One of the best ways to see St. Augustine? On the water! Zach McKenna founded St. Augustine Eco Tours so that he could take visitors onto the water and introduce them to Northern Florida’s unique ecosystem. While they offer tours by boat and kayak, I’ve opted for the sailing option. Together we set sail on a 27’ foot Stiletto catamaran to Julia’s Island as McKenna points out all the different animals that call this area home. 

When it comes to notable landmarks in St. Augustine, Castillo de San Marcos is a must-see. Located along Matanzas Bay, it’s the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States and was built between 1672 and 1695 when Florida was under Spanish rule. I chatted with park ranger Jill Leverett about the fort’s nearly four centuries of history. One interesting story was learning how 1,500 soldiers and civilians were able to live within the castle’s walls for 51 days back in 1702. 

When it comes to the most beautiful colleges in the world, I like to think Flagler College can compete with some of the oldest campuses around. Why? Well, because it originally started out as the opulent Ponce de León Hotel. In the late 1800s, Henry Flagler, a Gilded Age industrialist and entrepreneur set his sights on Florida after falling in love with its sunny climate. His goal was to make it the new vacation destination. (Spoiler: he was successful!) The best way to start? Building one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. He built Ponce de León Hotel in a Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style and hired some of the most famous names to construct the interiors. Any guesses who those men were?

With Llama Restaurant, Chef Marcel Vizcarra seeks to bring his home country of Peru to St. Augustine’s incredible culinary scene. Trained at LeCordon Bleu in Lima, Vizcarra came to the U.S. and worked in kitchens along the Palm Coast before opening up Llama in 2016. With the help of his mom in the kitchen, he adds just a touch of experimentation to traditional Peruvian dishes to create a truly adventurous menu. 

During my visit, I joined fine art photographer Lenny Foster at the County Administration Building to check out his exhibit called Where We Stand. Each photograph features shoes in various historic locations around St. Augustine. Foster says he was inspired by his move and subsequent discovery of Lincolnville, the first incorporated community for freed slaves. From that discovery, he began to learn more about St. Augustine’s extensive and largely unrecognized African American history, which he wanted to tell in his photos. 

You can’t go to the Florida coast without going to the beach! I joined Chris and Rob Taylor, founders of the original LGBTQ family travel blog, 2TravelDads, and their sons to explore the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, or GTM Research Reserve for short. Stretching almost 77,000 acres, the reserve focuses on protecting the surrounding ecosystem and educating visitors about the area’s natural biodiversity. While every St. Augustine beach has its own unique feature, GTM’s might just be the coolest in my book. Any guesses about what we found?

Some countries have barbecues, and some countries have asados. Asados are popular in South America, especially Argentina, where Urban Asado founder Nick Carrera’s father is from. Growing up around these unique events all his life, he always knew when he had his own place one day, normal BBQ grills wouldn’t cut it. Learning to make asado grills himself, he later created a business out of his garage with his wife, Christie. Grillmaking soon turned into pop-ups and demonstrations, which then turned into weekly celebrations that brought together chefs from the community who would prepare their own specialties. These 3-hour asados are full of mouthwatering food, inventive cocktails, and, most importantly, good company.