It has taken me a bit to write this post, but I still want to share the fun we had in St. Augustine. We got tickets to the James Taylor concert there, so it was a perfect excuse to explore the city too. The drive is about 4 hours, so not close, but a pretty easy once you get through Orlando.
We arrived a couple hours before the concert, checked in and made our way across the Bridge of Lions to dinner and the St. Augustine Amphitheater. Luckily it was a beautiful night and not too hot once the sun went down. Seeing James Taylor live is a bucket list item for me and he played all the great songs (my favorite Sweet Baby James) and really still sounds so good for his age.
The next day, we did the tourist thing. We toured Castillo de San Marco (the fort), the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine and stopped for brunch while shopping on St. George Street. While raining in the afternoon we napped before dinner which was so relaxing. Dinner was really good and the outdoor courtyard seating was something we missed in Florida all summer, because it is just too hot until fall. After dinner, we went to a quirky martini bar (best cosmo my favorite) and then headed to a nighttime trolley ghost tour. It was cheesy and spooky, but fun.
We headed home the next morning and even made a stop in Disney Springs for some early Christmas shopping.
St. Augustine, the oldest city in America is filled with history and is very well preserved. I didn’t realize that ghost stories are such a big business there, but it makes sense considering the many deaths over the centuries from Spanish soldiers to pirates to prisoners at the notorious jail. We were very happy with the restaurants we picked, but barely scratched the surface of interesting spots. The vibe overall is less Florida and more New Orleans and Charleston, but since we live at the beach it was a fun new adventure.
Hotel - Doubletree Hilton Historic District
Tapas Dinner - Odd Birds
Brunch - PK’s Roosevelt Room
Dinner- Harry’s Seafood
Martini Bar - Tini Martini Bar
