Must Stop – St Augustine

The brisk winter weather with a fierce north wind made a stop in St Augustine a convenient necessity.  (Travel on the Atlantic is unpleasant with strong winds – especially from the north, so we puttered inside down the St Johns River and on the ICW to St Augustine.)

                           St Johns River and ICW scenery.

Stopping here is not hardship – the city moorings are both handy to the historic old town and reasonably priced.  The local cruising community hosts a “net” each morning at 8 AM on the VHF radio to give visitors and residents the latest info on happenings and deals.  The cruiser lounge is also a genial meeting place where we reconnected with fellow Krogen owners Vicky and Matt.  We had spotted their boat as we turned onto the ICW from the St Johns but never got close enough to read their name.  While we spent a quiet night behind Pine Island in the Florida marshes, they came on into St Augustine. It is amazing how frequently we reconnect with fellow cruisers by accident! 

Although a tourist town, St Augustine has history and charm far beyond the kitschy veneer. A bounty of great restaurant options also helps make this an easy stop to enjoy.  On this trip, we spent a few hours in the Lightner Museum.  This beautiful tribute to late 19^th and early 20^th Century arts and crafts is housed in the old Alcazar Hotel which was built by Henry Flagler. Otto Lightner purchased it for his collections after the hotel closed and then gave it to the citizens of St Augustine.  Part of the building houses city offices and shops in addition to the museum which includes the former hotel’s casino, gym, roman baths, ballroom and swimming pool.  These grand spaces are perfect to display the opulent collections of porcelains, glassware, object d’art, furniture and various unique items.  We managed to visit during one of the demonstrations of the automated musical instruments. The curator displayed and entertained us with everything from a tiny music box amplified on a sounding board to a huge “orchestrium” which played from a punch card book.

                              

                                     

                            

                                     

                         

The Admiral was also fascinated by the button collection and the Victorian Village shop windows.  The Captain lingered over  the match boxes and liquor labels. The impressive ballroom overlooks the former swimming pool that is currently used as the Alcazar Café – where we also enjoyed a relaxing lunch.

                                  

                               

                                        

Beautifully maintained historic buildings abound in this city – we also stopped in to admire the cathedral as we wondered the streets. 

                                   

                              

                              

It is hard to believe that hurricane Matthew flooded this downtown last fall.  The resilience of the citizens is remarkable and reason enough to stop and spend a few tourist dollars in support of the local businesses. As a bonus we managed to visit during the magical season of lights!