St. Augustine’s Night Of Lights Is A Holiday Movie Come To Life

If you love lights and Christmas and decorated houses and history, then St. Augustine’s Night of Lights, the city’s annual holiday festival which begins later this month, will draw you in until your senses overflow with Yuletide cheer.

We visited St. Augustine’s Night of Lights one chilly night last November during another RV adventure, which took us up to the northeastern part of Florida, to historic St. Augustine, billed as the oldest city in the United States.

We stayed at a local campground about 30 minutes south of the city, which turned out to be a really convenient base for touring this coastal city and its surroundings.

Nights Of Lights Is A Must-See

I don’t know who loved the dazzling Night of Lights displays more – us or the kids! If you can make it, this really is a must-see. Even though it had rained the night we saw the lights, we didn’t get wet and our enthusiasm wasn’t dampened.

Ripley’s open-air train ferried us along narrow city streets, bustling with strollers and lined with quaint little shops and restaurants.

Our evening tour started downtown at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum, where we boarded a red train wearing our complimentary 3-D glasses. The glasses magically added Santa and snowflakes to the cornucopia of lights when we looked through them.

Ripley’s open-air train ferried us along narrow city streets bustling with strollers and lined with quaint little shops and restaurants.

Spontaneous greetings and friendly waves from outdoor diners and walkers alike added to a palpable air of goodwill around the city.

The fact that the train driver also played lots of Christmas carols, definitely added to the festive feel.

Seeing St. Augustine Via Trolley

The trolley tour passed by the enormous Christmas tree in the Plaza de la Constitucion, beautiful Flagler College, the Lightner Museum and the imposing Castillo de San Marcos, the city’s 17th century Spanish fortress overlooking Matanzas Bay.

Later on, we ended our train tour with complimentary s’mores served back at Ripley’s.

If You Go

This season’s Night of Lights starts Nov. 23 and runs through Feb. 2, 2020.

If you don’t feel like taking a shuttle or train ride around the city, you can take in the sights on foot and it’s free.

You can walk to the historic district if you’re staying at one of the many bed and breakfasts in town.

And if you’re not staying in town, like us, know that street parking is hard to come by.

On the night we visited for Night of Lights we couldn’t find downtown parking, so we used the city’s free park and ride option, parking our car at the county health department building and taking the free shuttle into town.

From the Visitor Information Center in town we walked across to Ripley’s, on San Marco Avenue, where we hopped on the sightseeing train.

Find out more details about this season’s Night of Lights, including locations and times of the city’s free shuttle service, parking and trolley/train services, here.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at a small campsite, called Pellicer Creek Campground, about 30 minutes south of St. Augustine, along U.S. 1 South, near Exit 298 off I-95.

It was really convenient, not only because it was so near the highway, but also because we were near St. Augustine and could spend the day there and then come back to the quiet campsite in the evening.

Sites there are shaded, with water and electric hookups. The campground was well-maintained with helpful front-desk staff.

Located beside the picturesque Pellicer Creek, the campground also has a canoe/kayak launch into the creek.

Other Area Attractions

Between all kinds of walking and trolley tours, the Castillo, restaurants, shops, and museums, there’s lots to do and see in St. Augustine.

Here are a few of the other attractions we saw while visiting the area:

Castillo de San Marcos: The 17th century fortress with drawbridge and iconic towers, sits in the middle of town overlooking Matanzas Bay.

It was built by the Spanish to defend St. Augustine when Florida was part of their empire.

The fort oozes history. You can see and feel it. Inside the Castillo there’s a large courtyard with numerous chambers off it that once held prisoners and housed soldiers.

Rooms off the courtyard display exhibits telling visitors about the people and events associated with the fort.

On the top level you’ll get a great view of the city and the bay. You’ll also see lots of canons on display around the fort.

The Castillo walls are made of coquina, a limestone of broken seashells, which worked amazingly well in foiling cannon fire and protecting the fort. Cannon balls either bounced off the shell walls or were partially absorbed by the coquina stone and therefore didn’t break the walls.

The fort is operated by the National Park Service and is open every day, except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse Historic Museum & Gardens: I love the look and feel of this old cedar and cypress schoolhouse, located along St. George Street, maybe because I grew up in an old house that used to be a school.

It’s supposedly the oldest wooden school in the United States, according to the sign.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!: If you’re into odd facts and exhibits, then this interactive, self-guided museum on San Marco Avenue is for you.

Inside the “Odditorium,” you’ll find such curiosities as shrunken human heads, a pair of size 22 sneakers, death masks of the famous and you can stand next to the world’s tallest man.

It took us a little over an hour to walk through the museum.

Anastasia State Park: This 1,600-acre park on Anastasia Island is located about 10 minutes outside St. Augustine.

We visited to check out the RV campsites, all located near beautiful sandy beaches, with water and electric hookups.

You have to be quick to book at this popular park because sites go fast. Another campground for the wish list!

Princess Place Preserve: Located 40 minutes south of St. Augustine near Palm Coast, Princess Place Preserve is a hidden gem with a beautiful covered bridge, an old hunting lodge, miles of hiking and equestrian trails, camping, and beautiful views of the salt marches, where Pellicer Creek, Moody Creek and the Matanzas River all meet.

It’s the oldest homestead in Flagler County and was originally called Cherokee Grove.

It was bought by Henry Cutting in 1886. He built the hunting lodge there.

After his sudden death, his widow Angela, inherited the land. She later married an exiled Russian prince, Boris Scherbatow, and the property became known as Princess Place.

The swimming pool near the lodge lays claim to being the first in-ground pool in Florida, quite the claim in a state with so many pools.

Since the lodge was closed, we didn’t get to tour the inside. But we walked around its large wrap-around porch and sat in the rocking chairs, looking out at the choppy waters.

The lodge opens at 2 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

These are just a few of the things to explore in the area. And there’s still so much more to see and do in interesting and beautiful St. Augustine.