Wherever we dined in St. Augustine we were not disappointed- from the elegant restaurant 95 Cordova

My blog Entertainment Travel Tips contains either my Travel Tips of the Week or the Entertainment Tips of the Week which appears in the weekly Government Center last minute travel deals wednesdays Gazette Van Nuys News Press, both in the Print and Internet (vannuysnewspress.com) editions. I hope that you will enjoy and find informative the variety of travel and/or entertainment experiences and information that I bring to your attention.
Last month I had received an invitation to visit America's oldest city, St. Augustine Florida. While I had visited the city several years ago when I had traveled from New York (NY) to Orlando (FL) on a Globus tour, the time I spent there was very brief.
As I almost always select the earliest flight possible from LAX to get through security as quickly as possible, proceeding to the gate was completed in a matter of minutes. My American Airlines flight was uneventful. From Los Angeles International Airport I flew into Dallas-Forth Worth and easily made the connection to Jacksonville (FL). I had, as usual for a very early morning departure, brought my own brunch with me (Danishes from Bea's Bakery) and had snacked all the way across the continent from LAX. The flight attendants were as pleasant as always. What is disappointing is that today's pilots offer very little commentary about any landmarks below. I guess that is going the way of free meals and free checked baggage. I had so enjoyed having the large cities, rivers, national parks like the Grand Canyon pointed out. In those days I would choose a window seat for a great view- but today it's an aisle seat for me.
The other travel writers and I were met by Jay Humphreys, the Direction of Communications of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. We quickly located our checked luggage and proceeded to the van that would take us to St. Augustine, a f35 minute drive south of Jacksonville. St. Augustine is also a 40-minute drive from the Orlando airport and ports. So, if you are departing on a cruise from Orlando or visiting Disney last minute travel deals wednesdays World, the Kennedy Space Center and Titusville (FL), may I suggest a pre-or post-trip to this beautiful city.
Accommodations last minute travel deals wednesdays in St. Augustine offer something for everyone's taste and pocketbook. The visitor last minute travel deals wednesdays can select from St Augustine's Renaissance Resort last minute travel deals wednesdays at World Golf Village, the Casa Monica Hotel, a specialty last minute travel deals wednesdays boutique hotel, the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront Hotel, oceanside condominiums or privately-owned last minute travel deals wednesdays units that are available. For those who love to roam there are 17 RV parks and camping facilities that are also offered by two area state parks.
My accommodations were at the Casablanca Inn, one of 30 romantic Victorian and Spanish-style inns. My spacious room was tastefully furnished with Victorian antiques. My amenities included a TV and a Jacuzzi bathtub. In order to use my laptop, I had to clear a ngiht table as there wasn't a desk or flat table on which I could place it. The Casablanca Inn features a "common" room where guests could gather at night. Their Martini Bar offered drinks, conversation and weekend last minute travel deals wednesdays entertainment. My hot made-to-order breakfast was eaten on the veranda facing last minute travel deals wednesdays Matanzas Bay. From my spot on the veranda I could see Anastasia Island that was nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway. last minute travel deals wednesdays My last night's accommodations were at the Holiday Inn in St. Augustine Beach and my room faced the ocean. That last night I was lulled to sleep by the sound of the breakers crashing onto the shore. I was sorry that I couldn't stay longer.
During our visit we enjoyed a 1 hour and 15 minute Eco cruise along the coast line and in Matanzas Bay that was provided by Zack McKenna. Our party of seasoned travel writers shouted out with glee when we spotted dolphins breaching the water int he bay. I could see the wide beaches last minute travel deals wednesdays where people were relaxing in the sun or even fishing. I learned that Anastasia State Park offers seaside facilities for camping, hiking, fishing, picnics, barbecues, nature walks and more. The lagoon waterways, a 1,700-acre bird sanctuary and plentiful wildlife can be viewed with an experienced guide offering visitors tours that do highlight the colorful local flora and fauna.
There arre so many attractions for the visitor- from the narrated sightseeing tour of downtown St. Augustine in the open-air trolleys or trams (our transportation) or even a horse-drawn carriage. Tram and trolley sightseers could hop on and hop off at major attractions, historical sites, or even restaurants and shopping. Various walking tours of the old city hosted by tour guides last minute travel deals wednesdays dressed in period costume also take the visitor into the historical St. Augustine.
Another attraction we visited was the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Several in our party (not me) climbed the 219 steps that lead to the 165-foot tower. last minute travel deals wednesdays They reported on the stunning view of St. Augustine and its beaches. I particularly enjoyed the Lighthouse Museum that displayed maritime artifacts and recent archaeological discoveries. An interesting sidelight: through there is evidence of early Native-Americans in St. Augustine, there are none in the area today. it is thought that these people might have been incorporated into the Seminole tribe.
St. Augustine also offers several ghost tours. Our tour, i felt, was one that spoofed the ghosts, spirits, and other mysteries that go bump into the night. Our guides, in period costumes, did share some of the unsolved mysteries, murders and ghostly sightings that have been reported but my feeling that our tour was more of a spoof than a genuine accounting. It did, however, make for an entertaining and amusing evening.
In our visit to the city, one of the places I so enjoyed visiting was the old Colonial Spanish Quarter. One could chat with the "blacksmith,"carpenter," and even the "soldier's wife" as they went about their daily activities.
Other attractions in St Augustine that the visitor could enjoy are the original Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum which contains four interdactive galleries, mind-boggling facts and the unique oddities and curiosities for which Ripley became so justly famous; the Alligator Farm Zoological Park with its American Zoo Association accreditation, offering the visitor to view rare and exotic birds, mammals and reptiles include 23 species of crocidalians; an afternoon cruise on the Victoria III on Mantanza last minute travel deals wednesdays Bay. What was interesting about that cruise that the coast line was different due to the higher last minute travel deals wednesdays tide in the afternoon's venture. The captain on our ship pointed out the Manatee swimming in the bay and discussed with us what steps are being taken to protect this endangered species.
No tour would be complete without enjoying a tour of Flagler College, the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, built in 1887 by railroad magnate Henry Flagler and now home to the college. The Tiffany windows, the ornate murals and the Spanish Renaissance architecture, Wow!
Wherever we dined in St. Augustine we were not disappointed- from the elegant restaurant 95 Cordova to the little house in the Old Colonial Spanish Quarter where soup and one kind of sandwich is served the food we ate was, oh so good.
Welcome to my blog, JEANNE S ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL TIPS. I love to travel and as a travel writer my e-mails and mail boxes are filled with suggestions for travel. And, as a travel writer I, very often, have the opportunity to travel both near and far and write about my experiences and publish last minute travel deals wednesdays them in my newspaper, The Government Center last minute travel deals wednesdays Gazette Van Nuys News Press (vannuysnewspress.com). However, the blog has taken on a life of its own and I find that I am publishing two-three times a week. I want to thanks the hundreds of you that are reading my Jeanne s Entertainment Travel Tips and making it so successful. last minute travel deals wednesdays This is a labor of love!