We’re not local (although we wish we were!), but my husband & I have been visiting St. Augustine since we got married, & now we go multiple times a year. (And, before THAT, my parents took my sister & me beginning when we were babies.) Our kids are actually more familiar w/ St. Augustine than they are w/ our own home town. We were there in December for Christmas, stopped for brunch on our recent epic road trip, & will be back for 2 weeks at the end of June.
We usually rent a condo on Crescent Beach which is down the beach from St. Augustine Beach proper, so I’m not as familiar, however, w/ the hotels, inns, & B & Bs. Some day, I’d love to stay at the Casa Monica downtown.
Our favorite restaurants in the historic district are The Columbia, The Floridian, Harry’s, & The Ice Plant, & Prohibition Kitchen.
I know you’re familiar w/ The Columbia &, I think, Harry’s, but The Floridian is wonderful - updated southern cuisine w/ coastal influences, very farm-to-table. And also lots of interesting drinks & cocktails. It’s my new favorite.
Oh, & the women’s restroom at Harry’s is supposed to be haunted.
The Ice Plant, which is close to Lincolnville, is a MUST for brunch on the weekends, but they also have great lunch & dinner menus. It’s located w/ the St. Augustine Distillery, & they make all their own ice & have different ices for different drinks, if you‘re interested in that sort of thing.
The Prohibition Kitchen is a quirky themed restaurant right on St. George Street, but dinner can get crowded & loud. The Prohibition Kitchen also has the Roosevelt Room, a themed speak-easy, which is open for breakfast & lunch. We had brunch there several days ago, & it was wonderful!
OC White’s is right across from the street from the bay & has a lot of history. The upstairs is supposed to be haunted. We’ve had good & just okay meals there, but we like the setting... And it’s become a sentimental favorite.
There are quite a few newer restaurants in the area which we haven’t yet tried that get consistently good reviews - Catch 27, Michael‘s, & Preserved (in Lincolnville). St. Augustine Fish Camp is another one & is located by the water.
For lunch, we LOVE Crave & the Spanish Bakery - the Spanish Bakery (on St. George Street) is a traditional “must-do” for us. And we love Hyppo’s popsicles!
One of our very favorite restaurants is on Vilano Beach - Cap’s on the Water - beautiful sunset dining on the water (it’s located on the intracoastal side) w/ a great menu. Because we were being extremely careful, this is the ONLY restaurant at which we dined when we were there in December.
On the island, our current favorite is probably BlackFly - excellent menu. The only downside is there’s nothing really special about the location - it’s not on the water OR in the historic district & doesn’t have outside dining. But the dishes are expertly prepared w/ slight Asian influences.
We’ve been a little disappointed w/ other restaurants on the island lately & need to find some new favs. A lot of people like Sunset Grille, & my sister & her family love Mango Mango’s. We always end up at Salt Life. Amici’s, an Italian restaurant, is getting great reviews.
Saltwater Cowboy’s is another one of our sentimental favorites, but it’s always hit or miss. Sometimes, it’s wonderful, & sometimes it’s not. But the restaurant is themed like an old Florida Cracker house w/ some fabulous decor, & its setting on the water is gorgeous - especially at sunset.
For things to do & see -
* The Fort, of course.... it’s made out of coquina & has stood for so long... but it worries me because I think it’s really starting to show its age...
* The haunted lighthouse tour at night is wonderful - you get to tour the lighthouse & its buildings, climb the tower, & hear a lot of ghost stories that are are based on historical facts. The Lighthouse is also a neat experience just by itself during the day as well.
* The St. Augustine Distillery Tour is really fun & interesting.
* Our family LOVES the Alligator Farm! It is really, really well done & has lots to see beyond just alligators. There are a pair of red banded green rat snakes that I’ve been checking on since they were babies... due to Covid, we haven’t been since December 2019... so it’s been a while since I’ve checked on them! The Alligator Farm has been there forever & has changed & adapted into a fully credited & recognized national zoo of excellence now. We’ve done a “behind the scenes” tour there which was great. And, if you like birds, there’s a whole rookery there.
* The Pirate Museum Is surprisingly well done - it was designed by former Disney Imagineers... touring the Fort & then the Pirate Museum go well together.
* An Eco Tour - we’ve done several educational eco tours w/ Eco Tours... ask for Captain Zack... the tours are smaller w/ just your family or maybe one other family... we’ve learned a lot about the local flora & fauna, the ecosystems, & dolphins & different birds while on the tours... we’ve also rented kayaks though Eco Tours
* If y’all really like history, the Lightner Museum has some beautiful pieces & also a lovely garden area. The restaurant there is situated in what was the former indoor swimming pool of one of the Flagler Hotels.
* I also consider The Fountain of Youth a must for visitors not familiar w/ the area because it tells the story of the beginning of St. Augustine so well... in addition to the Fountain, there are some living history demos & some weapon demos.
