St. Augustine is just a 100 miles (1 ¾ hours) from Orlando and is ideal for a day or a couple of days away from the theme parks and gives you a chance to experience this beautiful historic city.
An ideal way to get your clearings and make sure that you see all the important sights is to take one of the miniature train tours. The Red Train Tours are a narrated tour that takes you along a seven mile circuit around St Augustine. There are twenty two stops at the city’s top attractions and you can just hop on and off the train as often as you would wish.
Prices for adults are $20. 99, children $7. 99 and the under 6’s go free but look out for various coupons and you can get a discounted price. Your tour ticket includes the use of the train for 3 consecutive days and also a free shuttle to the Alligator Farm and the Lighthouse and even complimentary admission to Bayfront Mini Golf.
We started our tour at the welcome centre and then made our way through the Spanish Quarter passing St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine which is a memorial to the first Greek settlers who came as slaves in the mid 1700’s. Our first stop was at the Memorial Presbyterian Church which was built by Henry Flager and is now his burial place. This historic church features a copper dome, splendid marble floors and beautiful stained glass windows.
Back on the train we are off to Flager College which was formally the Hotel Ponce de Leon which when it opened in 1887 was thought to be one of the world’s finest hotels. Again this was built by Henry Flager but now it has turned into a college. Next is the Lightner Museum formerly the Alcazar Hotel again set up by Henry Flager
Next stop is the San Sebastian Winery, where you can take a tour that shows you the wine making process with plenty of opportunity to sample many of the delicious wines before you head off to the gift shop where you can purchase a selection of their fine wines and other gifts. Complimentary Tours and Wine Tasting run about every 20-25 minutes and last approximately 45 minutes and are available seven days a week. You can also visit The Cellar Upstairs Wine, Jazz & Blues Bar enjoy a meal and listen to live bands.
We are then back on the train for the next part of our tour.
An ideal way to get your clearings and make sure that you see all the important sights is to take one of the miniature train tours. The Red Train Tours are a narrated tour that takes you along a seven mile circuit around St Augustine. There are twenty two stops at the city’s top attractions and you can just hop on and off the train as often as you would wish.
Prices for adults are $20. 99, children $7. 99 and the under 6’s go free but look out for various coupons and you can get a discounted price. Your tour ticket includes the use of the train for 3 consecutive days and also a free shuttle to the Alligator Farm and the Lighthouse and even complimentary admission to Bayfront Mini Golf.
We started our tour at the welcome centre and then made our way through the Spanish Quarter passing St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine which is a memorial to the first Greek settlers who came as slaves in the mid 1700’s. Our first stop was at the Memorial Presbyterian Church which was built by Henry Flager and is now his burial place. This historic church features a copper dome, splendid marble floors and beautiful stained glass windows.
Back on the train we are off to Flager College which was formally the Hotel Ponce de Leon which when it opened in 1887 was thought to be one of the world’s finest hotels. Again this was built by Henry Flager but now it has turned into a college. Next is the Lightner Museum formerly the Alcazar Hotel again set up by Henry Flager
Next stop is the San Sebastian Winery, where you can take a tour that shows you the wine making process with plenty of opportunity to sample many of the delicious wines before you head off to the gift shop where you can purchase a selection of their fine wines and other gifts. Complimentary Tours and Wine Tasting run about every 20-25 minutes and last approximately 45 minutes and are available seven days a week. You can also visit The Cellar Upstairs Wine, Jazz & Blues Bar enjoy a meal and listen to live bands.
We are then back on the train for the next part of our tour.