A Multicultural Tour of Florida’s Historic Coast

Many cultures have influenced the skyline, food, and lifestyle of St. Augustine for nearly 460 years. From tours and storytellers to attractions and restaurants these cultures can still be experienced. Cultural influences include the Spanish, Minorcan, Greek, Irish (Celtic), British, and Native Americans.

Day One

Start with the Old Town Trolley tour to get acquainted with the History and layout of St. Augustine, the Nation’s Oldest City. Tickets provide a full day of on-and-off privileges at more than twenty stops around the city.

Visit the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center to learn about the important Black history of St. Augustine and the surrounding area.

Explore culture on St. George Street. Stop by the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine which is dedicated to the memory of the Greek and Minorcan survivors of the 1768 Turnbull New Smyrna Colony. The survivors had found solace in the Avero House which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Enjoy lunch at The Bull & Crown Publick House, a British-style pub located on the original site of a skilled Minorcan carpenter, Francisco Pellicer, or at the Spanish Bakery & Café that is located in the Salcedo House where empanadas, Picadillo, and more are on the menu.

Journey back in time at The Colonial Quarter on The Colonial Experience tour that demonstrates how the many cultures in St. Augustine lived and worked to protect the city from attack.

End your day enjoying Irish fare overlooking Matanzas Bay at Meehan’s Irish Pub & Seafood House.

Sunrise from the Castillo de San Marcos masonry fort in St. Augustine, FL.

PicturedCastillo de San Marcos National Monument

Day Two

Visit the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, built between 1672 and 1695 to protect the city of St. Augustine from pirates and privateers. Free and enslaved blacks and native Americans worked with the Spaniards to build this mighty fortress that changed hands and many times throughout its history. Spanish, British, and American. Several different and widely varying Indian cultures have left their mark on Castillo’s history: some indigenous, some displaced, and some forcibly moved to the area. Each has a unique and fascinating story to tell.

Tour Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. In 1738, the Spanish governor of Florida chartered the settlement of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, as a settlement for those fleeing slavery from the English colonies in the Carolinas.

Visit the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park to explore to the park’s Discovery Globe, Planetarium, Timucua Indian Village, Native Christian Burial Ground Exhibit, and more. Ponce de Leon arrived from Spain in 1513, but the area’s history began long before that. Archaeological discoveries, including hut foundations and relics, point to Timucua habitation on the site for about 3,000 years. The Timucuans thrived in the abundant surroundings, hunting with bows and arrows, cultivating corn and pumpkins, and fishing from land and canoes. After Pedro Menendez arrival in 1565, Spaniards and natives lived among each other.

Enjoy dinner at the Columbia Restaurant, a Florida tradition that serves award-winning Spanish/Cuban cuisine has been operated by the Gonzmart family since 1905!

Surfboards in the St. Augustine Surf Culture & History Museum

PicturedSt. Augustine Surf Culture & History Museum

Day Three

Enjoy coffee from a local roastery at The Kookaburra, located a short walk from the Plaza de la Constitucion. Take a walk along Aviles Street to explore the Spanish Military Hospital Museum, the Ximinez-Fatio House, and the Father Miguel O’Reilly House Museum.

Explore the historic gardens of the Oldest House Museum. Take in some local surf culture at the Surf Culture & History Museum.

End your afternoon with a food tour to taste the flavors of the cultural influences on the area’s cuisine. Learn about the Datil pepper, the abundance of fresh seafood, fresh farmed goodness throughout the year – and CHOCOLATE!