St. Augustine - FL

Founded in 1565, 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown, and 55 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, St.Augustine is indeed America’s oldest continuously populated European settlement. Don Juan Ponce de Leon’s initial claim of the mainland for Spain occurred in 1513, and by 1565, St.Augustine had been established as a thriving Spanish outpost in the New World. For the next three hundred years, the coveted harbor changed hands between the English and Spanish, finally becoming part of the territory of Florida in 1821. Following the Civil War, Henry Flagler, the co-founder of the Standard Oil Company arrived, bringing his railroad and grand ideas of promoting St.Augustine as a winter haven for the wealthy. He built the luxurious Ponce de Leon and Alcazar hotels as well as a number of churches and public buildings throughout town. He also promoted yachting in the area and by 1892, yacht racing had become a very popular sport amongst the wealthy, that included such names as Carnegie, JP Morgan, and Flagler himself, with his 181 foot yacht Alicia.

The old town is a maze of cobblestone streets lined with a rich assortment of historic buildings, many exhibiting the characteristic Spanish colonial revival style. The well-preserved Spanish fort, Castillo De San Marco, remains one of North America’s oldest stone structures and is a great place to connect with the area’s colonial past. St.Augustine also has fun ‘night-life’ with plenty of tasteful hangouts and a healthy concentration of creative cuisine. The waters surrounding St.Augustine include the St.Augustine inlet - the San Sebastian river, and the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) - which traverses the Tolomato and Matanzas Rivers. Marinas and boatyards are scattered along the Intracoastal north and south of the city center, with the main municipal marina located on the southern side of the Bridge of Lions. The ease of access from the Atlantic, the convenient assortment of suppliers in a concentrated area and the historic charm of the area, make St.Augustine a worthwhile stop while cruising the Florida Coast.