Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am off to St. Augustine for the day with family as you read this, so I thought I would reflect on my first trip to St. Augustine to celebrate the occasion.
While the standard Florida kid went to St. Augustine in fourth grade, I passed on it because money was tight. But it worked out for the better, because I got to take my boyfriend on a surprise date around the city, so keep reading for the highlights of our little getaway.
Night of Lights
From November until January, St. Augustine has hosted the Night of Lights for nearly 30 years now. Since National Geographic named it one of the top 10 light displays in the world, it has been on my bucket list of things to do while I live in Florida. I think it’s better that I was able to book and design this trip as an adult, because I feel like I was able to enjoy the lights in the best ways possible.
The first way was booking a boat tour so that I could see the lights from the water. It was romantic and intimate, with just me, my boyfriend, and the captain of the boat giving us history on the town as a local resident. Better yet, we didn’t have to fight our way through crowds of drunk people and could just spend time enjoying the view.
The second way was running through the town to complete a scavenger hunt. I love games, and it was a great bonding experience with my boyfriend. We took pictures at each part of the scavenger hunt, and were able to have our own highlight reel of what the city is. We saw amazing light displays and creepy corners that spooked me all in one night.
Peacocking in the Fountain of Youth
Supposedly, drinking from the Fountain of Youth is supposed to restore the youth of the drinker, but I probably made the most unattractive face after drinking that water. The only thing I’ll say is that you can really taste the minerals, and I probably wouldn’t drink from it again.
Beyond seeing and drinking from the fountain of youth, the ticket of admission allows you onto the grounds of America’s very first colony. As a couple who love history and learning, we very much enjoyed our time here. But if you also love animals, I would say that you might be excited to see the peacocks roaming the area.
Lightner Museum
How can you visit one of the oldest one of the oldest cities in America and not visit a museum? I know I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, and my handsome, history-loving boyfriend couldn’t pass up the opportunity either. We went to the Lightner Museum, which used to be a hotel before it got converted into this museum.
The architecture was still so beautiful that the museum was closing early for an wedding at the time, and I love looking at unique architecture. The museum is full of pieces of history from the American Gilded Age, and had interesting trinkets from dishes to dolls.
What is a city that you want to visit in your home state but haven’t made it to yet? Would you drink from the Fountain of Youth? Do you have a fun history fact for me? Tell me in the comments below! I would leave to hear it all.
As always, thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed it, please take the time to like, comment, and share the post with your friends. And if you want to make my day, please please please subscribe so that you can get updates when I put out more posts like this.
Love Always,
Kristi My
Kristi My Dao 