St. Augustine & Amelia Island: the back story

About St. Augustine & Amelia Island: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Florida Editorial Team

St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, is the oldest continuously occupied European-founded city in the continental United States, with its Spanish stone fort, narrow streets and Henry Flagler’s grand hotels. To the north, Ponte Vedra and Amelia Island have long Atlantic beaches.

St. Augustine

Visit Castillo de San Marcos, Flagler College and the Lightner Museum, then climb the lighthouse on Anastasia Island.

Ponte Vedra and Amelia Island

Ponte Vedra Beach’s resorts are on the ocean, and Amelia Island has Fernandina Beach’s Victorian Centre Street.

St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights runs every evening from 21 November 2026 to 18 January 2027 (Florida’s Historic Coast).

Seasons

Nights of Lights brightens the old town in winter, and the Amelia Concours d’Elegance comes to Amelia Island in March.

Our advice: walk St. Augustine early in the morning, before the day-trippers arrive.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with St. Augustine & Amelia Island: the back story before you go.