15 Best Things To Do In Saint Augustine Beach, Florida

1. St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier

St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier is a family-friendly place featuring free and paid activities for everyone to enjoy. It offers a shaded pavilion, beach access, a walking ramp, and more for no charge. You can try your luck with catching ocean fishes such as king mackerel and tarpon, lurking around the pier for a 3 USD fee. Plus, on site is a splash pad and a covered playground, overlooking the sea for the kids to have fun. There’s a shop to purchase bait and tide charts and a visitors center boasting a wall with maps, pamphlets, and brochures about the area. The staff is also willing to enlighten you about the location’s attractions.

St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier

Address: 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States

Website: St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier

Opening hours: Sun - Tue: 7am - 9pm; Wed: 7am - 10pm; Thu: 7am - 9pm; Fri - Sat: 7am - 10pm

2. Ocean Hammock Park Walkway

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Ocean Hammock Park Walkway is a 1758-feet (536-meter) path leading to the beach from Ocean Hammock Park’s south side. Trailing along it unveils gorgeous nature views, including flowers, swamps, and birds. You can reach the pet-friendly beach and play in the soft sand or see the numerous sea shells around. Alternatively, you can explore the park’s animal species such as gopher tortoises and a variety of sea turtles from the wildlife observation deck. The site also features campgrounds and picnic areas.

Ocean Hammock Park Walkway

Address: Ocean Palm Way, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States

Opening hours: 7am - 8pm (daily)

3. Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Explore mysterious and strange artifacts in this family-friendly museum, located on San Marco Avenue. The venue features more than 800 displays of curiosities and oddities, collected by the founder’s travels worldwide. Within, you can take photos with the wax model of the world’s tallest man, the lizard man, and the planet’s smallest production car. You will also find rare animal skeletons, shrunken human heads, a vampire kit, and much more. The establishment also offers minigolf, trolleys, and ghost tours.

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Address: 19 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084, United States

Website: Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Opening hours: 10am - 5pm (daily)

4. St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park made its debut in 1893 with native reptiles is the oldest attraction in the area. Nowadays, it functions as a modern zoo, offering the community and educational organizations significant research and exhibits. The spot boasts all the world’s 24 crocodilian species, sloth exhibit, toucans, Komodo dragons, and lemurs. Showcasing zip-lining tours with heights ranging from 30 feet (9 meters) to 60 feet (18 meters), you can indulge in a sightseeing adventure based on your budget. The trips cost between 37 and 67 USD. You can also enjoy the 40-foot (12-meter) regulated free-fall escapade, also called Crocodile Crossing’s Python Challenge, for a charge of 10 USD.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

Address: 999 Anastasia Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States

Website: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park

Opening hours: 9am - 5pm (daily)

5. Anastasia State Park

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Anastasia State Park, featuring 1600 acres (647 hectares) of quaint beaches, offers plenty of outdoor fun opportunities from water-based activities to nature-watching. Explore the wildlife perched along the ocean’s shores while walking the Ancient Dunes Nature Trail or kayaking on the waters. You will also find various turtle species as you play on the white-sand beaches. Sailboarding, paddle boarding, fishing, and swimming are also popular activities here. If you’re a camper, the venue offers 139 campsites beneath palms and trees, offering amenities such as a store and bathrooms.

Anastasia State Park

Address: 300 Anastasia Park Rd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, United States

Website: Anastasia State Park

Opening hours: 10:30am - 5pm (daily)

Price: 2 - 8 USD

6. Ripley's Bayfront Mini Golf

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Ripley’s Bayfront Mini Golf is the state’s oldest course, located next to the Bridge of Lions along the bay in downtown St. Augustine’s center. The miniature golf venue, established in 1949, features 18 holes and views of the historic area to enjoy alone or with family. The fun, relaxing spot also comes with a snack bar to enjoy light foods, cold beverages, and ice cream. With the calm atmosphere and friendly staff of this venue, you can’t go wrong.

Ripley's Bayfront Mini Golf

Address: 111 Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, FL 32084, United States

Website: Ripley’s Bayfront Mini Golf

Opening hours: 10am - 5pm (daily)

7. St. Augustine Distillery

This is a wonderfully fun and drinks-filled experience. The St. Augustine Distillery, an old ice plant that’s been restored beautifully, offers complimentary tastes of different types of alcohol they make as part of their free tour. Prior to the tasting, the tour takes you through the fascinating process of the different types of liquor manufacturing, where you get first-hand knowledge of the process. There’s a small cafe upstairs that offers delicious appetizers and beverages. After the tour, you can visit the gift shop and take your own bottle home or choose something different from the many novelty (mostly edible) souvenirs.

