I’m in Florida for a week for travel agent training. My way here was lovely, a short two hour flight from Baltimore to Jacksonville. I booked the earliest flight for the day. Which I love because it’s the most reliable and the least busy at the airport, but I hate getting up early. I was able to get through dropping my baggage and get through security in 15 minutes at BWI.
I had to change my accommodations last minute, so I’m staying a bit away from the training in St Augustine, and I’m so glad I did. Such a cute area. Technically, I’m staying in Vilano Beach, which is a seven minute drive to St Augustine’s historic downtown. The place I booked is this cute retro motel right in the middle of the ocean and the bay. I’ve actually never stayed in a motel, but this one is really cute. It’s called Haley’s Court and is family owned and recently updated. They kept the original sign which I thought was cute. 
Vilano Beach is a great place to stay if you want to experience St Augustine, but don’t want to stay near all the hustle and bustle. If I walk down the street one way, there’s a fishing pier and a couple restaurants. If I walk down the other way, there’s the beach, a few shops, and a few more restaurants. Also the motel is right next to a Publix (grocery), which is especially helpful when staying here for a week.
I arrived in town on Saturday. I was tired from traveling, so I just walked around the Vilano Beach area to see what was around, and stopped at Publix to get my iced tea. Having the full day Sunday before training allowed me to explore more of the area.
I started by heading to downtown St Augustine around 9 am. The area was still very quiet at this time, and there were a bunch of parking options. I ended up parking in the lot near Castillo de San Marcos National Monument because I wanted to check that out. That lot was $2.50 an hour, but I also saw a few lots charging $20 for the day. I only planned on spending a few hours, so I was cool with the $2.50, but if you plan on being there all day, it might make more sense to park in the all day lots. Also, when I left around 11am, the entire lot was full and people were “sharking” for spots. Definitely go early if you don’t want to deal with the crowds. 
I’m not a history buff, but I do like checking out national or state parks wherever I travel. The first place I stopped was the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. The fort does charge you to go inside for the tour, but you can also walk around the outside of the fort for free. I decided to just walk around because honestly it was really pretty. It’s right on the water near all the St Augustine attractions. I was able to see the cannons, and also the oven where they used to heat up the cannonballs.
A little history I learned about the area- this fort was built by the Spanish. In the 1500s, these “forts” would be made of wood and very simple. It wasn’t until 1672 that they built the fort that is there today. It’s made from coquina which is composed of seashells. The Spaniards were taking their stake in the land, and they also wanted to protect the spice supply available in the area.
What was really cool, is that I was able to check out Fort Matanzas National Monument later in the day. This much smaller fort served as protection to the Castillo fort. Although much smaller, I had a really great experience here. I didn’t plan to go there, but I was just driving around the area to explore. When I showed up, I learned that you take a ferry to the actual fort. I was there at 1:25, and the next ferry was leaving at 1:30, but there were no tickets left! They said if someone doesn’t show up, then I could join. I was lucky and able to jump on at the last minute. There was no charge at this park, but they don’t run the ferry on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the time of this posting.
The ferry ride was short, maybe just a few minutes. There were two rangers with us, one captaining the boat, and one as our guide. Our guide was extremely engaging and informative. Once we got to the fort, she told us the history about the fort, and then we were able to explore. This fort is really made of two rooms and an open air area. The one room was inaccessible because two barn owls moved in. The room that was accessible was where the soldiers would stay. It was typically manned by six people, and there was just one bed that would host four people. The others would be on guard. One cool fact I learned- the cannons would reach the bridge at Matanzas Inlet (image, above right). Just looking from the fort to the bridge, it seems crazy to me that the cannonballs would reach that far! I can barely even see the bridge in the photograph.
Now, before I landed at this fort, I was able to explore downtown St
Augustine after checking out the Castillo fort. What a cute area! I was really pleasantly surprised. The architecture is really beautiful, and of course all the lovely oak and palm trees. The “main strip” is down St. George St. (pictured to the right). This is a pedestrian road, so you don’t have to worry about the cars. There’s a bunch of shops and restaurants here- you really could spend all day just exploring there.
Now off the main strip, I found the cutest spot to grab breakfast, and they have tea! You might know that I’m not a coffee drinker but a huge tea drinker. They had a whole tea menu! I ordered the Dragon Tea, and it was seriously amazing. You could get the tea hot or cold which I loved because I was hot from walking around. The tea was so refreshing, and not too sweet. The place is called The Modern Rose (pics below). It’s locally owned by a mother and daughter, who were both there checking in with customers. For breakfast, I ordered the B.E.C.ky sandwich (bacon, egg and cheese). Although a classic, I swear it’s one of the best I ever had. I will definitely be stopping by again this week for some tea. Oh, and they have a golden toilet, lol! Even the bathroom is cute. I didn’t take my phone with me to pee, otherwise I would have taken photos for ya’ll. Even the light plates were all rhinestoned. So cute!
Now I’ll be in training Monday-Friday, but I hope to do some more exploring in the afternoons. For those that don’t know, I work under a larger host agency- Outside Agents. They are located in Jacksonville, FL, and are the ones hosting the training. This training is focused on luxury and exotic travel, and I’m so excited to bring what I learn back to my clients! I’ll be posting a Part 2 later to talk about the rest of my trip :)
