One of Florida's Unknown Gems: The Tourist Haven of Anastasia Island

What Makes It So Special?

It is seldom that two very different places are located so close to one another, but in the case of St.Augustine, Florida, and its neighbor Anastasia Island (home to St. Augustine Beach) this is difinitely the case. Anastasia Island is a great place to go if you've had a little too *much* history in St. Augustine, or if someone in your family wanted a *tiny* bit of the Florida vacation to be spent on the beach. True, the place is crowded and traffic is a common occurrence, but it really depends on which part of Anastasia Island you choose to explore. 


A Whole Different World


Many tourists notice that when they cross over onto Anastasia Island from St. Augustine, it's like a radical transformation; old buildings and historic pathways are changed into long strips of highway, little restaurants, and beach-going folk heading down to the water. This is certainly the more commercialized of the two cities, but that can be a good thing depending on how much of the oceanside atmosphere you want. If you're thinking of staying overnight on Anastasia Island to overlook the ocean, and then returning to St. Augustine during the day, it's a great plan. The island is a great place to stay for easy accessibility to both worlds. 


An Untamed Land


As commercialized as the first part of Anastasia Island is, the further you drive, you'll see a distinct change. The buildings start to thin out, and more water and sand appears. The quaint avenues and lanes become further apart. Here in the quiet section of Anastasia Island (quiet depending on the time of day) an interesting attraction can be found; the Spanish Quarries. St. Augustine's massive fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, was built entirely out of these hardened blocks made of calcified seashells. The Quarries are where these blocks were mined hundreds of years ago. Beware of mosquitoes and other unpleasant pests in this swampland, however. 


When To Visit