A few days after Christmas I took a trip to St. Augustine. I hadn’t been there in a while and was going there to check out the city’s “Nights of Lights”. I live in Orlando so it’s a quick 1.5 hr drive to get there. I decided though, to take the scenic route and make it a day trip. I stopped at a couple beaches along the way. My first stop was at Flagler beach and The Flagler Pier. It was a little chilly by Florida standards but the beach is always fantastic at any time. I checked out the pier which was full of fisherman looking for their daily catch. The view from there was magnificent!
I highly recommend the drive on A1A up to St. Augustine because of the scenic view for most of the ride. The ocean shoreline is in constant view. My next stop was Marineland Beach for a quick stop and to put my toes in the ocean. Very chilly at this time of year like I said.
I stayed on Anastasia Island just mere minutes outside of the city and stopped for lunch at Beachcombers which also led me to my next beach, St. Augustine Beach. This beach had more sand dunes than the others.
After settling in to my hotel, I ventured into the city for the festival. I decided to Uber in and I was very glad I did. The city was surprisingly busy. After walking the perimeter of the city, I took a trolly tour to take in the entire “Night of Lights” celebration. Let me tell you, this is the way to go. We sang Christmas carols along the whole trip and in between our tour guide pointed out the historical buildings and facts.
The Night of Lights is the whole city draped in white lights. The city is a glow along all the historic buildings. restaurants, and hotels. The white lights on all the Spanish architecture are breath taking. Seeing the Plaza De La Constitución and the giant Christmas tree, the Bridge of Lions all lit up, and city hall all a glow, it was easy to be in the Christmas spirit.
The next morning, I drove into town and began my tour and checked out the history of the city. My 2 favorites were The Castillo de San Marcos and the Oldest Wood School House in the USA. Later I stopped into Ripley’s Believe or Not Museum. This is an interesting place full of bizarre facts and exhibits.
I finished my tour of St. Augustine with 2 stops. The Bridge of Lions and The St. Augustine Lighthouse. I recommend walking the bridge as the view from there is spectacular. I timed it close to sunset and the sparkling reflection along the water was fantastic. Keep a look out as I saw a bunch of dolphins jumping and making their way through the marina. Be sure to check out the giant lion heads on the opposite side from the city. They’re very cool and provide you with great photo ops. Speaking of photo ops, my next and final stop was my favorite. The St. Augustine Lighthouse. I timed this perfectly at sunset and the views and colors were impressive.
The next morning, I ventured home and took the same scenic way back with the same plan of stopping at a couple beaches. A nice hidden gem is the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park Beach. As I was only interested in the beach this time, I didn’t check the park out but you should definitely see the beach. It was very nice and scenic. My very last stop of my road trip was for lunch on the beach at The Beach Bucket. Located in the Ocean East Resort Club, The Beach Bucket affords you delicious food with a fantastic view of the ocean.
I enjoyed my road trip to St. Augustine and if you’re looking for a nice overnight trip I highly recommend you visit. If you would like check out my favorite photos from the trip click here. My lighthouse pictures are located here.
Mike Gingalewski's Blog 