Madeline & Robert
Things To Do
Lightner Museum
The bride's #1 favorite spot in the city, also loved by her mother. She almost booked the wedding here, and visits every single time she goes. This is also where the groom proposed to the bride in December 2022! This museum is located in what was previously the historic Hotel Alcazar, but is now the city center of St. Augustine and home to the museum, which consists of a huge collection of cool stuff for everyone to see. The first floor has natural history stuff like a taxidermized lion, giant crystals, a shrunken head, and a literal mummy, along with a music room and gift shop great for souvenirs. The second floor has an exhibit dedicated to glass, which was the favorite of the bride's mother. The third floor has tons of incredible paintings, furniture, and sculptures. All of these collections are hosted inside the old spa of the historic Hotel Alcazar, so you can also tour 19th century Turkish baths and eat lunch at Cafe Alcazar, which is in a giant, drained, Victorian pool.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
The Castillo de San Marcos is one of the most recognizable monuments associated with St. Augustine, and was originally a fort constructed by the Spanish settlers of the city way back in the late 17th century, built to protect the city from the British. After the Spanish lost the city in a siege by the British, it became a British fort, then an American one (where it was important in the Second Seminole War as a prison for Native Americans and during the Civil War), before being commissioned as a National Park in 1933. Obviously, there's a lot of history here, but even if history isn't your thing, it's still a must-do, in our opinion. Aside from the great stuff to learn about, there are lots of cool rooms and areas to explore, old weapons to check out, a nice gift shop, and (most importantly!) an amazing view of the city and the ocean if you climb up to the top. For only $15 a ticket for those 16+ (valid for a whole week!), we think it's very much worth it.
Flagler College
Flagler College is, without a doubt, the most recognizable modern monument of St. Augustine. It was previously the Ponce De Leon Hotel, a historic hotel built in 1888 by famous Floridian industrialist and Standard Oil co-founder, Henry Flagler. If you're wondering, by the way, why there are so many old hotels, it's because St. Augustine used to be a popular winter vacation spot back in the Gilded Age. Even some presidents stayed at the hotel, like Theodore Roosevelt, and some other famous people, like Mark Twain and Babe Ruth! The hotel was designed with inspiration from Spanish architecture, and was one of the first buildings in the country to have electricity, which was supplied by Flagler's personal friend, Thomas Edison. It's also home to the largest private collection of Tiffany stained glass in the entire world! It's now a college in session though, and has been since 1968- so, to get a tour, please use the link below.
St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
Okay, this one is a bit out of the way from downtown, but you'll pass by it if you're staying on the beach when you're headed downtown, anyway. The Lighthouse is another one of the most recognizable locations in the city, and you can see it from pretty much everywhere. This one really has something for everyone: history, great views, interesting stuff for kids, nature trails, nautical stuff, snacks, and even ghosts (it's considered one of the most haunted places in the country!). The typical day-time visit is great, and tickets for general admission are approximately $15 for adults, but they also have some really cool speciality tours, like a couple of different late night ghost tours, a behind the scenes tour, and sometimes they do an extra special Sunset tour at the top of the lighthouse where they serve champagne and hors d'oeuvres while you watch the sunset and moonrise. Just please note that, while anyone can go, the lighthouse has some pretty steep stairs to get to the top.
Villa Zorayda Museum
This is one of the groom's favorites, for sure! Villa Zorayda is an extremely interesting house that you'll notice looks a bit out of place in St. Augustine. It was actually the winter home of the eccentric Boston millionaire Franklin W. Smith. It was built in 1883 and modeled after the Moorish Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain, to an extreme degree. Inside, the home is decked out with 19th century orientalist paintings and furniture, Egyptian artifacts, and Persian rugs. It is super cool to look at, even if you don't care about the historical stuff. The house seemingly goes on forever, and has so much to explore. Guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more, but self-guided tours are available for all guests in English and Spanish. Normal adult tickets are only $14, with discounts for children, seniors, veterans, and students.
