A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE

Hello all,

I just got back a few days ago from a wonderful vacation in St. Augustine. It is an amazing city, so rich in history. Besides the fact it is the oldest city in the US, it is also one of the most haunted. With that said, of course we had to partake in a few haunted ghost tours. If you never been, I highly recommend going on one if you ever get the chance to visit. We had a blast!

One of the things we wanted to make sure we got to see was the Castillo de San Marcos. We visited last time, only having time to visit The Fountain of Youth State Park and the St. Augustine Lighthouse, but really wanting to see the fort. And if you have never seen The Fountain of Youth Park, I highly recommend that also!

The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry and extant 17th century fort in the US. It is one of only 2 forts made of coquina stone, a rare limestone. Because of the stone being so porous, when a cannon ball hit the wall kinda of absorbed it instead of shattering it. We were told on our ghost walk that the entire grassy area of the fort was a mass gravsesite. We were also told a story how they had found a hidden room in the fort where many skeletons  were chained to the walls. One story in particular that stick with me is about a doctor that was at the fort. It was during the Indian War, and the doctor had cut off the head of a Seminole Indian chief and kept it in a pickling jar. It was told he would take it out to show his kids when they misbehaved. Besides the haunted stories, the fort is well preserved and is definitely a must see!

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - CASTILLO SAN DE MARCOS

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - CASTILLO SAN DE MARCOS

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - CASTILLO SAN DE MARCOS

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS

The next day while waiting for the time of our tour, we hit St. George Street, where the city gates were. They were once the only entrance to St. Augustine and were built in 1808 of coquina stone. We were told on one of our tours the old city gates were haunted by a young girl. I was so surprised when I started walking down the cobblestone streets of the historic district. There were so many shops, stores, restaurants, and pubs all nestled among their historical sites like the oldest house, the oldest wooden schoolhouse, and the St. George Inn, which is said to be one of the most haunted inns in the US. We had so many sites  to choose from.

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - ST. GEORGE INN

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - HISTORIC DISTRICT

Of course I had to buy souvenirs,and I bought quite a few from Gator Bob's Trading Post. I found them reasonably priced. They even had a mini museum inside. They had a mutoscope there which I found very interesting and watched a movie on. It's a machine that flips movie cards on something like a rolodex very quickly so they look like they're moving. I also had gotten my fortune told on one of those old fortune telling machines.

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - GATOR BOB'S TRADING POST

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - GATOR BOB'S TRADING POST

While waiting on one of our tours we took in some local fare for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised. We ate at Burger Buckets. It was reasonably priced and not crowded at all. It was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. It was absolutely delicious. The service was quick and friendly too! It was also one of the stops on the Red Train tour we took, so that made it a win win. I highly recommend eating here!

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST.  AUGUSTINE - BURGER BUCKETS

Being in one of the most haunted cities in the US, of course we wanted to stay in one of the haunted inns. But it was not within our budget. I booked one of the cheapest ones I could find , and crossed my fingers. I had made an excellent choice. we stayed at The Southern Oaks Inn. This was one of the  cleanest and well kept places we ever stayed at. I was nervous because the price was so cheap, but it exceeded my expectations. And it was conveiently located on the Red Train tour line and  was just a few minutes drive to everything we wanted to see. Also included was a fee breakfast which was delicious, and offered many choices. The pool was nice and clean. I can't say enough good things about this inn. Check it out if you visit this city for a comfortable nights rest. We will be staying here again! All in all, out visit at St. Augustine was thrilling and fun! We will be visiting again soon!

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - SOUTHERN OAKS INN

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - SOUTHERN OAKS INN

A THRILLING GOOD TIME IN HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE - SOUTHERN OAKS INN