Thinking of spending a couple of days there in late Oct. Just interested in the historic sites, not the beach. Would we need one or two days to see everything? Any recommendations on hotels? Thanks.

Unless you plan on seeing every last drop of historic-ness (such as the Oldest Jail, the Fountain of Youth, the Oldest Scholl House), you can see everything in one full day.

I'm grew up in Jakcsonville, so I'm a bit jaded, but I find the most moving places to be the ones that are (somewhat) off the tourist track. I like the od cemetery that looks out on the river. And I like the military cemetery that's south of downtown. I like to walk through the old neighborhoods that are south of town too.

There have been some recent posts that have discussed lodging and restaurant. You might want to do a search.

My husband and I spent 3 days in historic St. Augustine last March, and that was just enough time to do everything we wanted to do. Of course, we only hit the sites that we were the most interested in. There were quite a few places that we didn't visit at all. If you were in a hurry, you could do it all in one day. We like to take our time. As far as hotel recommendations- there are many B&B's in St. Augustine.

Lots to see in St. Augustine but one full day should do it.

Tour the Fort! Also known as Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. Its within walking distance of the hotel area, and worth a look. Theres a self guiding tour, which shouldn't take more than an hour or two. Also check out Cathedral Basilica, the oldest Cathedral in America.

We stayed at the Bayfront Inn, but i wouldn't really recommend it. The view wasn't really there (ACROSS from the bay) and the free con't bfst was waaay lame. While walking around we noticed many other places that would have been better for the same rate.

DO check out the Jesterville Grille and St. Augustine Toy Company for a kick butt awesome Oatmeal Pie. Its NOT what you expect - i BEGGED for a copy of the recipe.

Gee, I was there 2 days, interested in only the historical stuff, and found 2 days not enough time! I enjoyed exploring what I could of the grand old hotels (one is now part Lightner (?) Museum, part City Hall) and of course, Flagler Hotel, now the college ... managed to talk a student into showing some of the hotel/campus that wasn't part of the very limited tour. Walked all around those neighborhoods & Old Town, walked across the Bridge of Lions, visited the Fort, & would still visit again. Found an old movie house for evening entertainment ... stayed out near the interstate (yeah, boring) and never did see the beach. The tram (yawn) from the jail is what I used the first day, the second day I found parking meter parking near City Hall for 25cents /hour.

Thank you all. Since we're not kids, I think we'll plan on 2 days, take our time and see what we can. We'll be driving from Naples and I know that's about 6 hours each way so, for us, we're better off with a 3 nt/2 day plan. Casa Monica looks interesting and convenient and not as expensive as I would have thought so we'll plan on that. I certainly appreciate your input.

I know you said you didn't want the beach and it sounds like you are close but I was fascinated by the sand there - with all the shells. We just stopped for a few minutes, it was really cool to me. In Oregon we just have regular gray/tan sand without those bits of shells.

We did the historic stuff in a day but I am sure we missed some things, we just didn't have much time. I really enjoyed it - even with all the Harley people there making things crowded!

The history is interesting, but quite less and watered down compared years ago when I visited as a child. Much of it is now only seen from the outside. IMO, the city has lost some of its charm. You can very easily see it all in two days, including the cute shops.

St. Augustine is a great place to visit. We live about an hour and a half away and love to spend the weekend there. The Casa Monica is THE PLACE TO STAY! It is close to everything, has great service and the food is good!
At the hotel you can get a good info book on what's happening when you are in town. There is usually something of interest - so check it out!
Have a wonderful time!

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