St. Augustine offers great romantic possibilities!

Molly and I would like to welcome you to beautiful St. Augustine, Florida. Like you, we enjoy traveling to other cities. Of course, our first thoughts are "where are the really scenic places to visit and what are the nicest restaurants?" These are questions only a local can answer. Our mission is to do just that.

If, after reading this, you still have questions, do not hesitate to email me at news@oldcity.com. Please put "St. Augustine Question" in your subject line. I will be glad to share whatever I can to make your trip enjoyable. While we would like to think many of you will continue to buy our book, "The Most Romantic Places and Things to Do in St. Augustine," we certainly don't want to deny you some good tips right here, right now.

It's been our pleasure to publish the St. Johns County Chronicle for ten years and it's always our pleasure to assist you, the visitor to our city, in any way we can to make your trip fun and memorable.

Overview of our geography

The best way to visualize the lay of the land in St. Augustine is to picture your body (as if you were standing up with your arms outstretched). Your chest is the downtown St. Augustine area, your left hand is Vilano Beach, your right arm is Davis Shores / Anastasia Island, and your right hand is St. Augustine Beach. Your little finger on your right hand is Crescent Beach. Your left shoulder is Uptown St. Augustine (just north of the downtown area). If visualizations are a bit difficult for you, visit this link at Google Maps

St. Augustine sits on Matanzas Bay. Beyond the bay and Anastasia Island is the Atlantic Ocean. The sun rises over the ocean and the bay. Email me if you have any more geography questions!

Nice Strolls

My top pick is walking on Vilano Beach. Here's the secret of Vilano Beach ----> Locals don't tell the visitors about Vilano because it's (((((HUGS! Our Beach! HUGS!))))) and we like to keep it to ourselves! So please don't tell anyone (shhhhhhhh). St. Augustine Beach is beautiful, no doubt, but it's usually packed with visitors during the beach-bathing months. That said, both beaches are great early in the morning (and uncluttered). They are both spectacular on a stormy evening. Vilano Beach is generally quiet throughout the day. If you drive to the old Vilano Pier (you'll see the pier off to your right as you cross the Vilano Bridge toward Vilano Beach) you'll be at a great place for sipping coffee while you enjoy a spectacular view of downtown St. Augustine. You'll also see fishing boats and fishermen. Very relaxing indeed! This Vilano website link is a commercial site and does not represent all the amenities of Vilano, but the pictures will give you some flavor.

Another excellent stroll is along our beautiful bayfront. We have a seawall along the bayfront with benches. You'll see shrimp boats coming and going and see our community of water residents and their sailboats. This is a very good morning and evening stroll. If you walk north along the sea wall you'll see our fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, about two blocks up the sidewalk. If you walk south along the sea wall from the Bridge of Lions you'll pass our City Yacht Pier and National Guard complex. Just past the Guard complex is a military cemetery dating back to the Indian, Civil, and World Wars. I use to take my children to that cemetery and they always loved to run around and enjoy the afternoon sun!

The area we call the Mission Park is also great for a quiet walk. This is the site of the Great Cross, erected in 1965, just north of downtown about six blocks from the Castillo at the Mission Nombre di Dios. I have very fond memories of taking my two sons to the Mission Park when they were young. One time a duck chased my son Daniel, giving the little guy quite a scare. Most days were uneventful though and they loved to feed popcorn to the pigeons and seagulls. There's a very old cemetery there which dates back to the early 1800s, a lovely old chapel, and a small bay we refer to as "Holy Bay" which houses several houseboat residents. I will always love the Mission Park. I was astonished when 19-year-old Daniel recently said, "Hey Dad, we should go to the Mission Park again." Speaking of houseboats, another romantic idea is to rent a houseboat and cruise the beautiful St. Johns River!

South St. George Street is a charming stroll down a beautiful residential area of our downtown. St. George Street's north end is our more commercial "Historic St. George Street" which is also good for morning strolls and window shopping. St. George Street runs into our Downtown Plaza. On the southside, you'll come to a quaint little park a couple of streets down. The street ends up on Maria Sanchez Lake. If you stand at the south end of the lake (it's more like a big pond), there is an excellent photo op of the lake, trees, and the spires of Flagler College. At the end of St. George, go one block east (turn left) to Charlotte Street and proceed north toward the Plaza. You'll enjoy this walk and get a feel for some beautiful homes in the area.

