Extending my Gainesville conference visit a bit further to the east, I made my way to Saint Augustine, touristicly branded as "the oldest city" in the US. Of all that I’ve seen so far in Florida, I would say this is probably the most charming of them all, with a real European feel to it and history that dates back 400-500 years.
But we’ll get to al; that later. I’ll start from the end. Towards the end of a wonderful day filled with adventure and explorations around this jewel of a city, I headed down east to the Saint Augustine Beach. No massive development, no prominent tourism industry, no boats or jet surfers, just a really wide stretch of beach with wonderful white sand and cool blue waters without too many people. That’s how I like my beach…
Behold, the power of Instagram…
A bit on the beach (source) :
St. Augustine Beach is located on Anastasia Island where you can enjoy white sand beaches, the St. Johns County Pier, a playground, pavilion, fishing pier, volleyball courts, bait shops, fine restaurants, shopping and more. RV and cabin camping areas are located nearby. Vehicles are permitted on the beach within designated areas.
Location: Old A1A Beach Boulevard south of State Road 312 at the St. Johns County Pier, less than five minutes from downtown St. Augustine.
And as the sun set down…
Tranquility.
Not too far away are some national parks for you to explore. If you got time to spare, I would definitely go have a look.