Posts tagged San Marcos
Fort. Fourth. Fireworks. This is a no brainer!
Jul 2nd
Have a blast at one of the East Coast’s largest fireworks displays! The spectacular fireworks burst above the ancient Castillo de San Marcos and reflect in the waters of the Matanzas Bay. Admission is free with the best vantage points located along the bayfront between the Castillo and the Bridge of Lions. The fireworks blast off at 9:30 p.m.
Fireworks Over The Matanzas, St. Augustine’s annual Independence Day fireworks display, draws the largest single-event audience in the city’s very busy calendar year. While an exact count of all who see Fireworks Over The Matanzas is not possible, 100,000+ is not unrealistic considering that the show is watched from a 360° vantage point, including the Bridge of Lions, the Bayfront and the Castillo grounds; the grounds of the Mission Nombre de Dios; the Vilano Boat Ramp park; and Porpoise Point and Davis Shores.
The city’s web site, www.staugustinegovernment.com, has the information you and your audience need to make the most out of this grand event, including a schedule and description of the program, and details of road closures and detours with map-links to the city’s public parking facility and other locations. The primary story is available here: www.fireworksoverthematanzas.com.
Additionally, the site carries a reminder, available here, from city fire officials to keep the holiday safe and legal in particular as regards to the possession or use of personal fireworks. That story also includes an audio link to an interview on the same topic with John Rayno, City Fire Marshal from this week’s The Break Room.
Lastly, there’s a reminder that City of St. Augustine offices will be closed on July 4, but solid waste collection schedules will remain unchanged.
Address: 1 South Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Phone: 904-825-1004
Forbes Names St. Augustine One of 10 Prettiest Towns in America
Apr 4th
Here’s how Forbes described St. Augustine:
Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States occupied by Europeans (take that, Jamestown!), and it remained in Spanish hands until it was traded to the British for Havana. But the town has retained much of its Spanish past in some of its homes and larger architecture. “Castillo de San Marcos, the formidable 17th-century structure built by the Spanish to defend La Florida, is the country’s oldest fort, and boasts impressive turrets, a moat, and even a double-drawbridge,” says Arabella Bowen, executive editorial director for Fodor’s Travel. “The town’s picturesque historic district is full of old-world atmosphere, historic homes, and easily explored on foot.”
The other towns on the America’s “prettiest” list are: Newport, Rhode Island; Taos, New Mexico; Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; Columbus, Indiana; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Key West, Florida; Longview, Washington; San Luis Obispo, California; and Tarrytown, New York.
To see the Forbes article, click here.
This is the third major distinction received recently by St. Augustine. In December, National Geographic selected the city as one of the ten best places in the world to see holiday lights. In January, TripAdvisor chose St. Augustine as one of the 15 vacation “hot spots” for 2012.
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon in 1513 when he discovered and named La Florida – an area whose boundaries included what would later become the eastern United States. For more information on events, activities, holiday getaways and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com, become a fan on Facebook or call 1.800.653.2489.
Source: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Visitors and Convention Bureau