What to do and see in St. Augustine, United States: The Best Places and Tips

The St. Augustine Wild Reserve offers tours on an appointment-only basis. Tours are held in the afternoon, on Mon, Wed, and Sat at 2pm. Email to make reservations. Children under 5 are free. Guests will be given a guided tour of the compound by an experienced wildlife professional. An introduction to each species, basic biology, and how the species arrived at our sanctuary will be discussed in detail. Visitors will be allowed a close-up view of the exotic animals, and will be able to venture closer to adult African lions and tigers than they ever imagined. Guests will meet our amazing white tigers, orange tigers, a very rare golden tabby tiger, cougars, servals, lynxes, leopards, hyenas, coati mundis, and a host of wolves ranging in color from black to white. We feed all of the big cats on the tours, and set up a tiger bubblebath for at least one tiger. We do not allow photography, however, we do offer a fabulous photo CD for a small donation.

St. Augustine Distillery is a locally owned and operated, artisanal spirits distillery in historic, downtown St. Augustine. Located within a beautifully restored ice plant from the turn-of-the-century, our mission is simple: Educate and inspire our guests about our handcrafted, award-winning rum, bourbon whiskey, gin, and vodka. All of our spirits are made from local and regional agricultural products. The result is undeniable; world-class spirits that create the best local cocktails imaginable. Come taste for yourself. St. Augustine Distillery offers free tours and tastings seven days a week.

Flagler College's historic campus is located just four miles from the Atlantic Ocean in the heart of St. Augustine, Fla., the “nation’s oldest city.”The college is named for Henry Morrison Flagler, a Gilded Age industrialist, railroad pioneer and partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil. In 1888, Flagler built the Hotel Ponce de Leon, his first in a series of luxury resorts along Florida’s east coast. A masterpiece of Spanish Renaissance architecture and the first major poured-in-place concrete building in the United States is now known as Ponce de Leon Hall. This National Historic Landmark serves as the centerpiece for the Flagler College.The grand hotel launched the careers of young architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings who are noted most for the New York Public Library and the House and Senate Office Buildings adjacent to the Capitol in Washington, D.C.The Edison Electric Company powered the building with steam heat and 4,000 electric lights, making the Ponce one of the nation’s first electrified buildings. Louis Comfort Tiffany is credited with the building’s interior design including the stained glass and mosaics. Murals were completed by George Willoughby Maynard and Virgilio Tojetti.The hotel was gifted to Flagler College when the institution was founded in 1968. Since then, the college has spent more than $43 million dollars restoring the historic campus and adding new buildings.

Located in historic St. Augustine, Florida, Memorial Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We are not just any church. We are Florida's first Presbyterian congregation, established in 1824. CNN has named us one of the eight religious wonders in the United States. The present sanctuary was given by Henry Morrison Flagler and dedicated in 1890 as a memorial to his daughter Jenny Louise Benedict who died from complications from childbirth. Mr. Flagler, his first wife, Mary, daughter Jenny Louise and granddaughter, Marjorie, are entombed in the Flagler family mausoleum at Memorial. The church is open for visitors Monday-Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Enjoy a tour of the church by one of our trained docents during the week and then return on Sunday to join us in worship. Our visitors come from across the state, the nation, and the world.

Dating to the Spanish town plan of 1573, the property is a centerpiece of St. Augustine’s oldest settlement and is a feature along the city’s first platted thoroughfare, Aviles Street.“The Ximenez~Fatio House museum is one of the first to interpret 19th century women’s history”William Seale, Ph.D.; author, historian, and consultant for interpretation since the 1970’s.

The "Medieval Torture Collection" reminds us just how much suffering humanity can inflict in the name of cause and justice when the right tools are placed in the hands of fanatics, madmen and tyrants. The exhibit fills more than 3000 sq. ft. Spend an hour here and you will better know the nature of fear. Are you brave enough?

A visit to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is more than you might expect! Climb 219 steps for a breathtaking view of both St. Aug and the beaches. Or go below to discover object from a British shipwreck. Take free with admission guided tours at 11 am, 12 noon, 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. Or come early at 9 am to beat the heat. Late in the day is also cooler and we are open all summer until 7 pm. Families can enjoy a self guided tour that includes a shipyard playground and a short nature trail. A small-craft boat building exhibition is on site, and you can see archaeologists at work on objects from under the sea. In the keepers' house see "At Home with the Harns in Post Civil War Household," which tells the story of Major William Harn who was at both Ft Sumter and Gettysburg as an artillery commander. He and his family lived as lighthouse keepers for 20 years after the war. Also climb aboard the sandbar in WRECKED! an exhibition about a 1782 British shipwreck following the American Revolution. Our Archaeologists have discovered this story just for you. Visitors can also encounter ghosts and spirits on the nighttime, Dark of the Moon tour, which is the only St. Augustine ghost tour that gets you inside the Lighthouse tower. Book this tour in advance because it fills up fast. And book mid-week to avoid the crowds. For general admission purchase your tickets on-line in advance w/coupon code LH15 to get a 15% discount off regular admission prices. Or join on the porch with a family membership for discounts to local attractions, and 20% off in the Museum shop as well as free admission all year long. There is always more to come at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.