A RELAXING TIME ONBOARD THE SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

    I received compensation in the form of tickets  in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Hello all,


Well it looks like I made it back alive. I just spent an awesome 3 days in the most haunted city in the US, St. Augustine. And let me tell you, it was so much fun! With St. Augustine offering an abundance of tours,  we had to partake in several of them. One of my favorite ones we went on was the Scenic Cruise of St. Augustine .

                                                 SCECNI CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

                                            SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

                                               SCENIC CRUISE OS ST. AUGUSTINE

                                                SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE-UPPER TOP SEATING

There is no better way to see the sights of historic St. Augustine. We couldn't of asked for better weather, enjoying a nice cool breeze off the water to combat one of  Florida's usually humid days. First off the boat was easy to locate, conveniently located at the Municipal Marina. They have many cruises available through out the day with some days as late as 6:45. The cruise last about an hour and 15 minutes.

The boat was named Victory III and there was ample seating. They had seating on the top deck by the captain, in the main part of the deck, and even seating out front at the bow. It wasn't very crowded when we went so we had lots of space to stretch out. Drinks were also available for purchase, and thankfully the had a restroom on board.

                                                   SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE- THE BOW

The Scenic Cruise takes you down St. Augustine's intracoastal waterway down Matanzas Bay. It is narrated by the captain as he points out historic landmarks and gives us information about them. He is very knowledgeable. Many things we saw were the Ponce De Leon Hotel, the historic and haunted St. Augustine Lighthouse, and the Bridge of Lions. The Bridge of Lions was built in the 1920's as a way for people to travel from St. Augustine to Anastasia Island. Marble lions guard the bridge. The St. Augustine Lighthouse was built between 1871-1874 and sits on the north end of Anastasia Island.

                                                   SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE- THE CAPTAIN

                                   SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE- CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS

                                     SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE- BRIDGE OF LIONS

We saw many friendly people out on their boats enjoying the water and fishing. It was very relaxing, and their was much wildlife to see. The Scenic Cruise of St. Augustine was a lot of fun and a great way to see the city. Their number is 904-824-1806, and I highly recommend this tour!

                                            SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

                                            SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

                                            SCENIC CRUISE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT THE SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

   I received compensation in the form of tickets  in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Hello all,

Well it looks like I made it back alive. I just spent an awesome 3 days in the most haunted city in the US, St. Augustine. And let me tell you, it was so much fun! With St. Augustine offering an abundance of tours.  we had to partake in several of them. One of my favorite ones we went on was the tour of the Spanish Military Hospital Museum. 

Our tour guide was very friendly and very knowledgeable. She really knew her stuff! We started off lookin at some display cases showcasing items used during the time period. There was even a case filled with prosthetic limbs they used then.

                                             SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

Then we proceeded into the next room. There was much to see here! First off our guide showed off some of the medical instruments used back in the day. She explained what each was used for. She said back then they didn't have anesthesia as they do today, so they used opium and medicinal herbs to help lessen the pain! She said because of the religion of the Spanish people, they washed their hands constantly throughout the day. They also constantly cleaned and wiped down their hospitals and medical instruments and beds That gave you much better odds of pulling through a medical procedure if it was performed at a Spanish Hospital. Here you see some of their instruments, and our guide showing us a bone saw.

                                            SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

                                                      SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

Next we looked at some of the beds patients would be in during their stay, and objects that they might have with them. In the photo below you see a bed for an invalid. The bed actually has a hole in it with a chamber pot underneath for using the bathroom in. Then on the wall is a photo of the typical diet they would have back then.

                                            SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

                  

                                                  SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

Lastly we moved into the apothecary room. Here our guide showed us some of the medicinal herbs that were used back then. She told us lavender was used a lot and  was used in their general cleaning and they burned it as an incense to calm the patients. Others, like salix alba is much like the aspirin we use today. Some came with side effects, like hallucinations, like the one she said they used to put you to sleep for operations.

                                            SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

                                           SPANISH MILITARY HOSPITAL MUSEUM

All in all, the tour was a great learning experience and a lot of fun! I highly recommend it if visiting St. Augustine. For more information their number is 904-342-7730, and is located at 3 Aviles Street, St. Augustine.

OUR EERIE TIME WITH A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER GHOST TOUR

  I received compensation in the form of tickets  in exchange for writing this review. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Hello all,

Well it looks like I made it back alive. I just spent an awesome 3 days in the most haunted city in the US, St. Augustine. And let me tell you, it was so much fun! We went on many tours, and one we had to partake in being in a haunted city was to take a haunted ghost tour. We wound up going on a tour A Ghostly Encounter Ghost Tour. 


We were fortunate to be staying in one of the inns within walking distance of the Old City Gates which is where A Ghostly Encounter is located. Then we walked up to the window and checked in with a very friendly lady. Our tour guide was Morgan. She was dressed in a period costume and had a very friendly and professional attitude. We got there a little early, and only had to wait about 30 minutes to start. We were part of a large group of about 20.

                                              A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER GHOST TOUR

                                      MORGAN- OUR TOUR GUIDE- A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

Our tour guide Morgan was very, very knowledgeable and really knew her history of St. Augustine well. She shared so many stories with us, and  was a great storyteller. She was very funny and entertaining. Our first stop was at the Oldest Wooden School House on George St. There she told us how one of their other tour guides Matt, was doing a tour there and a ghost of a gray haired lady in a period dress walked right past him. No one saw her but him, but fortunately someone got a photo of her while they were taking a photo of the school house. She showed us the picture!

                                           MATT- A TOUR GUIDE FOR A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

 The next stops were stops were at  2 old cemeteries.  In one cemetery you could see one small headstone by itself. She told the story of a woman who lived in the house right next to this cemetery a long time ago.  She had a young son who played in the cemetery often. He died from falling from a tree there. She had her sons body buried in the cemetery. The woman could no longer stand to look out her window seeing the headstone of her deceased son, so she moved away, but never came back for her sons body. The tour guide Morgan told us some people have taken pictures of the boys ghost in the tree from which he fell that is located in the cemetery. She told us most of the time the ghost only appears to children. One time she was doing a school tour and asked the children if anyone could see the boys ghost in the tree. She said all of the kids could see it and one showed her a picture of him. She showed us the picture.! Below is a picture I took of the tree. If you look closely you can see something in the tree. She told us another story how only people of the Catholic religion could be buried there.

                                          BOY GHOST IN TREE IN CEMETARY- A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

                                    PHOTO OF OLD CEMETARY- A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

We worked ourselves around the area and came to the Fort Castillo de San Marcos. It is the oldest masonry fort in the US, and is haunted. She told us a few stories about the fort like the grass around it was one large grave site. She told us the story about a doctor from the fort who cut off an Indian chiefs head and showed it to his children when they misbehaved. She also walked us around the fort and showed us an oven where the soldiers in the fort would reshape and reuse already fired cannon balls. She then showed us a wall of the fort where she said a firing squad performed mass executions. You could see the holes in the walls. I took a picture of this wall while on this tour, I think it looks eerily like bullet ricochets in the picture.

                                  FORT CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS- A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

                                   FORT CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS- A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER

Finally, at the end of the tour we wrapped up by heading to where we started. Morgan said the place was known for a lot of ghost activity. She showed us some divining rods and explained how to use them and what they meant and how they were used to find ghostly energy. They seemed to be showing lots of ghostly energy.

All in all, we had a great time and learned a lot about St. Augustine. I definitely recommend a Ghostly Encounter Ghost Walking tour the next time you visit! We definitely will be taking this tour again! For information about their tours, call 904-827-0807.