We headed straight to our B&B for the next two nights, Hemingway House. It was located right in the heart of St Augustine, next to the main street and within walking distance to most of the key attractions. We had chosen the B&B not only for its location and 5 star rating on Trip Adviser but also as each room comes with its own parking space and parking in St Augustine is a challenge!
We parked up in our allocated spot at the back of the property and were greeted by the owner of the B&B who showed us around the comfortably furnished common areas with books, drinks and snacks and best of all, homemade cookies! We headed up to our room on the first floor which had a huge balcony overlooking the front of the house, perfect for people watching in the evenings.
Every night Jerry, the B&B owner, offered beer, wine and snacks to the guests on the front porch. It was a great way to hear about the history of the B&B (and why it is called Hemingway House), to get some tips on where to go in St Augustine and to meet the other guests. We have met some amazing people in B&B's around America, it has made us think twice about booking hotels in the future, especially when visiting smaller, historic towns and cities.
We ventured out to a recommended bar opposite the B&B called the Tini Martini Bar. Here we sat outside and ordered martinis from the huge menu and listened to live jazz from a very talented pianist. The martinis are brought to your table in a shaker, the waiter then shakes them and pours you a glass, leaving the remaining liquid in the shaker for you to top up with later.
After all the driving we had done today alongside the sea, we were both in the mood for Sushi so we tried the Thai House and Sushi Bar. For a non-Japanese restaurant, the sushi was actually very good although the live music they had in their courtyard was so bad, we were forced to retreat inside to eat. No one should be allowed to play Michael Jackson hits on a Casio keyboard where the aim is to use as many of the pre-recorded beats as possible.
We finished the night off with a stroll down the main road and a nightcap at the Prohibition Kitchen.
The next day, we woke up to a tasty breakfast cooked by the B&B owner and then headed out to buy a ticket for a tour of the city on the Old Trolley Tours Company. There are actually 2 trolley tour companies in St Augustine, we chose the Old Trolley Tours as we have used this company a couple of times and all of the tours have all been really good fun with none of the tour guides taking themselves or the tour too seriously. In St Augustine, there was also the Ripley's Red Train Tours which looked very similar to the Old Trolley Tours and even had a very similar route.
The tour took us to 23 stops around the city, with buses coming to each stop every 10-15 minutes so there wasn't long to wait when we wanted to hop on and off. The tour covered the western themed Old Jail, the City Gates, the Castillo de San Marcos, the Sevilla and Valencia Church, the St Augustine Distillery, Whetstones Chocolate Factory, the Spanish Military Hospital, the Oldest House, San Marco and Old Mission, the Howard Johnson Hotel and the Fountain of Youth.
St Augustine is the oldest city in the US and we managed to meet the oldest resident, Old Senator is a 600 years old tree that sits in the parking lot of the Howard Johnson Hotel, maybe it helps that he sits right next door to the Fountain of Youth. We didn't have time to visit the fountain which I expect is something we are going to regret when we return home!
The location of our B&B made it perfect to head back to quickly if we needed refreshments, a rest or just a good toilet (as Lee did). We did this a couple of times during the day before jumping back on the tour. There were also plenty of bars in St Augustine for regular hydration stops, most of them had live music throughout the day and night and a good selection of beers and cocktails. It wasn't quite the party towns of New Orleans and Nashville but there was lots going on in this city.
After the wine, beer and nibbles back at the B&B, we went back to Prohibition Kitchen with fellow guests from the B&B Kevin and Lisa where we were introduced to a Floridan special, Collard Greens. We had a great evening chatting, laughing at some of the great Halloween costumes on display and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of St Augustine.
We ended the night back on the balcony enjoying a glass of sherry people watching.
It felt like St Augustine had it all - there was history, culture, nightlife, beaches and a chilled way of life. We both really enjoyed visiting this city and compared it to Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Trying to see everything St Augustine has to offer in just one day is impossible, it felt like we didn't even manage to scratch the surface. This is another place we are going to have to add to the list of places to return to!
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