Things to Do in My Favorite American City, St. Augustine

A Spanish explorer named Ponce de Leon in 1513 was looking for the fountain of youth on an enduring journey from Spain landed in what is now America's oldest city, St. Augustine. Sitting on the northeast side of Florida, St. Augustine is also one of America's most popular attractions. There are so many things to do in this old city.

There is actually an archaeological park named The Fountain of Youth right where Ponce de Leon discovered Florida. Inside the park, peacocks and squirrels along with other critters roam free, most of which are allowed to be fed. There are a few educational shows, one inside a small planetarium and another surrounding what was once thought to be the original Fountain of Youth. A Discovery globe, a shipwreck exhibit, and Indian burial grounds with shops make up the rest of the park.

At some point in anyone's stay in St. Augustine, one must visit Castillo San De Marcos. This is a fort that looks over the Matanzas River. There are self guided tours daily at the fort. Occasionally, Park Rangers re-create some of the events and explain the artillary and dress that the Spanish wore back in its history. Cannons still atop the fort while torture dungeons and a medic room sit at the bottom. There is also a ghost tour that walks behind the fort at night where your tour guide will let you borrow an electromagnetic field detector, commonly known as EMF.

A wonderful thing about St. Augustine is that it has an Old Trolley Tour, which people can hop on and off throughout the day or you can buy a ticket for 3 days. This is extremely convenient. The most famous shopping area, historical events, historical attractions, beds and breakfasts, bars, and much more are located on a cobblestone street, namely St. George. If there is something you need to find, this street is where it can be found.

Although the city has amazing daytime activities, it's the dark past that brings most of the tourists. So may cities claim to be the most haunted city in America, but St. Augustine usually holds true to its claim with evidence from paranormal shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. Ghost Hunters had evidence from the lighthouse, which is actually located on Anastasia Island. Ghost Adventures had evidence from Castillo San De Marcos. Ghost advocates come from all over the world to St. Augustine hoping to catch something out of this world. Ghost tours are abundant all over this city. Most of them are interesting, but the one not to see unless you are an avid drinker is the bar hop tour.

Other St. Augustine attractions are Ripley's Believe it or Not, Alligator Farm Zoological Park, and the beach. There is so much to see in this city, whether it be day or night. There are a plethera of things do here, but the ghost tours and the never ending fun is what makes St. Augustine my favorite American city.