St Augustine

A few hours south of me is the city of St. Augustine.

"Saint Augustine Florida is the oldest European city in the United States. The area was first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but it was Juan Menendez de Aviles who established the first settlement, almost half a century before the first English settlers landed at Jamestown. St. Augustine grew to become the Spanish center of power in North America for almost 200 years.

Today, the heart of St. Augustine retains the distinctive plan of a 16th century Spanish Colonial walled town, much of which has been preserved or restored. The numerous remaining colonial buildings in the historic district present an impressive array of architecture from 1703 to 1898."

We went to two main place, one of them being Saint George Street. A quaint open air market, closed to motorized traffic, and the location of several historical attractions.

The attractions we chose to visit included "The Oldest School House"


Featuring the oldest schoolhouse in America, with the original wooden boards and animated figures inside that tell the history of the schoolhouse.

Another great place to see on Saint George Street is the "Colonial Spanish Quarter".

"As you stroll through this garrison town, leave today’s world behind and discover life in another time. Visit with the blacksmith, carpenter, or soldier’s wife as they go about their daily activities. Located at 29 St. George St., you'll see costumed historical interpreters tell the story of everyday life in 1740's St. Augustine when the city was a remote outpost of the Spanish Empire."

The girls got to enjoy talking to the soldiers wife and seeing how she cooked and listen to a little of how her day went. They also got to see a blacksmith shop, the chicken coop, and see an old style calligraphy demonstration.



Above is a bed from the soldiers house.

In addition to the sites I got to see Saint George Street is home to several other historical houses, craft vendors, and many many restaurants.