Anastasia State Park & St Augustine
Exploring Florida one Campground at a Time
As we continue our travels exploring Florida, we found ourselves returning to ANASTASIA STATE PARK in St Augustine three times this past year. We went for different reasons each time; the first to see O.A.R. at ST AUG AMP, the second for a trip with family that happened to coincide with the SING OUT LOUD Festival, and the third for a little time together to celebrate my BIRTHDAY. This state park is unique in that it offers such a wide variety of activities that it keeps drawing us back in for more visits.
The Park
Anastasia is a long narrow state park, located right along the Atlantic Coast in St Augustine, Florida. The campground is nestled into a heavily wooded area between the main road in St Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean. As you drive into the campground you feel as though you are in the “middle of nowhere” heavily wooded forest, far away from civilization. We found ourselves sitting at our campsite with the stress of the world fading away, almost forgetting we were at the beach until we heard that faint noise in the background of crashing waves. The beach is a quick drive or bike ride from the campground. You can certainly walk, but if you are carrying all your supplies for a day at the beach it is a bit far, at least for us. There is plenty of parking down by the beach and the ISLAND BEACH SHOP & GRILL with everything you might need including beach chairs, bike rentals and a quick service restaurant. Since the beach is part of the state park, it tends to be a little quieter than the hustle and bustle of public St Augustine beach which can be seen in the distance. One trip we easily walked down to the St Augustine Pier to enjoy a drink at SALT LIFE before walking back. Usually, we find ourselves walking along the less crowded beaches within the park. The beach goes on forever, longer than our feet usually want to walk. We did see a group with the ranger in a vehicle that looked like they were on a photography tour all the way to the end of the beach. The next time we stay at the park, we are going to take advantage of the kayak rentals through ANASTASIA WATERSPORTS that we can take out in the calm inlet waters within the park. There is always something that keeps bringing us back for another visit.
The Amphitheater
One of the reasons we have stayed at this state park is that it backs up to the ST AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATER. You are able to walk from your campsite over to the amphitheater to see a show. We went to see O.A.R. over the summer and Kacy Musgraves during the SING OUTLOUD FESTIVAL in the fall. The amphitheater seats about 4,000 fans and it is a great place to see your favorite band. When the show ends, you do not have to deal with the traffic and driving home. You just walk over to your campsite and crawl into your bed. Possibly just as exciting, The Amp is the location of the ST AUGUSTINE FARMERS MARKET on Saturday mornings. If you are staying over the weekend, you can walk over to pick up a variety of food to enjoy during your stay and all sorts of other items the vendors are selling. We purchased an outdoor mat from My Maine Mat the last time we visited, which is now outside our camper door to knock off some of the camping dirt off our shoes. Given the popularity of Anastasia State Park, it does take a bit of planning to snag one of the camping spots at the same time your favorite band is playing at the amphitheater, but when you do you will not be disappointed!
Historic St Augustine
It is hard for us to go to Anastasia without driving into historic St Augustine. There is so much to do including touring the historic sites, learning the history of the city, walking through all of the shops, and eating all of the delicious foods. There is too much to do in one day or even in a week, but we try to cram in as much as possible on each visit. We love learning about the cities we visit, so we are a sucker for the HOP ON HOP OFF trolleys that allow us to see a lot and give us information as we go along. My favorite stop is CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS to explore the fort and watch a reenactment of firing the canons, followed closely by our tour of the ST AUGUSTINE DISTILLERY. Another favorite is shopping along St George Street and finishing up the day with dinner atCOLLAGE restaurant on Hypolita Street. The “experience” at Collage was incredible and it is now my all-time favorite place to dine. If your visit aligns with the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS during the holidays, you can take an after-dinner stroll under the lights that illuminate the entire downtown city. These are just a few of the things you can do on your visit, and I have not even mentioned THE ST AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE, where the climb to the top offers some amazing views, or the famous ST AUGUSTINE ALLIGATOR FARM, which we have yet to visit but we hear the most amazing reviews.
Florida has so much to offer and most of our adventuring is on the weekends. This makes it hard for us to return to the same place instead of exploring somewhere new. Anastasia is going to be one of the few places that we make time to return a couple of times a year. In fact, we already have time booked for the 2020 SING OUT LOUD FESTIVAL.
