Oz's Big Adventure: Dog Friendly St. Augustine

The last leg of my Big Adventure was a visit to dog-friendly St. Augustine, Florida.  We once again camped at Anastasia State Park which is just a 10 minute drive across the intracoastal from downtown St. Augustine.  It was during my first trip to Anastasia that we saw the running tortoise and canoed alongside a couple dolphins.

St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by the Spanish, specifically Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, and is the nation’s oldest permanently occupied European settlement.  St. Augustine predates the English colony of Jamestown as well as the landing of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.

One of the main historic attractions in St. Augustine is the Castillo de San Marcos, a 17^th century masonry fortress which can be seen as you drive along the main road.  Castillo de San Marcos is a National Monument because it is only one of two fortifications in the world built out of a semi-rare form of limestone called coquina which was able to absorb or deflect projectiles during bombardment. 

As a National Monument, only service dogs are allowed inside the fortress of Castillo de San Marcos however the grounds around it welcome all dogs.  We went there each morning and took a nice, long walk around the fortress.  There are many pretty views of the water and marinas that make up St. Augustine from the fortress walls.

Dogs are also welcome along St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine.  St. George Street is the city’s historic downtown and features historic Spanish Colonial architecture including narrow cobbled streets and balconied houses many of which have been turned into shops and restaurants.  Most of the restaurants have outdoor patio seating and are dog friendly – I ate at the Bull & Crown Publick House and got a taste of daddy-dog’s fish. 

At the City Gates you will find the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the United States.  It was built over 200 years ago while Florida was still under the rule of Imperial Spain.  It is constructed of red cedar and cypress and was put together using wooden pegs and handmade nails.

We enjoyed our short stay at Anastasia State Park and our daily visits to dog-friendly historic St. Augustine.  If you ever get a chance to visit, remember that St. Augustine has many dog-friendly accommodations, restaurants, tours and beaches as well so you do not have to leave your dog behind.

Have you ever been to St. Augustine, Florida?  

Do you want to visit someday?