Wish you could find a fountain of youth? Well, we did. Where is the fountain of youth? We are talking about the Fountain of Youth St. Augustine. OK, so actually Ponce de Leon supposedly did first discover it in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. St. Augustine is such a great city to visit. It is an easy 2 hour day trip from Orlando and has lots of tourist attractions such as the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. (Scroll to the bottom for my video.)
The Spring House where the fountain is located is on a 15 acre property called Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, the original site of the Nation’s oldest city. Juan Ponce de Leon was the first to explore the area in 1513. It was settled by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565, so this historic coastal town is actually the oldest successful European settlement in the United States. I lived near Boston while in graduate school, and I never even heard of St. Augustine until recently. But evidently Colonial America started right there in St. Augustine 55 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and 42 years before Jamestown! Who knew? So the Fountain of Youth Park St. Augustine, Florida is a must see. With a long, rich history of almost 500 years it is a very informative and entertaining tour. You can walk around at your own pace and look at things or stop and watch live demonstrations (see my video below) or listen to informative talks on some aspect of the history. I get bored easily, but I really liked this attraction.
You can actually take a sip of the water from the “Fountain of Youth” in the Spring House. That’s pretty cool! You can learn about the saga of Juan Ponce de Leon and his search for new lands and magical waters, or the tragedy of the Timucua civilization, or the interesting story of Pedro Menendez de Aviles and the settling of St. Augustine, as I mentioned earlier. In addition to the Spring House some of the exhibits include: Navigators Planetarium, Discovery Globe, Live Peacocks, a Blacksmith Exhibit, Timucuan Burials and Village, Nombre de Dios Mission, 1565 Menendez Settlement, Excavations, Spanish Lookout, Cannon Firing, Chalupa Boathouse, Founders Riverwalk, and Menendez Statue/Park.
They have free parking and a Smoked BBQ restaurant in the park. They also have picnic tables to use if you want to bring your own lunch. And they give discounts to Adult US Active Military with ID and AAA Cardholders. Next time you are near St. Augustine, Florida check it out!
We also did the Old Jail tour. There is so much more to do and see in this town.
St. Augustine also has a real castle that you can walk around and a lighthouse that you can go into. We only had part of a day, so we did not get to see the lighthouse but hope to next time.
Since we were in St. Augustine Thanksgiving week, we got to experience the Night of Lights Tour that evening. It is a super fun thing to do for people of all ages from November through February. See my post on it here.
Below is a short video of some of the highlights of the Fountain of Youth tour. Comment and tell me what you liked!
Love Love Love the pics! They really help your reader see what it looks like. Funny that I’ve been to St. Augustine a number of times, but I’ve always walked by this gem. Next time I’ll have to stop in for a visit!
Thank you. Yes, it sounded kind of corny to me when I saw the sign, but I’m so glad we decided to check it out!
St. Augustine has been on my bucket list for a while and now I know I’ll have to make it down there soon! It looks like a fun experience. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Lyana!
We love St. Augustine and stop there on our way to Disney, but we haven’t been to the fountain of youth yet. I will definitely check this out next time we stop by. I can understand why it was thought to be the fountain of youth. Florida always makes me feel younger!
This was our first time to visit St. Augustine. Beautiful place!
The pictures were beautiful. We have been to St. Augustine but haven’t actually been there. We are within 7 hr. drive so might do it next time we get to FL>
Thank you! Yes, it was a cool place.
We were down there to see a friend during Hurricane Irma and it was a ghost town and horribly flooded so we didn’t get here. We did love St Augustine though. Hope to get back some day.
Oh wow! Irma was horrible. Yes, you will have to go back some day. Thanks Cindy!
I love St Augustine! My wife took me there for my birthday. We have never done the Fountain of Youth though, so thank you for covering this!
You’re welcome. That sounds like an awesome birthday present. 🙂
I stop in St. Augustine in 2010 on my way down from Jacksonville to Coco Beach. I stopped at a lighthouse and the place where there is a huge cross. I drove by the fountain of youth but I was in a hurry so I did not stop. I want to go back some day and see more of the town.
I wish we had had time to see the lighthouse.
I have never been to St. Augustine, but I definitely would like to go now.
It is a very cool city!