Guide to St. Augustine Area vacation rentals

The mainland of the North American continent was first sighted by the Spanish explorer and treasure hunter Don Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter, March 27, 1513. He claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida, meaning "Land of Flowers." Between 1513 and 1563, the government of Spain launched six expeditions to settle Florida, but all failed. The French succeeded in establishing a fort and colony on the St. John’s River in 1564 and, in doing so, threatened Spain's treasure fleets that sailed along Florida's shoreline returning to Spain. As a result of this incursion into Florida, King Phillip II named Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Spain's most experienced admiral, as governor of Florida, instructing him to explore and to colonize the territory.

Menendez arrived off the coast of Florida on August 28, 1565, the Feast Day of St. Augustine. Eleven days later, he and his 600 soldiers and settlers came ashore at the site of the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy with banners flying and trumpets sounding. He hastily fortified the fledgling village and named it St. Augustine. Thus, St. Augustine was founded forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, making it the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American continent.

St. Augustine has more than 60 unique-themed attractions, which bring to life the history, adventure, and romance of the Old City. An entire block of history, Old St. Augustine Village is a collection of nine historic houses spanning the period 1790 to 1910. Explore the five exhibit galleries nestled among the buildings’ courtyards and gardens. And don’t miss the Fountain of Youth on Magnolia Avenue!

Ghost Tours of St. Augustine offers “A Ghostly Experience,” a leisurely 1 1/2 hour nighttime walk through the historic district, stopping at several locations along the way to tell tales of legends, lore, and ghostly experiences.

Complementing the historically-themed attractions are contemporary adventures never imagined by the ancient explorers.

The Family Fun Factory has over 80 games including pinball, bowling and air hockey, a gator feeding pond, 18-hole miniature golf course, seven batting cages, go-karts, and dune buggies. Younger kids can join in the fun and drive one of the kiddie karts.

Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not contains over 500 exhibits of unique, unusual and strange oddities and curiosities, many from the private collection of Robert Ripley. Ripley's Believe-It-or-Not is housed in "Castle Warden," an 1887 historic landmark. It is a Moorish revival style mansion located adjacent to Castillo de San Marcos (The Fort) at the edge of St. Augustine's Historic district.

St. Augustine Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach offer the visitor opportunities to relax and play on miles of pristine beaches.

Across the Intracoastal Waterway from St. Augustine lies Anastasia Island, a barrier island separating the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland. Highway A1A South takes you to the City of St. Augustine Beach. The oceanfront city features wide sandy beaches, drivable in some sections, pedestrian-only in others.

Tucked just 20 minutes north of St. Augustine is Ponte Vedra Beach, a posh golf and tennis resort area featuring top-rated traveler accommodations and service, as well as exclusive residential neighborhoods. The carefully preserved zoning in the original section of Ponte Vedra, begun in 1928, has helped the community retain its remarkably attractive neighborhoods stretching along five miles of oceanfront and lagoons.

Ponte Vedra Beach is home to the PGA Tour, with club and headquarters, and the ATP Tour (Association of Tennis Professionals), which has an extensive training, tournament, and administrative facility.

There are tournaments at both facilities throughout the year, such as THE PLAYERS Championship in March, the USGA National Amateur Championship, and the ATP Classic. These tournaments bring thousands to Ponte Vedra Beach to watch professional golf and tennis.

Onshore in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the Beaches, fishermen can try their luck from piers, jetties, and the surf, in hopes of landing speckled trout, yellow mouth trout, black drum, red bass, flounder, sheepshead, whiting, bluefish, or pompano. The St. John’s County Pier, Vilano Pier, and Lighthouse Pier are some of the most popular onshore fishing sites.

Old St. Augustine Village

Ghost Tours of St. Augustine

Family Fun Factory

Ripley’s Believe-It-or-Not

PGA Tour

ATP Tour

Accommodations in the St. Augustine area will be of all types – single family homes, condominiums and villas, cottages.

HIGH SEASON -- May to August