One of our most beautiful areas is Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, located south of St. Augustine past Marineland (a fifteen- or twenty-minute drive from downtown St. Augustine on A1A South). I love this park for its beautiful flowers and trees, walking paths, and tranquility. Bring your camera and don't rush. Walk, relax, and enjoy a true gem.

There are many more spots around St. Augustine but these represent areas that I direct friends to when they visit.

Great Dining

Let's start with the restaurant locals know to be one of the very best -- Gypsy Cab, located on Anastasia Island, three minutes across the Bridge of Lions on the left, just before the Lighthouse area. Gypsy not only offers very good entrees for lunch and dinner, it has a comfortable, laid-back ambiance to boot. We all know and love Gypsy Cab.

If you're celebrating a special occasion or just having a romantic evening, my recommendations are the Raintree Restaurant, Le Pavillon, and 95 Cordova. These are all excellent restaurants and always rank at the top in opinion polls. Raintree and Le Pav are more than twenty years old and are still operated by the same families. 95 is the newest and is located in the upmarket Casa Monica Hotel. Raintree and Le Pav are in Uptown (two minutes north of the downtown area), and 95 is just west of the Downtown Plaza at King and Cordova Street, across from Flagler College.

Casa Monica also has a wonderful outdoor cafe that wraps around two sides of the building. A very nice and scenic spot for morning coffee and a Danish. Molly and I had many morning coffees at 7:15. At that hour it's very peaceful and relaxing. It's self-serve and is great for people watching!

The most scenic dining goes to Fiddler's Green and Caps at Vilano Beach. Fiddler’s takes top honors because it sits right on the ocean with fabulous views. It's been owned by the same family for more than 20 years. Caps sits on the Intracoastal and comes complete with outdoor decks and good river views.

Another scenic restaurant is The Conch House at the Conch House Marina and Resort on Anastasia Island, just before Gypsy Cab. This is where you take friends to impress them with a real-life Florida fantasy. The restaurant is at water's edge at Salt Run Inlet. Their lounge, which sits out over the water, is very popular with the night crowd and features solo artists. Locals will take friends to this restaurant for the tropical ambiance more than anything else.

At last count we had over 300 restaurants so you'll never be at a loss for somewhere to dine. We have the standard chain restaurants, mostly in the south US1 area. My only regret is that we don't have an Olive Garden. To dine there you have to go to Jacksonville or Ormond Beach.

Scenic Lodging

I always recommend that friends stay at one of three on-the-bayfront motor inns: Bayfront Inn, Anchorage Inn, or the Edgewater Inn. All three are located on the downtown bayfront and are within walking distance of good dining, attractions, shopping, St. George Street, and the Castillo de San Marcos. If their location isn't "sweet" enough, they are all owned by a well-established St. Augustine family, who just happen to own the internationally known Whetstone Chocolates in St. Augustine.

Attractions of Interest

My "short list" is very simple, the Castillo de San Marcos (the Fort), The St. Augustine Alligator Farm, and Marineland of Florida. These are excellent (and educational) attractions that the entire family will enjoy. If you have time, you may want to visit Potter's Wax Museum. Another fine pick is the Lightner Museum, across from Flagler College, and Flagler College itself. Both structures date back to the Henry Flagler era and are beautiful.

You MUST check out Google Earth

If you haven’t already downloaded the free version of Google Earth, my advise is to do so today. This new release from Google will blow your mind. It is a 3-D satellite imaging program that virtually allows you to “fly” over any spot on earth, including through valleys, along seashores, etc. It’s a great way to check out St. Augustine. Molly and I love the Smokey Mountains. Google Earth lets you zoom in on a mountain range, a trail, or follow a highway. Option buttons include showing restaurants, roads, water, railroads, schools, cemeteries, churches, and on and on! Give it a try. Click here to put you at Google’s download site. Enjoy!

A Last Word

I hope this will be of help to you when you visit our city. As I said earlier, if you have specific questions, don't hesitate to email me at news@oldcity.com. Last week a man emailed me saying they were going to buy a home in St. Augustine South and asked what I thought about that residential area. I told him and he was very appreciative! So don't hesitate, we always enjoy your emails.

Thank you for visiting our nation's Oldest City!

Jim and Molly Melfi