Fodor's Expert Review Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
This once-dated attraction continues to undergo a major rejuvenation. There are still fun elements from the original "Old Florida" (admittedly somewhat kitschy), but there's much that's new and exciting, too. The timing is appropriate—in 2013, the park celebrated the 500th anniversary of Ponce de León's arrival. The 15-acre waterfront site is also the location where Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, in 1565, established the first and oldest continuous European settlement in what's now the United States. Excavations have also shown it was the site of a Franciscan mission to the Timucuan Indians. The park includes a replica of the mission, a Timucuan village and burial grounds, a boatyard in which a 16th-century-style boat is being constructed, and a three-story watchtower with broad, panoramic vistas of the bay, inlet, and Mendez Settlement field. Other highlights include cannon firings; a working blacksmith shop; Navigators Planetarium; a gift shop; a small, elegant café;... READ MORE
This once-dated attraction continues to undergo a major rejuvenation. There are still fun elements from the original "Old Florida" (admittedly somewhat kitschy), but there's much that's new and exciting, too. The timing is appropriate—in 2013, the park celebrated the 500th anniversary of Ponce de León's arrival. The 15-acre waterfront site is also the location where Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, in 1565, established the first and oldest continuous European settlement in what's now the United States. Excavations have also shown it was the site of a Franciscan mission to the Timucuan Indians. The park includes a replica of the mission, a Timucuan village and burial grounds, a boatyard in which a 16th-century-style boat is being constructed, and a three-story watchtower with broad, panoramic vistas of the bay, inlet, and Mendez Settlement field. Other highlights include cannon firings; a working blacksmith shop; Navigators Planetarium; a gift shop; a small, elegant café; and the springhouse where you can still quench your thirst from "the fountain of youth."
READ LESS
