St. Augustine's Best Sightseeing Tours By Trolley

Visit the oldest city in the United States and get your dose of warm Florida sun and fascinating history. St. Augustine is known for its gorgeous sandy beaches, breathtaking architecture, antiquated buildings and its significance to the shaping of our nation.

When you climb on board Old Town Trolley Tours of St.Augustine, you’ll have a chance to see the Ancient City in all its glory, from historical attractions like the site where Ponce de Leon first landed ashore, to unique attractions like the Alligator Farm. During the 90-minute tour, you’ll have the opportunity to get off and on the trolley as often as you wish, giving you a chance to stay at any of the stops for as long as you want.

 Local residents who come from various cities around the U.S., they share a common enthusiasm for history and talent to amuse folks. You’ll learn about the first settlers to the city and the powerful Spanish influence that still exists today. Tours of St. Augustine offers the best of the city in one delightful tour. Old Town Trolley Tours is the best way to see the city, highlighting the best St. Augustine Attractions, with 22 stops and more than 100 points of interest.

The Castillo San Marcos is considered by many to be the most impressive of all historical St. Augustine attractions. Many thousands of people come each year to view the imposing  fortrees and to learn  about the fascinating years that it served the city. Constructed of coquina stone that was shipped in from Anastasia Island, the Castillo is the oldest remaining European fort in the United States. It was built to protect and defend the city of St. Augustine which belonged to the Spanish at the time. Later, the structure was used for various reasons including holding Indian prisoners during the Seminole Wars and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. A tour of the bastion allows visitors to see the walls that withstood many battles of colonial warfare and to witness the ways in which it protected the city. Cannon firings, historical re-enactments and other events are also a possibility—these activities held throughout the year.

St. Augustine’s Old Jail offers a compelling look at the cell blocks, gallows and sheriff’s quarters. Built in 1891, the jail held prisoners for over 60 years. Your guided tour led by the jailers includes a close-up view of the men’s and women’s cells, maximum security, as well as a collection of weapons. See where the sheriff and his wife and children lived right upstairs from the prisoners and used their own kitchen to prepare meals for the inmates. The Old Jail deputies will entertain you with tales of justice and punishment when Florida was America's southernmost frontier. You might even meet America’s most feared sheriff, Joe Perry. It’s a fun and historic outing for adults and children.

Drink from the spring, relive the days of the conquistadors and discover many colorful facts about Ponce de Leon’s arrival in Florida in 1513. At The Fountain of Youth National Archaeological Park in St. Augustine you’ll be walking the grounds of the actual site where Spanish explorers first came ashore in the United States. See Ponce de Leon's famous spring of eternal hope and feel free to sample the water. Learn about the First Christian Indian burials and see Timucuan Indian hut foundations and relics and much more. Knowledgeable guides offer a history of the discovery and the life of Ponce de Leon. View the Explorers Discovery Globe Show, an 8-minute program that highlights the routes traveled by Columbus and Ponce de Leon. Visit the Navigator’s Planetarium to see how the explorers used celestial bodies to help them navigate to the New World. Enjoy the  many sites that this historic park has to offer. It’s an educational, entertaining time for adults and kids of all ages.

 Elegance and history, grace and sophistication all come together in the glorious rooms, walkways and exhibits at the Lightner Museum. Originally The Hotel Alcazar, the building was built by Henry Flagler and is a magnificent example of Spanish Renaissance architecture. Browse through costumes, furnishings, mechanical musical instruments and collections that bring back the grand Gilded Age, a marvelous period in the 19th century. See beautiful works of cut glass, Victorian art glass and the celebrated work of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tour the museum and take a historical journey that will not soon be forgotten.

Take a tour of the Dow Museum of Historic Homes to see the rich past of the city spanning more than two centuries. It’s a nostalgic walk as you see nine historic houses that date back to the late 1700’s. The Village, enclosed in one city block, includes the site of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation reading, which freed all the slaves in Florida. Several galleries showcase the 1572 plan for the city and show records of a sixteenth-century hospital and cemetery, an early St. Augustine bridge and a Spanish Colonial defense line. The Prince Murat House, which dates back to 1790, is a coquina structure and one of the oldest surviving colonials in St. Augustine. Stop in at the Star General Store to pick up Florida gifts and souvenirs and books by local authors. A visit to the Dow Museum of Historic Homes is an ideal way to learn about the oldest city.

What better place to study Liberal Arts than inside an oasis of architectural beauty? Flagler College, situated on the grounds of the original Ponce de Leon Hotel, offers students four-year degrees in several dozen areas of study. The hotel was built in 1888 and was known for its opulent setting and luxurious amenities. Many millions of dollars have been spent renovating and restoring the historic buildings, and visitors as well as students spend many hours just enjoying the ambiance. Today more than 2000 students come to engage in educational pursuits ranging from the fine arts to accounting and business and many in between.