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| Castillo de San Marcos, St. www.oldcity.com |
As much as I like the 'city life', it
can be exhausting. Between traffic, crowds and noisy neighbors, it's
not hard to see how being in the city can make you want to pull your
hair out. Sometimes you just want to go to a place that is smaller
and quiet, but where you can still have a good time. If you've just
gone through something stressful like planning your wedding, you'll
need to get away to preserve your sanity! My husband and I found such
a place-St. Augustine, Florida. I hadn't heard of it before, but it's
really just a great place to relax. If you want to go to a charming
town with lots of stuff to do, that's a good place to start.
If you ever visit St. Augustine, I
highly recommend staying near the bay. My husband booked the
honeymoon suite at a bed and breakfast called the Bayfront Marin House. Their 'honeymoon package' included a nighttime ride in a
horse-drawn carriage. Since Florida has mild winters, the fact that
our wedding was in January wasn't a problem! It was actually quite beautiful. There are all kinds of
great restaurants within walking distance-High-end Cuban, Irish pub, seafood, you name it. I think our favorite was a 'mom-and-pop' seafood restaurant across from our suite. Having grown up on the beach, I
have an appreciation for seafood that isn't from one of the 'big
chain' restaurants. The fact that it was on the end of a pier made it even better, because you had a beautiful view of the bay! I've never seen a Red Lobster with a view like this...have you? :)
St. Augustine is also a lot of fun for history buffs. Being an early Spanish
settlement, it's the oldest city in the United States. You can go on
narrated historical tours of the town if you'd like, but you can also
wander around on your own. The Spanish watchtower at Fort Matanzas and the Castillo de San Marcos (the government center of the empire) are
very well-preserved, so you can get a good idea about what life was
like in the early days of the city. The architecture is simply stunning, especially considering that it's over 400 years old! There is also the Lightner
Museum and the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, which are good
places to go if you have an affection for the truly unusual. I'd
suggest skipping the 'shrunken head' exhibit if you've just eaten,
but the stained-glass and crystal items are simply gorgeous! If wax
figures are your thing, there is also Potter's Wax Museum. The
figures of people are so life-like that you just want to go up and touch them. We have a friend who is a dead ringer for Earnest Hemmingway, so it was kind of creepy seeing that statue! :)
For people who just like to shop, St.
Augustine has a very nice historical district with all kinds of small
shops and eateries within walking distance. Like many waterfront
towns, there are the cute little shops that sell gaudy souvenirs, salt-water taffy and homemade
fudge. What was exceptional, though, was that some of them held
classes on how to pull your own taffy or make your own candies! If
you're into the paranormal, you can take one of the 'ghost tours'
through some of the haunted buildings and alleys. They aren't
'silly-scary' like the haunted houses at the county fair, but there
is definitely a fun 'creepiness' in the air!
If you want a great honeymoon
destination or just a fun place to relax, St. Augustine is a quiet
Florida town with plenty of variety. Unfortunately we were only able
to stay a few days, so we didn't get to do everything. If you want to
know more about the city or plan a vacation, visit www.oldcity.com.
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