Spanish Military Hospital Museum
Okay, this one is a small and obscure one, but also a favorite. If you like the niche stuff, are downtown, and have an hour or two to kill, this is a great place to swing by. It used to be a military hospital for the Spanish soldiers in the city way back in the Second Spanish Period of the late 18th century. Not only is there a pretty apothecary garden, some cool old medical artifacts, and whatnot, but they also give explanations of what Spanish medicine and surgery was like during the height of the museum's heyday, including demonstrations of what it was like to get a limb amputated back then. Not for the faint of heart, but SO fascinating and great for the adventurous types. Also, they sell some medicinal herbs here!
San Sebastian Winery
For those of you looking to get a little loose on your trip and who especially love wine, we can't recommend the San Sebastian Winery enough. The bride often visited with her parents as a child, and owns several bottles of San Sebastian wine. The tour of the winery includes samples of SO MANY kinds of wines FOR FREE (as in, the entire tour is free, and so are the samples), plus a self-guided tour of the whole winery, and a free presentation (if you're interested) on winemaking. This is a REALLY GREAT SPOT too to get souvenirs or gifts for yourself, because they sell wines, glassware, cooking items, gourmet foods, etc. You can usually also find their wine in local grocery stores in the city, too.
St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market
If you like farmer's markets, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre hosts a farmer's market every Saturday morning (assuming you wanna check it out that morning before the wedding) and sometimes hosts night markets on select weekdays. This is pretty cool and shows off St. Augustine's dedication to it's local farmers! A lot of St. Augustine restaurants are farm-to-table, and a lot of really great sauces, jams, honeys, wines, etc come out of the city's local farms. It's worth a peruse! The Amphitheatre is also the local concert hall for the city, so keep an eye on the events page! There may be some cool acts in town during the wedding weekend.
St. Augustine Beach
St. Augustine Beach is the local beach, and it is wonderful. Aside from walking on the beach (or swimming, if you can handle swimming in 60 degree weather), there are some really cool spots along the beach to visit, like going to Anastasia State Park, the St. Augustine Beach Pier, the Fountain of Youth, and more.
The Floridian Restaurant
This is one of the best, and is a personal favorite of the bride, groom, and family. It's a farm-to-table, locally sourced Southern restaurant with a modern menu, tons of vegan options (and not-so-vegan options!), and a really great eclectic mid-century vibe. Good for a date night, but also good if you wanna take the family. The best thing about this place is the appetizers. The bride and groom would actually kill for the biscuit and belly appetizer with hot honey, Lil Moo cheese, mustard, and bourbon-apple butter, but we also love the black bean and hummus dip with chips and veggies, and the cornbread stack (available with tofu or blackened fish!). They also have great drinks and a nice atmosphere. This is where we'll be hosting the Rehearsal Dinner.
Collage
This is the restaurant the groom took the bride to on the night he proposed, and is probably the nicest spot he's ever taken her, and they've been to five star restaurants in New Orleans. This place is very fancy, so maybe don't bring the whole family, but if you're looking for a nice date to take your significant other on right before or after the wedding, this is a great spot- just make sure to get reservations! Instead of just normal bread with butter or oil, they give freshly made bread with basil infused olive oil and a half head of roasted garlic. The bride actually cried when she saw that, and even more when they offered a white balsamic strawberry sorbet palate cleanser in between courses. We particularly love the burrata appetizer, and also the rack of lamb. Their best items, though, are usually the seasonal offerings, so check in to see what they're offering next February. This is definitely a place to get a glass of wine, too, and their offerings are extensive.
