Is St. Augustine a Tourist Trap? + Washington Oaks Gardens Oasis
We were so excited to visit the Oldest City in the US - St. Augustine, FL. But was it worth it?
There were lots of positives about St. Augustine, We really loved all the history in the area and old architecture. The downtown was so charming and colorful.
The downsides? We found the city to be extremely touristy, overrun, and busy. Almost every attraction costs money to get into. These tickets really add up over time if you're paying $20 a person to get into everything. There are also trolley tours everywhere you look.
Overall, we were a little disappointed. We know we are part of the tourist problem, but everything felt so commercialized and inauthentic.
We did enjoy the few free things we did though including viewing the lighthouse, walking around the farmers market, walking around downtown, and viewing historical spots.
Something that really surprised us that we didn't have planned to go to was Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. After dealing with the downtown craziness of St. Augustine, this felt like a hidden oasis. The grounds were so beautiful to walk around and there was so much nature to see. We highly recommend this if in the St. Augustine area.
We also went to our first cat cafe which was super adorable. It was nice to have a little animal break and play with the kitties. To end the evening we went to Ponte Vedra Beach to experience the beaches on the Atlantic side of Florida and shark tooth hunt. It wasn't that successful, but it was interesting to compare the beach to what we are used to on the Gulf side.
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== About Us ==
We are Matt and Rachel, a couple based out of Pennsylvania, with a knack for adventure. We want to discover all of what this wonderful world has to offer. Follow along on our journey of exploring exciting places, meeting new friends, and trying unique foods! Join us in this crazy adventure we call life and learn with us as we go.
00:00 Intro
00:19 St. Augustine Lighthouse
01:32 Fountain of Youth
03:29 Mission Nombre de Dios
05:50 Downtown St. Augustine + Food!
07:34 Treasury Street
08:11 Castillo de San Marcos
08:50 Final Thoughts on St. Augustine
10:00 Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
14:28 Frisky Cat Cafe
15:30 Outro
Пікірлер: 24
I love farmers markets! The live oaks were gorgeous too! Thanks for taking us along.
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Same here!! It always has some of the best food and neat trinkets. Thanks for watching!
Fountain of youth is very pricy and strangely in the middle of a neighborhood it was interesting i think pretty interesting and touristy. The downtown area was our favorite. We found empanadas on the street and then wandered into all the shops. Thanks for the tour.
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
You're so right! It's definitely in an unsuspecting location. Wish we would've drank from the Fountain of Youth, but we couldn't justify the price. The downtown is definitely the most charming part of St. Augustine! Thanks so much for watching.
Looks like such a charming town to visit! Love finding a good farmers market
@MattandRachelTravel
3 ай бұрын
They’re the best! Thanks for watching. ☺️
I've never been to St. Augustine! It does look really pretty at the light house. The popsicles you got look really refreshing. A lot of touristy attractions can take away the charm of a place. And 100 degrees doesn't help haha! Those gardens look so beautiful! Awe the kitties are precious!!!
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
It’s a very pretty area, but all the attractions take away from some of the charm. Definitely don’t recommend visiting when it’s 100 degrees. The plus side is the popsicles tasted extra good. 😂
Hi a new friend brings Roses 🌹🌹🌹🌹 I like your video 📷 many thanks for your efforts. Have a nice day❤
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! 😊
Thanks for the tour of St. Augustine.
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! 😁
Loved seeing your adventure in St. Augustine. Yes everything there is very touristy. Everything charges you, I like seeing that state park, as that is one we havent been to yet :)
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Glad we aren’t the only ones who noticed how crazy touristy it was. Highly recommend going to the state park. It was beautiful!
Cool video, I didn’t know all these things about St Augustine! I agree the price was definitely a little steep for the fountain of youth 😮 feels like so many places are tourist traps these days 😢 Thanks for sharing!
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Sadly most things we wanted to do had entrance costs like that. If you would do them all, it would cost a pretty penny. But it’s still a cool place to explore regardless!
That looks like a great place to explore!
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
It definitely is!
St. Augustine has always been our Florida list, and while I think it still is, y'all's video helped level expectations. We try not to do too many things in a day that we have to pay for but it seems like that would be hard do to here. We LOVE state parks so much! Obviously they're not as grand as national parks but they're never as busy and are usually reasonable to get into. Thanks for the tour y'all! We'll leave it on our list but maybe add a footnote or two 🤣 - Andrew, Candice, & Riley 🐾
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Definitely still worth a visit! I think our expectations were a little off because no one ever told us about how touristy it was, which ultimately left us a bit disappointed. Highly recommend the park if you’re in the area! Thanks for watching y’all!
places like this unfortunately sometime loose the charm when they got touristy 🥲
@MattandRachelTravel
4 ай бұрын
Just a little bit sadly 😕 still interesting but took away some of the charm.