Local Attractions and Businesses in Saint Augustine, Florida - Sleep Inn

For additional outdoor options, contact the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau and request a copy of its Outdoor Recreation Guide.

Hitting the Beach

There are several places to find sand and sea: Vilano Beach, on the north side of St. Augustine Inlet; and St. Augustine Beach, on the south side (the inlet dumps the Matanzas and North rivers into the Atlantic). Be aware, however, that erosion has almost swallowed the beach from the inlet as far south as Old Beach Road in St. Augustine Beach. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reclaiming the sand, but in the meantime, hotels and homes here have rock seawalls instead of sand bordering the sea.

Erosion has made a less noticeable impact on beautiful Anastasia State Park, on Anastasia Boulevard (Fla. A1A) across the Bridge of Lions and just past the Alligator Farm, where the 4 miles of beach (on which you can drive and park) are still backed by picturesque dunes. On its riverside, the area faces a lagoon. Amenities include shaded picnic areas with grills, restrooms, windsurfing, sailing and canoeing (on a saltwater lagoon), a nature trail, and saltwater fishing (for bluefish, pompano, redfish, and flounder; a license is required for nonresidents). In summer, you can rent chairs, beach umbrellas, and surfboards. There's good bird-watching here, especially in spring and fall; pick up a brochure at the entrance. The 139 wooded campsites are in high demand year-round; they come with picnic tables, grills, and electricity. Admission to the park is $5 per vehicle, $1 per bicyclist or pedestrian. Campsites cost $25. For camping reservations, call tel. 800/326-3521 or go to the Reserve America website. The day-use area is open daily from 8am to sunset. You can bring your pets. For information, contact Anastasia State Park, 1340A Fla. A1A S., St. Augustine, FL 32084 (tel. 904/461-2033).

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, all St. Augustine beaches charge a fee of $3 per car at official access points; the rest of the year, you can park free, but there are no lifeguards on duty or restroom facilities on the beach.

Cruises

The Usina family has been running St. Augustine Scenic Cruises (tel. 904/824-1806) on Matanzas Bay since the turn of the 20th century. They offer 75-minute narrated tours aboard the double-decker Victory III, departing from the Municipal Marina just south of the Bridge of Lions. You can sometimes spot dolphins, brown pelicans, cormorants, and kingfishers. Snacks, soft drinks, beer, and wine are sold onboard. Departures are usually at 11am, 1pm, 2:45pm, and 4:30pm daily except Christmas, with an additional tour at 6:15pm from April 1 to May 21 and from Labor Day to October 15. From May 22 to Labor Day, there are two additional tours, at 6:45 and 8:30pm. Call ahead -- schedules can change during inclement weather. Fares are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $9 for youths ages 13 to 18, and $7 for children ages 4 to 12. If you're driving, allow time to find parking on the street.

You can also take the free ferry to Fort Matanzas on Rattlesnake Island. There are often dolphins in the water as you make the trip, and the fort is interesting. Ferries take off from 8635 Hwy. A1A (follow A1A S. out of St. Augustine for about 15 miles). Call tel. 904/471-0116 or visit the National Park Service website for more information.

Fishing

You can fish to your heart's content at Anastasia State Park (see "Hitting the Beach"). Or you can cast your line off St. Johns County Fishing Pier, at the north end of St. Augustine Beach (tel. 904/461-0119). The pier is open 24 hours daily and has a bait shop with rental equipment that's open from 6am to 10pm. Admission is $2 ($1 children under 12) for fishing, 50¢ for sightseeing.

For full-day, half-day, and overnight deep-sea fishing excursions (for snapper, grouper, porgy, amberjack, sea bass, and other species), contact the Sea Love Marina, 250 Vilano Rd. (Fla. A1A N.), at the eastern end of the Vilano Beach Bridge (tel. 904/824-3328). Full-day trips on the party boat Sea Love II cost about $70; half-day trips $50. No license is required, and rod, reel, bait, and tackle are supplied. Bring your own food and drink.

Golf

The area's best golf resorts are in Ponte Vedra Beach -- a half-hour's drive north on Florida A1A, closer to Jacksonville than St. Augustine.

At World Golf Village, 12 miles north of St. Augustine at exit 95A off I-95 (see the box "Where Golf Is King"), The Slammer & The Squire and The King & The Bear (tel. 904/940-6088) together offer 36 holes amid a wildlife preserve. Locals say they're not as challenging as their greens fees: about $130 in summer, $190 in winter, including cart. For those not schooled in golf history, the "Slammer" is in honor of Sam Sneed, the "Squire" is for Gene Sarazen, the "King" is Arnold Palmer, and the "Bear" is Jack Nicklaus. Palmer and Nicklaus collaborated in designing their course.

Nicklaus also had a hand in the stunning course at the Ocean Hammock Golf Club (tel. 386/477-4600), on Florida A1A in Palm Coast, about halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. With six of its holes skirting the beach, it is the first truly oceanside course built in Florida since the 1920s.

There are only a few courses in St. Augustine, including Ponce de León Hotel, Golf & Conference Resort, 4000 U.S. 1 (tel. 904/829-5314), with its rather flat 18; and the St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, 707 Shores Blvd., off U.S. 1 (tel. 904/794-4653), a par-70, 18-hole course with lots of water, a lighted driving range and putting green, and a restaurant and lounge. Greens fees usually are less than $30, including cart.

For more course information, go to Golf.com or the Florida Golfing website, or call the Florida Sports Foundation (tel. 850/488-8347) or Florida Golfing (tel. 866/833-2663).

Where Golf Is King -- Passionate golf fans can easily spend a day at the World Golf Hall of Fame (tel. 904/940-4123), a state-of-the-art museum honoring professional golf, its great players, and the sport's famous supporters (including comedian Bob Hope and singer Dinah Shore). It's the centerpiece of World Golf Village, a complex of hotels, shops, offices, and 18-hole golf courses. There's an IMAX screen next door.

Museum admission is $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and students, and $11 for children 5 to 12 and includes an IMAX film and a round of golf on the putting green. IMAX tickets range from $7.50 to $12 for adults, $6.50 to $11 for seniors and students, and $5 to $8 for children. The museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm; IMAX movies run until 8pm Friday and Saturday.

You don't have to play the real courses because the village is built around a lake with a "challenge hole" sitting out in the middle, 132 feet from the shoreline. You can hit balls at it or play a round on the nearby putting course. The Walkway of Champions (whose signatures appear in pavement stones) circles the lake and passes a shopping complex where the main tenant is the two-story Tour Stop (tel. 904/940-0422), a purveyor of pricey apparel and equipment.

If you'd like to stay overnight, contact the luxurious World Golf Village Renaissance Resort, 500 S. Legacy Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32092 (tel. 888/740-7020 or 904/940-8000).

The village is at exit 95A off I-95. For more information, contact World Golf Village, 21 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, FL 32092 (tel. 904/940-4000).

Watersports

Jet skis and equipment for surfing and windsurfing can be rented at Surf Station, 1020 Anastasia Blvd. (Fla. A1A), a block south of the Alligator Farm (tel. 904/471-9463); and at Raging Water Sports, at the Conch House Marina Resort, 57 Comares Ave. (tel. 904/829-5001), off Anastasia Avenue (Fla. A1A) halfway between the Bridge of Lions and the Alligator Farm.