovers head to Anastasia State Park or climb the spiral staircase at the St. Augustine Lighthouse for sweeping coastal views. Boat tours, pirate ship cruises, and kayak trips through the marshes round out an easy day outdoors.
Learn
History buffs can dig into St. Augustine’s Spanish colonial roots at the Colonial Quarter, where costumed interpreters demonstrate 16th- and 17th-century trades, or tour Flagler College, once the opulent Hotel Ponce de Leon. The Lightner Museum offers a deep dive into the Gilded Age. For something different, the city’s ghost tours and lighthouse maritime museum both double as informal history lessons.
Art
St. Augustine’s historic district is home to a growing gallery scene, with the Lightner Museum anchoring an eclectic collection of art and antiques inside a former Gilded Age resort. St. George Street and the surrounding Lincolnville neighborhood host working studios and small galleries, and the city’s Spanish and Minorcan heritage shows up in local craftwork and architecture throughout downtown.
Events
Winter transforms downtown with “Nights of Lights,” a dazzling holiday display that’s been named one of the best in the country. Throughout the year, the city hosts art walks, food tours, and reenactments tied to its colonial history — including events at Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in the U.S.
St. Augustine Writers
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings — The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Yearling called St. Augustine home for part of her life, and her nearby Cross Creek homestead is now a state park.
Zora Neale Hurston — Hurston worked in northeast Florida as part of the Florida Federal Writers’ Project during the Great Depression, gathering the oral histories and folklore that would shape her later work.
Stetson Kennedy — An activist and writer best known for infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan, Kennedy spent much of his life in the region and is remembered at his former home, Beluthahatchee.
Plan your escape
Get ready for your trip to St. Augustine at https://www.visitstaugustine.com/