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Welcoming Explorers Since 1565 (Sponsored)

Settled by Spanish explorers and home to many cultures – the Nation’s Oldest City offers Old World charm along with world-class dining, arts, and culture for any groups’ interests.

EXPLORE FIVE CENTURIES OF ARCHITECTURE & HISTORY

Castillo de San Marcos was built by the Spanish to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. This National Monument is the oldest masonry fort in the United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archeological Park is located in the area explored by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 and settled by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565. Historic St. Augustine is the oldest successful European settlement in the United States. Colonial America started here, 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown.

Groups will be immersed in the lively Historic Downtown District and will be able to explore America’s oldest street! Aviles Street is home to the area’s most diverse arts district complete with restaurants, galleries, and historic museums like the Spanish Military Hospital and the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum.

Aviles Street

Groups will discover the Florida Gilded Age including The Lightner Museum, the former Alcazar Hotel, designed by famed architects Carrere and Hastings and built in 1888 by Standard Oil magnate, Henry Flagler, now home to one of the finest and most extensive collections of Gilded Age artifacts and rare oddities in the country.

 Flagler College, formerly the iconic Ponce de Leon Hotel, is one of America’s most impressive Gilded Age resorts that marked the beginning of thriving Florida tourism. Today this Carrere and Hastings masterpiece is a National Historic Landmark and one of the greatest examples of Spanish Renaissance architecture in the country.

Flagler College

EXPLORE UNSPOILED CULTURAL LANDSCAPES

Groups can tour Fort Mose Historic State Park, established in 1738 as the first free African settlement in the US. The Park is home to a 40 acre waterfront historic site which includes a boardwalk, a visitor center and museum.

Anastasia State Park boasts 1,600 acres of rich ecosystems and wildlife. The pristine white quartz sand beckons beachgoers, and walkers enjoy over 3 miles of beaches protected exclusively for quiet strolls tucked beyond the natural dunes.

Anastasia Beach

NAMED ONE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHICS’ TOP 20 IN THE WORLD

St. Augustine is located just 6 hours from Atlanta and 4.5 hours from Charleston. The area  is served by 3 major airports with daily non-stop flights. Group accommodations are available to fit every taste and budget from historic inns, chain hotels, or luxury oceanfront resorts with group friendly restaurants featuring the cultural influences of Spanish, Minorcan and traditional Southern cuisine.

Visit historiccoastculture.com for an Annual Calendar of Events.

Contact Christina Parrish Stone, Executive Director, St. Johns Cultural Council

grouptravel@historiccoastculture.com     

ph: 904-808-7330