Travel: Saint Augustine, Florida

Have you ever been to Saint Augustine? I was recently invited to visit Saint Augustine with my favorite girlfriends, who are also midlife influencers and bloggers. We spent five days exploring the oldest city in America. Saint Augustine is about a six-hour drive from Atlanta.

Our Visit to Saint Augustine

We spent five days exploring the oldest city in America. Saint Augustine is about a six-hour drive from Atlanta and is located near Orlando and Jacksonville airport if you plan to fly.

On this trip, from left to right, Shauna, Shannon, Sheshe, Rhoda, and Tonya Parker joined me. We have created an over 50 travel group that has been invited to visit cities on behalf of the tourism boards of those cities. As over 50-year-old women, we share highlights, restaurants, and activities that we feel our demographic would enjoy learning about. You have seen me share many times cities that I was invited to visit before. This was the first time a city invited me and my group of midlife influencers and bloggers.

This was also a working trip for the six of us because Chico’s, Soma, and Easy Spirit wanted us to shoot content as a group to promote their new collections. When we were together in Las Vegas last September, we shot the fall collection for Chico’s.

We are paid to promote the brands wherever we are. These brands were very excited that we were traveling to Saint Augustine together, so they sent us clothes and shoes for our trip!

St. George Inn

The St. George Inn, one of the preferred St Augustine hotels downtown, was our host for our stay. It has proudly blended timeless surroundings with legendary hospitality for nearly two decades. This hotel offers a light breakfast and has a fabulous wine bar. They feature 70+ wines by the glass poured through a Coravin. Over 45 of the wines are rated 90 or above.

Patio Area by St. George Inn, where musicians entertained us every night.

We actually shot our Soma sleepwear right inside the courtyard one chilly morning. People thought we were at a bachelorette party! In fact, one lady asked if we were shooting, and when we said yes, she proceeded to walk through the shot! Intentional photo bombing was not what we are accustomed to!

Historic Downtown Saint Augustine

There was so much to see and do during our visit. From exploring Flagler College and Lightner Museum to popping into the shops that lined the streets, we had so much fun!

The streets near the hotel reminded me of European cities, not Florida cities that I had been to in the past.

Lots of fun artist shops beckoned us in to spend a dollar or two.

Another great way to see Saint Augustine is to take the Old Town Trolley Tours as a way to learn about the history of Saint Augustine.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

We enjoyed walking around the monument in our Easy Spirit sneakers. Saint Augustine has a lot to see, and we made sure our feet were going to last the day while exploring. Whenever you have a lot of walking to do on your visits to cities, make sure your feet are comfortable.

Lightner Museum

This is the Lightner Museum, which is a museum of antiquities, mostly American Gilded Age pieces, housed within the historic Hotel Alcazar building in downtown St. Augustine. This 1887 Spanish Renaissance Revival-style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum occupies three floors of the former Hotel Alcazar, commissioned by Henry M. Flagler to appeal to wealthy tourists who traveled south for the winter on his railroad, the Florida East Coast Railway.

We were joined by another influencer who lives in Saint Augustine. I have known Safura for five years while following her on Instagram. It’s amazing the immediate friendship Safura and I have because we have followed each other on Instagram. She was the one who put the luncheon reception together with the Casa Monica Hotel. A wonderful and kind gesture from her and the hotel.

I was standing in front of the Lightner Museum.

Flagler College

We visited Flagler College and took a tour, and our guide shared the history of Flagler College. Flagler College celebrates 50 years of providing a rich, comprehensive liberal arts education in a small, supportive environment. Its heritage, however, extends back more than a century.

The college is named for Henry Morrison Flagler, a Gilded Age industrialist, railroad pioneer, and entrepreneur who partnered with John D. Rockefeller to found the Standard Oil Company.

In 1888, Flagler built the Hotel Ponce de León, 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. A National Historic Landmark, it serves as the centerpiece for Flagler College.

Learn more about the history.

The Grand Parlor at Flagler College.

Outside of Historic Saint Augustine- Anastasia Island

If you have a car, I highly recommend that you spend a day exploring the nearby islands on the Florida coast near Saint Augustine.

We went over to Anastasia Island, crossing the Bridge of Lions to see the HGTV dream home and the lighthouse.

Where We Ate and Highly Recommended

Catch 27

On our first night in Saint Augustine, we ate at Catch 27. Catch 27 is a fresh-catch seafood restaurant with great food and atmosphere.

Michael’s

Located in Historic St. Augustine, Florida, Michael’s offers a casually elegant dining experience with a celebrated chef, dedicated staff, and a passion for exquisite flavors and world-class wines. The food was delicious, and the staff was superb!

I had the beet salad and the shrimp and gnocchi pasta dish, which was the best gnocchi I have ever had!

Cordova Chop House at Casa Monica Resort & Spa

We were hosted by Casa Monica Resort & Spa for lunch in the newly renovated Cordova Restaurant inside the hotel. Casa Monica is part of the Kessler Collection and Marriott Autograph Collection.

The Kesller Collection representatives created a lunch that was over the top and so memorable for us on our last day in Saint Augustine.

The lounge area at the Cordova Restaurant was where we toasted our stay in Saint Augustine with mimosas.

See a video of our lunch at Cordova here.

Columbia Restaurant

On our last night, we ate at another fantastic restaurant that is always recommended and has great reviews, the Columbia Restaurant, considered the oldest restaurant in Florida and a gem of Spanish restaurants. I had margaritas, Columbia’s Original “1905” Salad (shared with the group), and Chicken Salteado. Everything was delicious! You must eat here when you visit!

Well, my friends, it was hard to say goodbye to the charm and hospitality that St. Augustine showed us. So many wonderful memories and moments with my girlfriends. I hope you enjoyed it!

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Until next time!