When on vacation at the luxury Eiko’s Beach House in Treasure Island, Florida it’s easy to want to make the entire visit a “staycation”.

Why not?

Many of our guests do just this as they’ve found their personal paradise and see no reason to leave.

However, if you and your family are looking for a non- theme park, “vacation from the vacation”, and want a place which is both fun and a little low key, then we suggest you consider St. Augustine, Florida, about a 4 hour drive from the Eiko’s Beach House.

The Oldest City in America

Why St. Augustine I hear you asking?

This city was founded by the Spanish Explorer Pedro Menendez in 1565. The town hosts one of America’s few castles, Castillo de San Marcos which protected St. Augustine from the French, English and yes, pirates during the turbulent formative years of the late 16^th century.  

There are any number of events , places and tours to consider. So it’s important to prioritize what you want to do.

Any trip to St. Augustine requires a visit to Castillo de San Marcos. This cool castle looks like it was plucked from the Disney ride, Pirates of the Caribbean. You can almost imagine pirates or English warships pounding the fort with hot iron cannon balls. 

However, what they failed to understand is rather than breaking down during the siege, the fort actually absorbed the cannon balls as the material used to build the fort was a mixture of local shells and sand that made up the cement like material called coquina. 

Finally,  the would be conquerors left St. Augustine with their tails between their legs, as they could never force the inhabitants of the Castle de San Marcos to surrender. 

Inside the fortress you can visit the living quarters of the former soldiers and think about what it was like living and working in Florida, in uniform, with no air conditioning! 

For children and the young at heart, canon firing takes place at the fort on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Please check the times of this event. The cost for adults is $15 and for children under 15 it’s free.

Believe it or Not!

Next no trip to St. Augustine can be contemplated without a visit to Ripleys Believe It Or Not. 

This is a short walk from the castle and is in fact located in another,  more modern Castle Warden. 

This “odditorium” boast one of the most unusual collections in the world, mostly acquired by Robert Ripley in the early 1900’s to the late 1940’s. The self- guided tour is fascinating for both adults and children. 

Exhibits from Ripley’s trips around the world include odd animal skeletons, artefacts from  aboriginal tribes and even, allegedly, a human shrunken head. 

For hard core believe it or not fans, you can stay around after hours and go on the infamous ghost tour!

This tour leaves in the evening by tram and visits three haunted locations which includes Ripley’s Castle Warden the scene of a double homicide in the early 1940’s. 

These tours while technically “ghost hunting” are really set up as entertainment and are good fun, mostly funny, somewhat historic but rarely spooky except walking around the Ripley exhibits at night! 

Admission to the Ripley Museum is $15 for adults and $9.99 for children. The ghost tour is $27 for adults and $14 for children.

The Fountain of Youth

Finally no trip to St Augustine is complete without a visit to the original Fountain of Youth.

Believed to be discovered by Ponce de Leon who was searching for this elusive water,  the area around The Fountain of Youth was a Native American village and the first Spanish settlement in St. Augustine. 

Entering the site you can see archaeological sites and findings, exhibits regarding the original native inhabitants and sample water from the fountain which taste like “sulphur water” but anything tasting this bad has to be good for you! 

The admission to this exhibit is $18 for adults and $10 for children. This site is located just past the Ripley Museum so it’s possible to start at the Castillo then onward to Ripley’s and finish off at the Fountain of Youth in one long day.

St. Augustine Life

What else can you do? Well on George Street there are a number of restaurants, bars and ice cream/candy shops. Our favourite is Colombia the Cuban Restaurant with the flagship restaurant in Ybor City, Tampa. 

There are other museums as well including Flagler University which has a beautiful Tiffany Glass dining room and the Lighter Museum which is a more upscale version of Ripley’s. 

Finally , while you have a choice of hotels and motels in the area, we suggest you consider the Casa Monica an old Florida hotel which was built in the golden age of St. Augustine in the 1880’s-1890’s. 

However if you are looking to deep dive into this historic city, try staying at one of the city’s old bed and breakfasts. One we stayed in is  the St. Francis Inn situated in the old city center. Suggest you ask for a room at the main house or you could be relocated to another site which somehow lacks the charm of the original structure.

While driving back to your luxury Eiko’s Beach House you may want to go via St. Augustine Beach for lunch or dinner. We strongly urge you to try O’Steens! The seafood is fresh and everything home cooked. No credit cards and no reservations. 

Get there early and wait….it’s worth it!

Back to Eiko’s Beach House

Upon returning to Eiko’s Beach House it if fun to reminisce and look at how different life is now compared to our forefathers. As you sip your cold Chablis and watch the children swim in your own pool and plan your journey to the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow, salute Pedro Menendez and Ponce de Leon not so much for finding the Fountain of Youth but for finding your own personal paradise, here at Eiko’s Beach House in Treasure Island, Florida.