Last Updated: August 2, 2026
St. Augustine is called the Nation’s Oldest City, and the claim holds up with one careful qualification. Founded in 1565 by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the mainland United States. San Juan, Puerto Rico is older still, founded in 1521. Either way, St. Augustine was already two generations old when the English landed at Jamestown. Spain ceded Florida to the United States under the Adams-Onís Treaty, signed in 1819 and taking effect in 1821; St. Augustine served as capital of the Florida Territory until 1824, when the seat of government moved to Tallahassee — chosen, sensibly enough, as the midpoint between here and Pensacola.
Walking the Nation’s Oldest City
St. Augustine is dense with history and we were here a week, which was enough to take a sample and no more. This is a place that rewards several visits.
The green square in the first frame is the Plaza de la Constitución, and it deserves its own note: laid out under Spanish Royal Ordinances in 1573, it is the oldest public park in the United States — thirty-four years older than Jamestown. It takes its name from the Spanish Constitution of 1812, and the monument to that constitution still stands in it, along with a public well from the 1600s.
This is unmistakably a tourist town, and the practical consequence is parking. The streets are narrow, some are cobbled, and the lots fill early. We parked well out and walked in, which we would do again — the old town is small enough that walking is faster than circling. Many visitors take the hop-on hop-off trolley, which is a good option unless you are travelling with a dog.
Wandering turned up the Oldest House — properly the González-Alvarez House, the oldest surviving Spanish colonial dwelling in Florida — a garden statue, and a banana plant in flower with a hand of young fruit already forming. February, in the middle of a cold snap. Florida.
This is one of the Dade Pyramids at St. Augustine National Cemetery, and it is the most affecting thing we saw all week. Three low pyramids built of coquina — the local shell limestone — cover burial vaults holding an estimated 165 people, soldiers killed in the Second Seminole War. They are named for Major Francis Dade, whose command of about 108 men was ambushed by Seminole warriors near present-day Bushnell on December 28, 1835; only a handful survived. That ambush began a war that ran until 1842 and cost more American lives than any other conflict with Native peoples. The vaults and their marble obelisk were dedicated on August 15, 1842, and the whole memorial sits quietly in a small cemetery that most visitors to St. Augustine walk straight past.
The Old City Gates at the north end of town date to 1808. They were the formal entrance through the Cubo Line, the earthwork and palm-log defensive wall that ran across the peninsula from the Castillo to the San Sebastian River. The pillars are coquina, like almost everything else old here.
We met our friends Jacquie, Lynda and Guy for lunch at the St. Augustine Fish Camp. Seeing the same friends twice in a month — Lynda and Guy at Vero Beach a few weeks earlier — is one of the quiet pleasures of travelling slowly.
St. Augustine Beach runs for miles, and the cucumberleaf sunflower was holding the dune together here just as it was down at Ormond Beach — the same tough native plant working the whole length of this coast.
Gusto Bistro Italiano & Wine Bar was excellent, and Sandy has not stopped talking about the cannoli.
Compass RV Park, St. Augustine
We had stayed here before in 2019. Full hookups, intermittent WiFi, a pool and a fitness room, and a property big enough to get a proper walk in. Note for anyone booking today: it is now Sun Outdoors St. Augustine, 1505 State Road 207, St. Augustine, Florida 32086, 904-824-3574 — the same rebrand that caught up with Emerald Coast RV over in Panama City Beach.
Two dog parks, both large, both approved by Jake the dog.
A1A Ale Works was exactly right for lunch on a cold day. Their dog-friendly balconies were shut — 45 degrees and windy — so the staff simply sat us inside with Jake at the table, and told us St. Augustine is a genuinely dog-friendly city. They were right, and we found it true everywhere we went. Since our visit: A1A Ale Works closed permanently in May 2024 after lease negotiations broke down, ending a long run at 1 King Street.
St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum
This is a far better museum than the name suggests. Over 800 artifacts across 48 exhibit areas, assembled by collector Pat Croce and moved here from Key West in 2010 — described, with some justification, as the largest collection of authentic pirate artifacts under one roof anywhere. Some pieces come from Port Royal, Jamaica, the buccaneer capital that a 1692 earthquake dropped into the sea.
This is not a reproduction. It is one of only three authentic Jolly Roger flags known to survive anywhere in the world — the museum also holds Thomas Tew’s treasure chest, the only authenticated pirate treasure chest in existence, and Blackbeard’s original blunderbuss alongside gold recovered from the wreck of his flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. For a building on a busy tourist street, the density of genuinely rare material is remarkable.
A talking, decapitated Blackbeard, which is historically apt if slightly startling — the real Edward Teach was killed in November 1718 and his head was cut off and hung from the bowsprit of the ship that took him. The museum puts him at six foot five and 220 pounds; contemporaries described a tall man who tied slow-burning fuses into his beard before a fight so he would appear wreathed in smoke.
The placards throughout are substantial and worth reading rather than skimming — the museum takes its subject seriously underneath the theatre. Well worth a visit.
San Sebastian Winery
Florida wine invites scepticism, and San Sebastian answers it better than expected. Many of the grapes are trucked in from California, which is the honest reason the wines work. Tastings are free and run across a couple of floors of the old Florida East Coast Railway building, and we had a good lunch on the upstairs balcony with Jake alongside.
St. Augustine Distillery
Established in 2013 and housed in Florida’s oldest ice plant, the distillery makes bourbon, rum, gin and vodka. The self-guided tour is free, needs no reservation, and finishes with samples of four signature cocktails. Sandy’s verdict came down firmly on the bourbon old fashioned.
Visiting St. Augustine: Addresses, Hours and Fees
Where we stayed: Compass RV Park is now Sun Outdoors St. Augustine, 1505 State Road 207, St. Augustine, Florida 32086, 904-824-3574. Full-hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service plus cottages, a heated pool open year round, a fitness centre, several dog parks, a fishing pond and a walking trail, about 4.6 miles from the historic district.
St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum — 12 South Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida 32084, next to the Castillo de San Marcos. Over 800 artifacts across 48 exhibit areas. Check current hours and admission on the museum’s site before you go.
St. Augustine Distillery — 112 Riberia Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084, 904-825-4962, staugustinedistillery.com. Open seven days; retail shop 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., self-guided tours 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tours and tastings are free and no reservation is needed; photo ID required to sample. San Sebastian Winery also offers free tastings, a short walk away.
Free to visit: the Plaza de la Constitución in the middle of the old town, the Old City Gates at the north end of St. George Street, and the Dade Pyramids at St. Augustine National Cemetery on Marine Street — open daylight hours, no charge, and treated as an active national cemetery, so visit accordingly.
Closed since our visit: A1A Ale Works at 1 King Street shut permanently in May 2024. Gusto Bistro Italiano & Wine Bar and the St. Augustine Fish Camp were both still trading at the time of writing.
Practical Tips for St. Augustine
Park once, on the edge, and walk. The historic district is small, the streets are narrow and cobbled in places, and the central lots fill by mid-morning. We parked well out and walked in, which was faster than circling and better for the legs.
Bring the dog. St. Augustine is one of the most dog-friendly cities we have travelled through. Jake was welcome on patios everywhere, and when the weather closed the balconies at A1A Ale Works the staff simply seated us indoors with him. The trolley tours are the one thing that will not work with a dog.
Take the free tours first. Both the distillery and San Sebastian Winery run free tastings, which makes them the best value in a town where most attractions charge. Do them early in the day and plan the paid museums around them.
Walk to the national cemetery. It is a few minutes from the plaza on Marine Street, free, almost always empty, and the Dade Pyramids are the most historically substantial thing we saw in St. Augustine. Most visitors never find it.
Give the Pirate Museum more time than you think. The exterior reads as a tourist trap and the collection inside is genuinely world-class. Read the placards; there is real scholarship behind the theatre.
A week is a sample, not a visit. We did not get to the Castillo de San Marcos, the lighthouse, Fort Matanzas or the Fountain of Youth. Plan on coming back, or plan a longer stay than we did.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is St. Augustine called the nation’s oldest city? Because it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the mainland United States, founded in 1565 by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés — forty-two years before Jamestown. San Juan, Puerto Rico, founded in 1521, is older, but is not on the mainland.
What are the pyramids at St. Augustine National Cemetery? They are the Dade Pyramids — three coquina structures covering vaults that hold an estimated 165 people, soldiers killed in the Second Seminole War. They are named for Major Francis Dade, whose command was ambushed near Bushnell on December 28, 1835, an attack that opened a war lasting until 1842. The pyramids and their marble obelisk were dedicated on August 15, 1842. Admission is free.
Is the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum worth it? Yes, and more than the frontage suggests. It holds over 800 artifacts including one of only three authentic Jolly Roger flags known to survive, Thomas Tew’s treasure chest — the only authenticated pirate treasure chest in the world — and Blackbeard’s blunderbuss with gold recovered from the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Is St. Augustine dog friendly? Exceptionally. Restaurants across the old town welcome dogs on patios, and several will seat you indoors with a dog in bad weather. The main exception is the hop-on hop-off trolley. Plan to walk, and the city works well with a dog.
What is the oldest park in the United States? The Plaza de la Constitución in St. Augustine, laid out under Spanish Royal Ordinances in 1573. It is named for the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and still holds the monument to it, along with a public well dating from the 1600s.
Are the distillery and winery tours really free? Yes. The St. Augustine Distillery runs free self-guided tours with no reservation needed, finishing with samples of four signature cocktails; bring photo ID. San Sebastian Winery also offers free tastings. Both are within walking distance of each other.
Where can you park an RV near St. Augustine? We stayed at what was then Compass RV Park and is now Sun Outdoors St. Augustine, 1505 State Road 207, about 4.6 miles from the historic district — full hookups, heated pool, fitness centre and multiple dog parks.
From St. Augustine we turned inland again for the Suwannee Valley and White Springs.
