FLORIDA: St. Augustine in 20 hours | Part 2

You can see Part One of our St. Augustine Trip here. Here we continue with a day full of visiting notable landmarks and historical areas. 

Castillo de San Marcos
On the morning of our second day we decided to visit the second most visited landmark in the area. It is known to be the oldest fort in the continental US and was also used in WWII for military purpose along the coast. Located within seeing distance from the Bridge of Lyons, the fort is a brisk walk from downtown St. Augustine along with many other tourist attractions. We were able to witness a recreation of a canon firing and explore the grounds.

Mission Nombre de Dios / Shrine of Lady of La Leche
Founded in 1565, the Mission is known to be the oldest in the US. As you can see we are running through quite a trend (wow this is an old building). Well that's what happens when you are in the oldest city in the country. The mission is also known to have one of the largest crosses at 204 feet high. The Shrine sits within a cemetery, and the outside is overgrown with ivy. It's a really beautiful and tranquil place.

Les Petits Pleasures
On our walk back from the mission we decided that we needed nourishment and came across an adorable french cafe. We decided to go for traditional crepes and sandwiches but were most excited for what came after. Since neither of us have ever tried macarons, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity. The crepes were certainly delicious and the macarons were even better.

Fountain of Youth
Holy tourist hole of epic proportions, Batman! So the Fountain of Youth, founded supposedly when Ponce De Leon landed here in 1513 is an archaeological park that contains the original freshwater spring as well as many other extremely outdated tourist attractions such as indian burial grounds and a planetarium. We mostly stuck to just walking around the area and of course tasting the room temperature water of the fountain. The grounds are quite beautiful, and there are some pretty social peacocks roaming about the property. It's a quick visit, if you opt out of the planetarium and other outdated areas.

Wolfs Museum of Mystery
So this is definitely one of those Weird USA destinations that needs to be seen and its right in the middle of downtown St. Augustine surrounded by bars and tourist traps. For $5 you get to walk into this house full of oddities, serial killer memorabilia and art. If you enjoy horror films, or just have a morbid curiosity, this is a great stop. Each room is themed, and will likely be updated since our visit.

Memorial Presbyterian Church
As we both love religious findings and architecture, we decided to check out this church that was built by Henry Morrison Flagler in 1889. It was also nice to get to shelter as the summer sun and heat of Florida can sometimes be quite unbearable. The structure is a worthwhile stop, especially if you like to photograph architecture.

Overall, I'd say our trip to St. Augustine was a successful one, although brief. There is a lot to see, but most of it can be accessed on foot, as the city is rather small. A great place for a weekend trip.

You can read our other entries about Florida here