Anastasia State Park

St. Augustine Amphitheatre

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre hosts numerous different types of events year round. Check the schedule, then book your rental from First Choice Florida Vacation Rentals when there’s a great show in town!

Built in 1965 to commemorate St. Augustine’s 400th Anniversary as our nation’s oldest permanent European settlement, the 16-acre section of Anastasia State Park that makes up the amphitheatre grounds includes an old quarry where coquina rock was obtained to build early St. Augustine homes and commercial buildings, as well as the fort, Castillo de San Marcos.

Pulitzer-prize winner Dr. Paul Green wrote The Cross & Sword, a symphonic drama to re-enact the founding and early years of St. Augustine under Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Following the completion of the Amphitheatre in 1965, the play began its 32 year run on the stage. Then in 1973, Cross & Sword was designated “Florida’s Official State Play” by the State Legislature in recognition of the cultural and historic value of the production and the events portrayed on stage. In 1996, the Cross & Sword had its final performance.

In 2002, St. Johns County made the decision to invest in refurbishing the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. After 5 years of construction and a sizeable investment, the Amphitheatre is a state of the art performing arts venue with the capacity to hold up to 4100 concert goers. A brand new conference room, 4 concession stands, a merchandise area, a large plaza, and an elaborate arboretum of walking trails make up the new facility.

Weekends bring us a Saturday morning Farmers Market to the Amphitheatre. Located right out side our front gates, you can find many local crafts and produce stands.

Seating Capacity

Total Number of Seats: 4092 (including fully obstructed seats)

Seated Pit

Pit: 459 (Includes 46 wheelchair seats)
100’s: 1081
200’s: 1386 (Includes 40 wheelchair seats)
300’s: 974 (breakdown: 759 regular seats, 136 partially obstructed, 79 fully obstructed)

Total number of seats:

3821 (excluding fully obstructed)
3900 (including fully obstructed)

Standing Pit

Pit: 600 (no wheel chair seats in pit)
100’s: 1081
200’s: 1437 (includes 91 wheelchair seats)
300’s: 974 (759 Regular seats, 136 partially obstructed, 79 fully obstructed)

Main entrance
1340 A1A South
St. Augustine, FL 32080

Service and backstage entrance
200 yards north of Main entrance; access from Hwy. A1A

https://www.staugamphitheatre.com/

St. Augustine Amphitheater

Anastasia Island Attractions

The downtown historic district can get pretty crowded, Take the opportunity to visit some Anastasia Island attractions.

Sure, there’s that long stretch of sand and water on our east side. And if you’re in one of our island rentals, it’s just a few yards away. Anastasia Island has miles of white sugar sand beaches and all natural dunes. These are the finest beaches the north Florida area has to offer.

South Anastasia

The south end of the island is known as Summer Haven, or Matanzas. There’s some great food out this way at Matanzas Innlet Restaurant. Throw in your line with some fishing off the bridge. Take in the nature trails at northeast waterway park.

The primary attractions at this end of the island though is Fort Matanzas. Similar to the Castillo de San Marcos in the historic district, Fort Matanzas was integral in protecting St. Augustine in our early years. You get to the fort on a free boat ride via the National Park Service. Fort Matanzas is rather small, and your entire tour will be less than an hour, including boat ride. There’s also a movie about the fort inside the gift shop.

Central Anastasia

Stop in Crescent Beach for an incredible lunch from either Tonys Pizza, or South Beach Grill. Visit the Surf Station II to get some gear, then hit the waves in this gorgeous stretch of sugar sand beach. There are plenty more fishing opportunities near here. Head under the SR 206 Bridge, or over to Frank Butler Park West.

The Butler Beach area is rapidly expanding, now with shopping plazas and restaurants. Dollar General has you covered with light groceries, and you can grab a delicious lunch at Redfrog and McToads.

North Anastasia

Continuing north we begin coming into the St. Augustine Beach area. Do not miss dinner at Salt Water Cowboys. Grab your swimming gear at Alvins Island, or Nautilus At the Beach. Groceries and other supplies set us at the midway of the island. Winn Dixie has a grocery and a liquor store on the west side of A1A, right at Beach Blvd. There’s also a Publix grocery and Dollar Tree sitting in the other larger plaza across the street. You’ll find ice cream, Starbucks, Subway, and many more stores to make your vacation a success.

Anastasia Island

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre