Fort Matanzas
St. Augustine has plenty of tourist attractions to keep one occupied. Fort Matanzas is my personal favorite.
The Fort was built in 1740-1742 at the southern end of Anastasia Island. This area is where the ocean meets the Matanzas River, the inlet. The town itself had the Castillo De San Marco, but found themselves open to attack from the inlet. At the time, St. Augustine was under Spanish rule, and they feared attack from the British. So, Fort Matanzas was built as a lookout.
Fort Matanzas is not in town with the rest of the attractions, and thus much easier to find a parking space. And the parking lot itself is quite nice, covered with nice shady foliage. Off to the south side of the parking lot are nature trails. They have an elevated wood walkway, so you don’t have to worry much about ending up in mud.
There is a very small gift shop at the West side of the parking area. Beyond that, you board a boat for access to the Fort. The boat ride is usually pretty quick, and rather relaxing. You might even see a Dolphin.
You will get a guided tour when you arrive. The guide will be dressed in Period clothing, adding to the charm of the outing. The Fort itself is small, 2 open decks and 2 rooms. The first deck houses the cannons and a guard tower. The only room open for the tour (Officers Quarters) was used for both cooking and sleeping. From there, you can climb a ladder to the lookout on the roof. The view from there is breathtaking. I don’t advise everyone to make the climb though, as getting back down the ladder can be a bit tricky. Think long and hard before you do go up.
The entire boat and Fort part takes under an hour to see and do. And you really can’t beat the price - free. It’s a nice distraction from your day, a peaceful getaway you can surely find time for.
Fort Matanzas is located at: 8635 A1A South, St. Augustine, FL 32080. That is around 4 miles south of SR 206 on Anastasia Island. If you are on the island and you cross a bridge, you have gone too far. If you need better directions, try Google Maps.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
FREE FUN & HISTORY!!!! I love it too! I try to take all my St. Augustine guests to see it. I have a lot of pictures of the nature trails….will post some soon!
November 5th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Tho just a couple miles from where I live…Fort Matanzas was something I wanted to visit when my family came down from the North. Loaded down with all the tourist ‘trappings’…I and my Yankee family members took the short drive to the Fort Matanzas area. While waiting for the shuttle boat to take us to the fort itself, we enjoyed the ‘nature walk’ (A boardwalk that meanders through the surrounding wooded area). It was quite pleasant and a wonderful way to ‘kill time’. Eventually, it was our turn to board the shuttle boat. As it turned out, the park rangers were training new personnel, so the ‘trip’ took on an extra special feel.
Though a FREE tour (using guides in period costumes), they DO accept donations. Be generous…this ‘attraction’ is worth the time and effort to visit….Enjoy !!