Monday, September 21 (cont.) - Of course, what would a visit to St. Augustine be without stopping at the Fountain of Youth. We asked several friends about visiting this place, and we got mixed reviews. No one was wild about it, so we didn’t drink from the Fountain of Youth. Guess we will just have to deal with looking old.
While at that end of town, we visited the Old Jail and Old Town. We just walked around and took it all in. Marsha did contribute to the local economy.
We visited the Old Drugstore that is now a wax museum of all things. On the inside are lots and lots of items that were recovered from the original store. An interesting stop.
The Oldest Wooden School House is a preserved building which dates to early 1700's. The living area transformed into a classroom for the Minorcans.
On the grounds of Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum of oddities and curiosities, we visited David. I don’t think he knew we were coming. He wasn’t dressed for guests.
We walked through the City Gates built in 1739 guarding the north side of the city and onto the oldest street in the USA…Aviles. Its original name was Hospital Street because of the Spanish Military Hospital and other hospitals were located here through the centuries. This section of the walled colonial city has been continuously occupied since the 16th century. It represents the location of the 1565 settlement of St. Augustine.
Cannon ball marks can still be seen on the wall.
Castillo De San Marcos is a Spanish fort begun in 1672 and stood firm against English attacks and helped Spain to hold Florida for many years. During the America Revolution, it was British stronghold. Later it became a battery in the US coastal defense system. This fort guards the port of St. Augustine and sits on the Matanzas Bay.
These past two posts can only whet your whistle for a visit to St. Augustine. There is so much more that we saw and did. Put it on your bucket list. You will be happy you did!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon.