Exploring Historic St. Augustine

Yesterday my parents and I drove to St. Augustine, about 2.5 hours up the coast of where I am. We came here once about 10 or so years ago but it was pouring rain so I’ve always wanted to go back and explore!

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the country! It was pretty cool seeing the old streets and houses.

But first things first, the San Sebastian Winery!

First we sampled a bunch of wines.

I think my favorite was a sweet white called Blanc Du Bois Reserve.

I also really loved the Rose and the Vinter’s Red and the Vinter’s White. Most were sweet, which is my favorite type of wine!

Next we went on a small tour of where they ferment the wine, followed by another tasting where we got to try a few more.

Both the tour as tasting were free, which was awesome! It was a great place, I’d highly recommend it. I definitely left with a few bottles of wine.

It was way past lunch time by the time we got out, so my parents and I went to A1A Ale Works for lunch and some local brews. I went with the sampler since I wanted to try their beer. My mom and I shared. 😀

I wasn’t a fan of the IPA or the light beer, but I really liked the brown and the stout.

Lunch was lobster and shrimp tacos, which were pretty delicious. I enjoyed the tacos, but the rice and beans were pretty flavorless.

After lunch we walked around a little bit and went to the Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. According to the website, “The Monument site consists of 20.5 acres and includes a reconstructed section of the walled defense line surrounding the city of St. Augustine incorporating the original city gate. The Castillo de San Marcos’ architecture and detail are distinctive and unique. It is the oldest masonry and only extant 17th century fort in North America. As such it is an excellent example of the “bastion system” of fortification.”

Very cool to see! We didn’t go inside, but enjoyed walking around the perimeter, it was much bigger than it looks from the road!

It was a pretty awesome day. My sister is in Miami right now visiting her boyfriend Brian who is there for work, so she wasn’t with us–but I’m sure she’s having a blast in Miami. 🙂