Tag Archives: St. Augustine

Southern US--Spring 2014, United States

The Old Forts of St. Augustine

April 18, 2014 Angie Leave a comment

4500 miles traveled so far.

After Cocoa Beach, we stopped in St. Augustine and learned a little about the history of that area. It claims to be the oldest continually occupied city in the US, dating back about 500 years. I know the Indians that live on Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico dispute that claim since they have continually occupied their city for 1500 years. You can see my post about them here.

Anyway, we explored a couple of very old Spanish forts and had lots of fun meeting people and talking history. You can see my pictures here.

On Good Friday, we spent the day in the car driving from St. Augustine to Asheville, North Carolina. It’s a really neat city, I wish we had more time to explore it. I was really looking forward to visiting the Biltmore Estate—the home of the Vanderbilts— but it’s supposed to pour rain tomorrow and the tickets are $69 a person! I think that’s the first time an entrance fee has really made me stop and consider whether it was really worth it. It seems comparable to the Hearst Mansion and they only charge $25.

In any case, stay tuned because we’re venturing into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park tomorrow and I hope to have some good stuff to share with you. Just in case you’re wondering: no, we don’t plan to stop in Dollywood. Sorry. : )

Southern US--Spring 2014, United States

St. Augustine–Photos of Old Forts :)

Gallery April 17, 2014 Angie

To get to Fort Matanzas (aka Fort Slaughter), you have to take a short boat ride. I took this from the boat as we approached. We saw several dolphins in the river, by the way.

I thought the corner bastion was quite decorative and interesting.

A view of the river from the gun deck. The fort protected the river that lead to St. Augustine and allowed the residents there to be re-supplied, even when the ocean port was baracaded.

Here we are! It was chilly, only in the low 60s.

A view of the bastion from the gun deck.

Inside the fort. It’s not a very big room. They think only about 10 men would have been posted here.

Bob is climbing the ladder from the bedroom to the roof. It’s the same ladder that’s in the picture above him.

A view of the top of the bastion from the roof.

Here I am in the doorway of the bastion.

I like these trees in the parking lot.

They look like eyes, or maybe peacock feathers.

This is the Castillo de San Marcos, a much larger fort that protected St. Augustine. Here hundreds of men could have been stationed. It was built in the 1500s by the Spanish to protect Florida which was its colony. Florida wasn’t made a part of the US until the 1820s.