St. Augustine Distillery

Address: 112 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084, USA

Website: St. Augustine Distillery

8. Fiesta Falls Miniature Golf

Here is a fun experience on the beach! This course is unique, with water flowing through most of it. Each hole is different to the others, and the beauty surrounding the miniature golf is gorgeous. The view of the ocean and surroundings from the 3rd end hole at the top of the tower is awesome. After playing, there are ice cream treats from the organizers!

Fiesta Falls Miniature Golf

Address: 810 A1a Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA

Website: Fiesta Falls Miniature Golf

9. Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

This is a beautiful church, the first Catholic parish in the United States. The gold-plating, beautiful marble flooring, stained glass windows, artwork on the walls and ceilings, beauty of the interior and the side chapels need to be seen to be believed. The beautiful murals depict the early colonization and settlement of the city. One gets a great sense of peace inside the cathedral.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

Address: 38 Cathedral Pl, St. Augustine, FL 32084, USA

Website: Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

10. St. Augustine Farmers Market

The Farmers Market has a variety of booths with vendors selling fresh food, prepared food, fresh fish, and coffee. There are also plenty of local artists and craftsman selling their huge assortment of crafted items, clothing and jewelry. The vendors are friendly, the produce is fresh, the offerings are varied, and the rates reasonable. It is a great way to spend some time on a Wednesday morning as everything is closed up by 12-12:30pm, making it only a morning activity. After shopping, you can take a stroll on the beach, which is adjacent to the market.

St. Augustine Farmers Market

Address: 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA

Website: St. Augustine Farmers Market

11. St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

A beautiful gem in St. Augustine, the lighthouse offers not only breathtaking views of the beach and surrounding area, but is a great educational place as well. Once you climb the 219 steps to the top, the views of the beach and St. Augustine from above are awesome. A unique feature of this lighthouse is that there are several platforms on the way up, where you can stop and rest. The artifacts and interactive boards in the light-keeper’s home are interesting for both kids and grownups. The gift shop is nice too, with reasonably priced souvenirs.

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

Address: 81 Lighthouse Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32080, USA

Website: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

12. St. George Street

A lovely area to visit with unique bars and snack/ice cream shops, antiques, pet supplies, clothes, live music, and food galore. Just walk down the road and you can find amazing little shops, restaurants, bars, and music. The first US schoolhouse at the entrance is quite beautiful and so are the city gates, where the castle, the oldest structure in the US, can be seen across the street.

St. George Street

Website: St. George Street

13. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

If you are a history buff you will love visiting the Castillo de San Marcos. Built by the Spaniards in 1672, it’s the oldest masonry fort in the United States. They have some interactive displays here and the staff is very informative. The cannon firing display and wardrobe of the staff are quite charming. Your ticket is valid for one week, so you can keep exploring the huge fort whenever you like. It’s a great place for kids and worth visiting for families.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Address: 1 S Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32084, USA

Website: Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

14. St. Augustine Wild Reserve

This is a great place where you get to see so many rescued exotic animals up close. The reserve has some 400 animals, like lions, tigers, leopards, bears, panthers, and even a liger. The volunteers love the animals and the animals have obviously benefited by being there. The love and compassion they have for these animals is obvious. The guide will tell you all the details and facts about the reserve and about the animals, their backgrounds, and how they came to their “forever” home.

St. Augustine Wild Reserve

Address: 5190 Farm Creek Rd, St. Augustine, FL 32092, USA

Website: St. Augustine Wild Reserve

15. Learn to flyboard with Extreme Water Adventures

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This is a must-do if you are in the St. Augustine area. Flyboarding is truly a fun-filled, thrilling experience of a lifetime. Julia and Jason of Extreme Water Adventures strive hard to make flyboarding as safe as possible. Jayson spends plenty of time explaining how to fly, how to be safe and what to expect, along with how to have fun along the way! The staffs are understanding, kind, and professional. They are very accommodating by making sure everyone is well taken care of, whether they are flying or just observing.

Learn to flyboard with Extreme Water Adventures

Address: 3070 Harbor Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32084, USA

Website: Learn to flyboard with Extreme Water Adventures

An ideal destination for travelers

The colorful life, art galleries, theater, live music opportunities, boutiques outlet shopping, and above all, gorgeous beaches make St. Augustine an ideal destination for travelers.