St. Johns County

St. Johns County is known as Florida’s Historic Coast for the rich history of the nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine. The seaside town is enjoyed for the charm of its historic district and cobblestone streets.

Aviles Street has been home to the city’s vibrant arts district since the 1930s, inviting visitors to enjoy galleries and local musical performances. There is ample opportunity to explore native, colonial and civil war era history including at the Castillo de San Marcos which began construction in 1672.

The Castillo de San Marcos was built with blocks of coquina rock, a type of limestone made of sand and mollusk shells from coquina quarries like those located in Anastasia State Park. In addition to canoeing, kayaking and hiking in the park’s 1,600 acres of unspoiled beaches, the park offers a unique opportunity for geo-seeking and is an excellent location for beachcombing.

Visitors can discover the full history at Fort Mose Historic State Park through the park’s museum, tours and annual re-enactments.

The Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve is uniquely situated within the borders of the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Its barrier island, salt marshes, freshwater-to-brackish water lagoon, and open ocean habitats are a haven to sea turtles, shorebirds and endangered wood storks. Swimming, boating, fishing and crabbing are popular water-related activities and hiking, biking and birding are popular upland activities.

Faver-Dykes State Park on the outskirts of St. Augustine is replete with tidal marshes, creeks and longleaf pines. Hiking and biking are available along the park’s four nature trails. The Hiram Faver Trail offers a shaded 2.6-mile trail culminating in an overlook of Pellicer Flats. Bordering the southern end of the park is the Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve, enjoyed for its state designated paddling trail and sites along the Great Florida Birding Trail.