The Teeming Millions have never led me astray in the past, so I’ll come to you in my time of need:
I’m heading down to St. Augustine, FL the from August 21-28. I’ve never been there before. What’s there to do or see, besides a bunch of tourist trap ‘fountains of youth?’
Thanks. 
There are a fair number of museums and historical locations in St. Augustine. There’s the Old City part of downtown, which is closed to traffic. You can walk all over there and buy souvenirs etc. If you have any kids, there are some fairground rides near the old city, as well. If you’re really into shopping, there are LARGE outlet malls that have stores of every possible description. And of course, there’s the beach.
I must mention that if you like sandwiches, I mean really good sandwiches, since you will be practically in Jacksonville, you ought to pay a visit to European Street, a restaurant. My wife and I make a point of going there every time we’re in Jax. Great food.
Ooooh, St. Augustine is fun and there’s lots to do. I’m actually gonna be there this weekend (actually Crescent Beach which is just south of there).
The neatest thing is Castillo De San Marcos which is this huge fort constructed entirely of coquina by the Spaniards who first landed there.
Because St. Augustine is the oldest city in North America, it’s totally worth taking a sight seeing tour. I took a horse carriage one years ago and it was fun. There’s a whole bunch of oldest things like oldest church,oldest schoolhouse, oldest etc… PLus there are a bunch of beautiful churches and Flagler College is really pretty. It used to be a luxury resort built by the famous hotelier Henry Flagler.
There’s also Potter’s Wax Museum right near the fort. I’ve always wanted to go (I’m sure it’s totally cheesy) but my mom’s always said no. Gosh darnit, now that I’m 37, I think I might go anyway…
Be sure to check out The St. Augustine Alligator Farm. It sounds like one of those cheesy roadside things but it’s actually quite well-run and has an amazing collection of exotic reptiles. Be sure to catch an alligator feeding time when they feed the gators skinned nutria (shipped from Texas). A few years ago, a feeder was careless and actually lost his arm. :eek:
If y’all want to hit the beach Anastasia State Recreation Area is the closest to St. Augustine and is very nice since it’s not built up with condos.
If you get real bored one night, Cross and Sword is the official state play. Oh, dang, I see it ceased production in 1996. Oh, well. It was kinda neat to see the story of Florida’s discovery acted out.
That’s all I can think of for now. I’ll add stuff if it comes to me (or if I see something cool this trip).
Tremor: Ooh, I’ll definitely check out that fort. Unfortunately, I don’t do much churchgoing, even for recreation, so I suppose I’ll leave that off the itinerary. I’ve heard about the Alligator Farm. The sightseeing sounds great, so I’ll be sure to take a tour or three. 
A little more information-- I’m fourteen years old, and I’m fascinated by the arts, so any obscure musea or galleries are of interest.
Thanks!
I love the fort! Also try the Lightner museum, and they have a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not with some cool shrunken heads. There some good creepy ghost tours, and be sure to take a stroll on the riverside. Lots of nice shops.
Be sure to take a hat, and water. You will be very hot!
I liked the Old Towne Trolley Tour, but I’m cheesy that way. We went on Halloween night, so it was the “haunted St. Augustine” tour!
If you like golf, the PGA National Golf Hall of Fame is there.
The view from the St. Augustine Lighthouse is breathtaking (especially after 219 stairs - fear not, there is a bench part of the way up).
And I second/third/etc. the Flagler College tour, especially if they let you into the college dining room (the artwork and woodworking is amazing, as well as the antiques and architecture in general, in addition to knowing that the well-to-do strutted throughout the grounds). Of course this depends if you get a knowlegeable tour guide: one of our was great and the other seemed - to - be - read - ing - from - a - stand - ard - tour - guide - man - u - al…
The downtown historic district is really cool, if not just for the shops, but also for checking out the architecture. And take a gander through some of the neighborhoods: the streets are extremely narrow and some of the houses nearly overhang the streets. Very quaint in spots.
Okay, the ghost tours are kinda cheesy, but hey, sometimes you gotta do the tourista thing.