SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA (FL), USA
Saint Augustine bed and breakfast stays in a richly historical town
St Augustine bed and breakfast guests rapidly become aware of the historic nature of this northern Florida town if they did not know about it prior to their visit. The most of what St Augustine B&B, lodge and inn residents know about the place when they arrive is that it is the county seat of St Johns County. They soon learn that it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the United States and the oldest port in the continental US. It is situated in a region of Florida called the First Coast. This refers to the shoreline extending from Amelia Island in the north, south to Jacksonville, St Augustine and Palm Coast. It does not have a great many residents but it has a rich past. St Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565. And here is another St Augustine first: the first Christian worship held in a permanent settlement in the United States (continental US) was a Catholic Mass celebrated in St Augustine.
St Augustine is a popular tourist attraction and that is why so many B&B, lodge and inn businesses have opened in the town in recent years. The town is renowned for its Spanish Revival style architectural heritage. It also has a wealth of 19th century architecture. It was as early as 1938 that the Marineland opened just south of St Augustine. It was one of the earliest theme parks to be opened in Florida, which has since become the US state most associated with theme parks. The city is also one terminus of the Old Spanish Trail. In the 1920’s this trail linked St Augustine way down in Florida to San Diego up north in California with 3000 miles of roadways. An interesting fact especially for Afro-American B&B visitors is that the St Augustine was also a pivotal site for the civil rights movements in the thirties and the sixties.
Among the attractions St Augustine bed and breakfast visitors should consider visiting are the Alligator Farm, Anastasia State park, the Bridge of Lions, Casa Monica Hotel, the Fort Matanzas National Monument, the Grace United Methodist Church, Old St Johns County Jail, the Castillo de San Marcos National Museum, the Spanish Military Hospital Museum, Zorayda Castle and the Cathedral of St Augustine. St Augustine bed and breakfast visitors who are less serious about history there is always the Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum.
