One more straggler post from our trip to St. Augustine. On my must-see list of places in St. Augustine was the Castillo de San Marcos. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, and this fort is a big reason why. Founded by the Spanish, the fort protected the local settlements and allowed them to survive and flourish even as the land changed hands from Spain to France to England to the United States.
Address and Location
You’ll find Castillo de San Marcos at 1 South Castillo Drive in Saint Augustine, Florida.
Cost
Admission for adults 16 and older costs $15 each and is valid for seven days. Kids under 16 are free with an adult. As always, America the Beautiful pass holders can enter free. The lot connected to the fort does charge for parking.
What to do
It’s a pretty standard fort, and the history of the fort and settlement is chronicled in the various chambers as you make your way around the structure. I personally enjoyed learning about how the area went back and forth under the various colonial powers. Costumed interpreters and rangers also put on programs during the day and are available for questions.
We love a good cannon, and Castillo de San Marcos has a lot of cannons across the fort. The cannons are fro
Our Saint Augustine long weekend: St. Augustine long weekend | Downton Abbey costume exhibit at the Lightner Museum | St. Augustine Distillery and San Sebastian Winery | Flagler College
Fort Matanzas
Another fort in the local area is Fort Matanzas, about a 20 minute drive from Castillo de San Marcos. Fort Matanzas was the site of one of the more tragic colonial confrontations between Spain and France. Matanzas translates as “slaughters,” named because the Catholic Spanish killed almost 250 French Huguenots (Protestants) here. The fort sits on an inlet normally accessed by a ferry from the mainland. That is currently inaccessible because of hurricane damage, but the visitor’s center and the mainland side of the property are still open.
Have you visited Castillo de San Marcos or Fort Matanzas?