Cap's On the Water
Okay, this one is a bit of the way, but we promise it's worth it. This is, without a doubt, the bride's favorite dinner restaurant in the city. Cap's on the Water is, as the name implies, right on the water, but it's not your typical beachy, laidback restaurant. Despite the fact it's a family establishment in what is functionally a giant beach cabin right on the sand, it has giant oak trees in the back all strung up with lights, a beautiful gazebo, and views of the lighthouse. Not to mention the seafood menu is INCREDIBLE. We especially love the gator bites appetizer, the seasonal cheeseboard, and the oysters rockerfeller- oysters are something that they particularly shine in here, and they have a wide selection! They also have great octopus, crab, shrimp, fish, and any other kind of seafood you might be craving. Good for a date, good for the family, and good for relaxing.
The Blue Hen Café
This is the groom's favorite spot in town! The Blue Hen is a great breakfast and lunch spot, with a lot of charm and a decently sized menu. It's great for the whole family, and also to cure any post-wedding hangover you may have. It has a classic Southern diner feel, with a mix of grandma's kitchen, and lots of homemade comfort menu items. It's inexpensive, accessible, and extremely delicious. We especially love the biscuit sandwiches, the quiche, and the burritos, but we can't really think of a single bad thing on the menu. It's consistently delicious and perfectly comforting.
Ice Plant Bar
This is a really cool spot and great for those who love to drink! It's located in an old, refurbished ice plant (as the name implies) from the 1920s, and it's a speakeasy style restaurant and bar. They have some great cocktails and Southern food with a uniquely St. Augustine twist. Great for dinner or brunch, and also the St. Augustine Distillery is right next door, and is a great extra location to go and get a tour of a distillery and buy some great liquor to take home! (If you go, we especially ADORE the rum, and buy 2-3 bottles every time we're in town). We recommend the smoked local fish dip, the pimento cheese dip, any of the burgers, or the chicken and hoecakes. All of the cocktails are also fantastic, but the bride's father particularly loved the Old Fashioned. All of the liquor is sourced from the Distillery next door and they use cool ice in honor of the building's history.
The Hyppo Gourmet Ice Pops
Last, but certainly not least, it would be absolutely ridiculous for us to not recommend The Hyppo. This was the absolute favorite spot of the bride's mother. It's a popsicle stand with gourmet popsicles in dozens of different typical and unique flavors- like Datil Pepper Cheesecake, PB&J, and Pina Colada (with or without real rum!). The mother of the bride would regularly get 2-3 popsicles at a time here, and would bite into them like a sociopath with her teeth first. In her honor, we always make sure to visit. We will have some hyppo popsicles as dessert offerings at the wedding, but definitely make an effort to visit! By the way, this isn't the only location! There's another one on Saint George St, and some other locations in Tampa, St. Pete, and Gainesville.
Buc-ee's
There are two Buc-Ee's locations near St. Augustine. One is actually in St. Augustine, about 20 minutes away from downtown, literally right in front of the property that contains the hotel we blocked for the weekend. The other is in Daytona, on the drive up from St. Augustine if you live in South Florida (like 90% of our guests). Buc-Ee's is an experience like no other and is an absolute must-do, in our humble opinions, if you're in town, especially if you've never been. It is the king of convenience store/gas stations. It's like a 7/11, Cracker Barrel, and Costco had a beautiful mutant baby. They have BBQ. Good BBQ. Beef jerky. Good beef jerky (in dozens of flavors). And grills, smokers, fishing equipment, kolaches (savory Polish buns??), fudge, banana pudding, candy, items you would normally find in a TJMaxx, tech equipment, insulated cups, children's toys, endless Buc-Ee's themed merchandise, and Buc-Ee, himself, who is a giant beaver. Also, gas is super cheap here.
Honorable Mentions
We also wanted to shoutout some honorable mentions! For things to do, please also check out The Cathedral, St. Augustine Trolley Tours, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, The Pirate Museum, any ghost tour in the area, and the Fountain of Youth! For more places to eat, we recommend Maple Street Biscuit Company for a quick but delicious biscuit breakfast (great before the Flagler College Tour or the Lightner Museum), Preserved for another fancy dinner spot, the Sunset Grille for a casual dinner on the beach, and Cousteau's Waffle and Milkshake Bar for the best waffles and milkshakes you've ever had.