This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

New Day – Photo by AM Shehadeh

Ponce de Leon, who claimed Florida for Spain, first explored the area of Saint Augustine in 1513.  Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States.

St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches are on the eastern coast of Florida, either on the Atlantic, the intercoastal waterway or riverfront.  There are all types of lodging, from luxurious beach front suite to a cozy room in a bed and breakfast in a historic home in St. Augustine.  There are also state parks, where you may camp in a tent or RV or rent a cabin or a room in a lodge.

My choice of lodging would be to camp with our trailer in Anastasia State Park on the beach.  If that park were unavailable, I would camp in Faver-Dykes State Park, a park that is known as a birding hotspot and is only a short drive to the beaches.  If you want to be closer to the action, then I would suggest the Carriage Way Bed and Breakfast, which is located in the historic section of St. Augustine.  If you stay at the B&B, you are just steps away from sights, dining and shopping.

Once you have checked into your lodgings, look at the area map and mark points of interest to you.  Inlets, barrier islands, bays and estuaries segment the coastline, so you will want to plan your trip.  Spend one or more days exploring the historic town of  St. Augustine.  You may explore St. Augustine on foot or take a scenic boat ride, a fishing trip or an eco-tour.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874 on the north end of Anastasia Island.  The view from the 165 foot tower is wonderful and not to be replicated anywhere else in the area. Although the view of the inlet and harbor from the rampart of the Castillo de San Marcos is inspiring. The inlet is best seen from the north side at Vilano Beach.

Castillo de San Marcos has daily interpretive programs by the National Park Service feature authentically uniformed soldiers from the 18th century.  Live cannon firings and discussion of colonial Spanish military life are included. .

Drive to Fort Matanzas National Monument, located 15 miles south of the city on Anastasia Island.  Pack a picnic, swimsuits and towels.  A free ferry takes you to Rattlesnake Island where you will view a historic reenactment of Spanish soldiers stationed at this remote outpost.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 -  get maps and brochures from CVB, check into accommodations, swim and plan your days.

Day 2 – spend the day exploring historic St. Augustine, including Castillo de San Marcos, if possible.

Day 3 – take a ride to Fort Manatazas National Monument, catch the ferry to the original site.

Day 4 – cruise to Anastasia State Park, where you can rents bicycles, beach chairs, ocean toys and umbrellas!

Day 5 – explore the beaches north and south of where you are staying

Day 6 – schedule a day for an airboat ride or leisurely cruise to view alligators in the wild. Pack up.

Day 7 -Sit back and relax as you are chauffeured in an horse-drawn carriage.

All photographs courtesy of the Florida Division of Historical Resources.

Happy Halloween!

This year, the Runaway Fright Train from Jefferson will be overrun by Freaky Fairy Tales characters as childhood stories come to life!  The first run of each night is family-oriented, while the later runs are for patrons that want to be scared to death! Take a ride on the 40-minute 5-mile long Haunted House along the tracks of the Historic Jefferson Railway. Go to Terror on the Bayou to purchase tickets and for more information.

Before or after your excursion, you may want to walk through the Creepy Screamin’ Corn Maze, a dark walk through Piney Woods, a haunted cemetery and the 100 foot underground Tunnel of Doom.  There is a daylight G-rated excursions through the Screamin’ Corn Maze on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 pm.

There are several nearby campgrounds and  RV parks.  For more information, see Corps of Engineer parks on Lake O’ the Pines.

It took me forever to pick out the photographs for my last post on Longhorn Cavern State Park.  I wanted to fill in some of the details on the Longhorn Cavern State Park in this post. Longhorn Cavern State Park features Longhorn Cavern, a Texas Hill Country wonder created over thousands of years by the dissolving and abrading action of water on the limestone bedrock of the area. Longhorn Cavern is one of the few river-formed caverns in the world, which makes it unique.

Fossil remains show that Ice Age animals once occupied the cave. Earliest records indicate that the Comanche Indians were the first people to use the cavern. The cavern was used as a Confederate stronghold where gunpowder was stored  in secret during the Civil War. The cavern is also rumored to have been the hideout of Sam Bass, a legendary Texas outlaw.  Legend has it that there is a treasure trove from his last bank robbery stashed in the cave. During Prohibition, a Speakeasy operated inside the cavern, complete with a 9-piece band.  On Sunday mornings, bleachers were set up in the same area so that people could attend services.

The park was dedicated in 1931.  Work began shortly thereafter on the park using convict labor.  Due to the concerns of neighbors, this practice was discontinued.  Not much work was completed until the Civilian Conservation Corps began work on the park.  During the four years the CCC was active in the park, 2-1/2 million cubic yards of earth, guano and rock were removed using only manual labor, buckets, shovels and wheelbarrows.  This cleared a  1-1/2 mile trail within the cave that includes the tour of today. Most of this rock and fill was used to form the base of Park Road 4.  World War II stopped all CCC activity in the park and all parks in Texas and the USA.

Today, in addition to the standard tour, there are special tours that may be arranged, like geology tours, biology tours, paranormal tours, phototography tours, wild cave tours, as well as weddings and concerts.  This cave has more action than downtown on a Saturday night.