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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

National Geographic Names St. Augustine to World's Top 20 Places to See


National Geographic Traveler recognized St. Augustine in its annual list of the World's 20 Must See Places. St. Augustine was one of only three locations in the United States to be singled out and many local businesses earned recommendations as part of the article.

Congrats to St. Francis Inn, House of Sea & Sun, Old Town Trolley, St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, The FLoridian Restaurant, Flagler College and Lightner Museum.


Picture of the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument at dusk, Saint Augustine, Florida


St. Augustine

Photograph by Russell Kord, Aurora
Florida’s fountain of youth
History books taught us that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León “discovered”Florida 500 years ago in 1513 while seeking the fabled fountain of youth. But before the peninsula was claimed by de León, it was home for more than 12,000 years to Paleo-Indians who built civilizations around its water-filled sinkholes and left behind archaeologically rich middens (giant piles of oyster shells) as proof of their bayside existence.
Today, finding a genuine slice of “Old Florida” can be a scavenger hunt. The breezy Spanish colonial city of St. Augustine is an exception to the rule. A pair of marble lions greets visitors crossing the regal Bridge of Lions into the walled city. Looming over it is Castillo de San Marcos, a 17th-century fort surrounded by a moat and occupied at various times by Spanish, British, Confederate, and U.S. soldiers. The fort’s warren of chambers echoes with the stories of pirates, three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Spanish-American War deserters, and even Seminole Chief Osceola, who was incarcerated here in 1837 for leading the native resistance against the U.S.
Along King Street sit historic Flagler College and the Lightner, an antiquities museum housed in an 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival masterpiece. It was commissioned by oil tycoon Henry Flagler, who is credited with salvaging the city and planting Florida’s tourism seeds. St. George Street, St. Augustine’s main drag, may have become overly touristy and crowded with T-shirt emporiums and fudge shops, but the side streets still harbor scrubby garden courtyards and off-the-radar bars, such as the 130-year-old Mill Top Tavern, where you can imagine what Old Florida was like before it became the Sunshine State. —Adam H. Graham
Travel Tips
When to Go: Spring (March-early June) and fall (late September-November) average temperatures are a comfortable 70-85ºF. Keep in mind that Atlantic hurricane season is June-November.
Where to Stay: Stroll from the intimate St. Francis Inn bed-and-breakfast in Saint Augustine's brick-paved historic district to nearby restaurants, shops, galleries, and museums. Or watch the sun rise over the Atlantic from the oceanfront House of Sea and Sun, a comfortably elegant 1920s Flagler heiress’ home turned bed-and-breakfast on St. Augustine Beach.
How to Get Around: The Old Town Trolley narrated tour route encompasses 22 hop-on and hop-off sightseeing stops, plus a free shuttle to St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum. Purchase three-day passes online ($21.32 adults, $9.27 ages 6-12).
Where to Eat or DrinkThe Floridian puts a local, somewhat lighter twist on traditional Southern fare. Farm-to-table favorites include blackened fresh fish atop a stuffed cornbread stack and chicken 'n' waffles topped with pickled peaches. What to
What to Read Before You GoLaboring in the Fields of the Lord: Spanish Missions and Southeastern Indians, by Milanich Jerald (1999), details the little known history of the Apalachee, Guale, and Timucua Indians who built Spanish Florida’s missions, including St. Augustine’s imposing stone Castillo de San Marcos.
Fun Fact: St. Augustine’s Fort Mose Historical Park is the site of North America’s first free black settlement. Escaped slaves from the British-controlled Carolinas found sanctuary here in the 1700s and left for Cuba with the Spanish in 1763.

See more of the World's 20 Must See Places here.
(Article from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-2013/#/castillo-de-san-marcos-saint-augustine_61095_600x450.jpg)

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