St. Augustine has an oldness to it. And there’s a reason for that. It’s the United States’ oldest city, founded in 1565. Some say it is the most charming city in all of the USA as well. Cobble stone streets, weather-worn stone, and spanish moss hanging from big old trees make history alive here.
There is mystery in the air. That could be from the pirates that raided the village 450 years ago, burning the original fort to the ground (see our post on Castillo de San Marcos here). Or the 15 acre Fountain of Youth Park said to be the place where Ponce de Leon found the sought-after restorative waters that returned youth to all.
Maybe it’s the vines that grow thick on the walls of the Inns right to their roofs. Or the plaques that tell of haunted buildings in the downtown district. All of these things come together to make a place so pretty that you want to walk the streets all day and fill your camera to the brim. We will definitely go back! But having toured the Castillo on the waterfront and strolled the streets and read of the history and ogled the architecture, we decided to head for Orlando…. which is when the kids spotted this playground one street behind the main:
I should mention that our day began on the outskirts of St. Augustine off the interstate at an IHOP (International House of Pancakes). I had no idea that taking the kids there (first-time!) would cause such enormous smiles. But if you’ve read our post on red velvet cake (a Florida tradition for us now) then you will understand why this item on the menu sent their eyebrows into their hairlines!
Hey this reminded us of Stone hedge and the Great Wall of China
It had great walls! But it wasn’t in China. 🙂