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St. Augustine Amphitheater
Attractions

The St. Augustine Amphitheatre

by First Choice Florida
written by First Choice Florida

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

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St. Augustine Lighthouse
Attractions

St. Augustine Lighthouse

by First Choice Florida
written by First Choice Florida

St. Augustine Lighthouse

The Lighthouse History

A Spanish watchtower, built in the late 1500’s was the predecessor of the present St. Augustine Lighthouse. St. Augustine is the site of the oldest, permanent aid to navigation in North America. A series of wooden watchtowers evolved into Florida’s first lighthouse. It is likely that some of these early towers held a flame, as is indicated on several archival maps and documents. However, officially the first light in St. Augustine was lit in an existing coquina structure in  May of 1824 by Florida’s American territorial government.

By 1870, this “Old Spanish Watchtower” as it was known, was threatened by shoreline erosion and the US Congress appropriated $100K for a new tower. Construction began in 1871, and it continued for the next three years. Alabama brick and Philadelphia iron work combined with a new hand-blown, nine-foot-tall, Fresnel lens, from Paris, France. This beacon was installed and lit in October of 1874 by head keeper William Russell and thus remains one of only a few such operating lenses in the United States at the present time.

The old tower suddenly succumbed to the sea during a storm in 1880. At this time, Brev. Major William A. Harn, United States Army (retired) was head keeper. Harn was additionally a veteran of most of the major battles of the Civil War including Fort Sumter and Gettysburg.

Restoration of the St. Augustine Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is St. Augustine’s oldest surviving brick structure, and today has been restored to colors and materials used the year 1888.   In 1910, 10,000 tourists consequently visited the property.  During World War II armed Coast guardsmen stood guard atop the tower, fixed jeeps in the 1836 garage and lived in a small barracks building.  Light keepers and their assistants likewise lived and worked at the Light Station until the tower was automated in 1955.  After that time Lamplighters lived off site, but also took over maintaining the buoys in the harbor.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse rises 165 feet above sea level and contains 219 steps that are climbed by visitors. At the top, the original, first order Fresnel lens still serves the beacon, but today is lit by a 1000 watt bulb, and maintained by the museum and volunteers. The St. Augustine lens consists of 370 hand-cut glass prisms arranged in a beehive shape towering twelve feet tall and six feet in diameter.

The Lighthouse Today

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is located at the north end of Anastasia Island. Comparatively, directly across from the Lighthouse park is Salt Run, a popular fishing and boating spot. Nearby attractions include the Alligator Farm, Anastasia State Park, and of course The St. Augustine Amphitheater. Popular dining spots in this location are Gypsy Cab, Mellow Mushroom, A1A Ale Works, and O’Steens. You can find beachwear at either Surf Station, or Blue Sky Surf Shop.

GENERAL ADMISSION

Included together with your General Admission Day Pass:

Tiny Clues Interactive Archaeology Activity – 10:00am & 4:00pm
Behind the Scenes Lighthouse History, also a Shipwrecks & Boatbuilding Tour – 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00 pm
Shipyard Play Area
Shipwreck Artifacts
1876 Keepers’ House Exhibits
Maritime Hammock Nature Trails
Keepers’ Cafe

Adults $12.95
Seniors (60 & over) $10.95
Children (Age 12 or under and 44″ or taller) $10.95
NOTE: Children MUST be 44 inches tall to climb the tower.

GUIDED LIGHTHOUSE TOURS

DARK OF THE MOON GHOST TOUR – $24.95
All ghosts no gimmicks! This is the ONLY ghost tour that uniquely gets you INSIDE the tower at night!

SUNSET/MOONRISE TOUR – $30.00
Enjoy breathtaking views of the sunset and full moon rise with champagne and hors d’oeuvres too, on top of the tower!

StAugustineLighthouse.com/

81 Lighthouse Avenue
St. Augustine, Florida 32080
904-829-0745

 

St. Augustine Lighthouse

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Anastasia Island
Attractions

Anastasia Island Attractions, Part 1

by First Choice Florida
written by First Choice Florida

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

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