Active Pursuits in St. Augustine
Beaches in St. Augustine
There are several places to find sand and sea: Vilano Beach, on the north side of St. Augustine Inlet; and St. Augustine Beach, on the south side (the inlet dumps the Matanzas and North rivers into the Atlantic). Be aware, however, that erosion has almost swallowed the beach from the inlet as far south as Old Beach Road in St. Augustine Beach. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reclaiming the sand (not without controversy as they are taking sand from the St. Augustine Inlet, which some say is harming the area’s north beaches), but in the meantime, hotels and homes here have rock seawalls instead of sand bordering the sea.
Erosion has made a less noticeable impact on Anastasia State Park, on Anastasia Boulevard (A1A) across the Bridge of Lions and just past the Alligator Farm, where the 4 miles of beach (on which you can drive and park) are still backed by picturesque dunes. On its river side, the area faces a lagoon. Amenities include shaded picnic areas with grills, restrooms, windsurfing, sailing and canoeing (on a saltwater lagoon), a nature trail, and saltwater fishing (for bluefish, pompano, redfish, and flounder; a license is required for nonresidents). In summer, you can rent chairs, beach umbrellas, and surfboards. There’s good bird-watching here, especially in spring and fall; pick up a brochure at the entrance. The 139 wooded campsites are in high demand year-round; they come with picnic tables, grills, and electricity. Admission to the park is $8 per vehicle, $4 single-occupant vehicle, $2 per bicyclist or pedestrian. Campsites cost $28. For camping reservations, call 📞 800/326-3521 or go to www.reserveamerica.com. The day-use area is open daily from 8am to sunset. You can bring your pets.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, all St. Augustine beaches charge a fee of $3 per car at official access points; the rest of the year, you can park free, but there are no lifeguards on duty or restroom facilities on the beach.
Cruises in St. Augustine
The Usina family has been running St. Augustine Scenic Cruises (tel. 904/824-1806) on Matanzas Bay since the turn of the 20th century. They offer 75-minute narrated tours aboard the double-decker Victory III, departing from the Municipal Marina just south of the Bridge of Lions. You can sometimes spot dolphins, brown pelicans, cormorants, and kingfishers. Snacks, soft drinks, beer, and wine are sold onboard. Departures are usually at 11am and 1, 2:45, and 4:30pm daily except Christmas, with an additional tour at 6:15pm April to May 21 and from Labor Day to October 15. From May 22 to Labor Day, there are two additional tours, at 6:45 and 8:30pm. Check the website: schedules can change during inclement weather. Fares are $24.50 for adults, $21 for seniors, $11 for children 4 to 12. If you’re driving, allow time to find parking on the street.You can also take the free ferry (visitor passes must be obtained at the Visitor Center) to Fort Matanzas on Rattlesnake Island. There are often dolphins in the water as you make the trip, and the fort is interesting. Ferries take off from 8635 Hwy. A1A (follow A1A S. out of St. Augustine for about 15 miles). Call tel. 904/471-0116 or visit www.nps.gov/foma for more information.
Eco-Tours on the Space Coast
St. Augustine Eco Tours (tel. 904/377-7245), offers several kayak and boat tours through St. Augustine’s waterways, including Guana River and Lake, Moultrie Creek, Moses Creek, Washington Oaks, Faver-Dykes, and Six Mile Landing. Prices range from $25 to $65. They also have a 27-foot catamaran sailing into the remote backwaters, creeks, and estuaries for glimpses of manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, and birds. Cost is $65 for adults, $45 for kids 12 and under.Ripple Effect Eco Tours (tel. 904/347-1565) is a Marineland partner that offers excellent eco-educational walking tours, jet boat tours, and lighted-firefly kayak sunset tours. Rates start at $60 per person.
Game On Fishing Charters (tel. 904/607-6399) offers an alligator trapping tour led by a licensed alligator trapper that takes you from swamps to golf course fairways on a mission to subdue and remove nuisance gators. Cost is $500 per person including license and equipment that will get you right into the middle of the action as you assist in the snaring, subduing, and taping of the gator’s monster jaws. Good luck and, please, send us a picture.
Fishing in St. Augustine
You can fish to your heart’s content at Anastasia State Park. Or you can cast your line off St. Johns County Fishing Pier, at the north end of St. Augustine Beach (tel. 904/461-0119). The pier is open 24 hours daily and has a bait shop with rental equipment that’s open from 6am to 10pm. Admission is $6 for fishing (free for children under 6) , $2 for sightseeing.
For full-day, half-day, and overnight deep-sea fishing excursions (for snapper, grouper, porgy, amberjack, sea bass, and other species), contact Sea Love Charters, at Cat’s Paw Marina, 220 Nix Boat Yard Rd. (tel. 904/824-3328). Full-day trips on the party boat Sea Love II cost about $120 for adults, $115 for seniors, and $110 for kids under 14; half-day trips $80 for adults, $75 for seniors, and $70 for kids under 14. No license is required, and rod, reel, bait, and tackle are supplied. Bring your own food and drink.
Golf in St. Augustine
St. Augustine’s World Golf Hall of Fame closed in 2023 due to lack of interest and moved to North Carolina. Perhaps people were too busy playing golf to visit. The area’s best golf resorts, however, are in Ponte Vedra Beach—a half-hour’s drive north on A1A, closer to Jacksonville than St. Augustine and the home of PGA’s global headquarters.
The Tournament Players Club (TPC) Sawgrass (tel. 904/273-3235) offers the Tour Player Experience, where duffers will be treated like pros and have access to the exclusive wing of the 77,000-square-foot clubhouse where only actual pros, such as Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk, are allowed. You also get a personal caddy wearing a bib with your name on it. The experience also includes a stay at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa, dinner, spa services, instruction at the Tour Academy, and a golf gift bag that includes balls, marker, and shirt. Rates start at $2,755 per person.At World Golf Village, 12 miles north of St. Augustine, at exit 95A off I-95, the Slammer & The Squire and the King & The Bear (tel. 904/940-6088) together offer 36 holes amid a wildlife preserve. Locals say they’re not as challenging as their greens fees, which start at around $185 and go up, way up, from there. Specials, however, are available off season and off times. For those not schooled in golf history, the “Slammer” is in honor of Sam Sneed, the “Squire” is for Gene Sarazen, the “King” is Arnold Palmer, and the “Bear” is Jack Nicklaus. Palmer and Nicklaus collaborated in designing their course.
Nicklaus also had a hand in the stunning course at the Ocean Hammock Golf Club at the Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa (tel. 386/477-4600), on A1A, in Palm Coast, about halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. With 6 of its holes skirting the beach, it is the first truly oceanside course built in Florida since the 1920s.
There are only a few courses in St. Augustine, including the St. Augustine Shores Golf Club, 707 Shores Blvd., off U.S. 1 (tel. 904/794-4653), a par-70, 18-hole course with lots of water, a lighted driving range and putting green, and a restaurant and lounge. Greens fees usually around $30ish, including cart.
