Category: History & Heritage

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Five Historic St. Augustine Hotels That Are Open for Visitors

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on October 4, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, Historic, History & Heritage, hotel, Self Guided Tour, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage, Where to Stay.

Jean Claude Roy’s painting of the Casa Monica captures the landmark’s ornate facade beneath a bright Florida sky. Part of the 20th Annual Art Tour. A hotel is supposed to be temporary. You check in, unpack your suitcase, sleep, check out, and leave the building behind. St. Augustine has a few hotels that make that idea feel incomplete. Some of the city’s grandest lodging houses have outlived their original guests by generations. Their rooms have been renovated, their interiors updated, and their surroundings look different than they did when the first travelers arrived. You don’t have to be...

Five Historic St. Augustine Homes With Remarkable Stories

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on August 27, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, Attractions & Sightseeing, History, History & Heritage, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

A vintage postcard of the Peña-Peck House on St. George Street. Image courtesy of the Peña-Peck House website. St. Augustine has never been great at keeping its eras separate. A colonial street can lead to a Victorian porch. A centuries-old coquina wall can sit beside architecture from a completely different century. The city is a blend of old, new, and unexpected buildings from many periods sharing the same few blocks. Historic St. Augustine homes are where that mix becomes impossible to ignore. Spanish Colonial residences, Greek Revival estates, and Victorian homes all found a permanent...

St. Augustine’s Biggest Myths, Legends, and Misconceptions

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on August 27, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, Family Friendly, History, History & Heritage, St. Augustine, St. Augustine ghost tours, St. Augustine Mortgage.

Cannons, coastal defenses, and centuries of history have all contributed to the St. Augustine myths and legends shared today. Not every famous St. Augustine story began as a historical fact. Some started with real events that grew more dramatic over time. Others appeared decades or even centuries after the people involved were gone. Today, St. Augustine myths and legends are so closely associated with the city that separating documented history from enduring folklore isn’t always straightforward. The historical record doesn’t make these stories any less fascinating. In many cases, it does...

Five Historic St. Augustine Streets Every Visitor Should Walk

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on August 7, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, History & Heritage, Sight Seeing, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage, Things to Do, Walking tours, What to Do.

Palm trees line St. George Street in the heart of St. Augustine’s historic district. A day in downtown St. Augustine never goes exactly as planned. You head toward the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, then catch the smell of fresh empanadas drifting from the Spanish Bakery on St. George Street. A few minutes later you’re peeking into an art gallery on Aviles Street or squeezing onto Treasury Street to see why a road barely wide enough for a car has become a favorite spot for photographers. Suddenly, the afternoon looks different than it did when you left your hotel. That isn’t...

Presidential Footsteps: Exploring St. Augustine’s Commander-in-Chief Connections

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on February 17, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, History, History & Heritage, Oldcity, Presidents Day, Sight Seeing, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

Photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/groups/HistoricFloridaX Most cities can claim a president drove through once or gave a speech at the local fairgrounds. St. Augustine? This place has hosted commanders-in-chief who swam nude in the Atlantic, assembled their cabinets over rounds of golf, and stood on fort walls addressing crowds of thousands. This President’s Day weekend, Florida is celebrating the holiday in style. For the first time, the state has made Presidents Day an official state holiday in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or just...

Black History Month: Celebrating Old City’s African American Heritage

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on February 13, 2026. Posted in About OldCity, Art, Culture & Music, Black History, Black History in Old City, Black History Month, City Blog, Civil Rights, Community, History & Heritage, History and heritage, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

This plaque reads “These steps were salvaged when the Monson Hotel was demolished in 2003 and remain tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was arrested here in 1964.” Black History Month offers a chance to experience St. Augustine with fresh perspective, to think about the history in each cobblestone or brick you tread upon. While many visitors arrive knowing the city as the nation’s oldest, fewer realize how deeply African American history is woven into its story from the very beginning. These stories are not confined to one site or era. They appear across the city, in historic...

Winter Restaurant Week in St. Augustine: Historic Dining Experiences in the Ancient City

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on February 6, 2026. Posted in Attractions & Sightseeing, City Blog, Food, Historic Dining, History & Heritage, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage, Where to Eat, Winter, Winter Attractions.

Image courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/carriagewayBB/. Winter in St. Augustine has a rhythm all its own. The air cools just enough to make evening walks along cobblestone streets comfortable, restaurant doors glow warmly after sunset, and dining rooms inside centuries-old buildings feel especially inviting. This is the season when the Ancient City slows down and shows off its soul, particularly through its food. While summer brings crowds and heat, winter invites lingering meals and relaxed reservations. Outdoor courtyards become pleasant places to gather, historic interiors stay...

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Civil Rights History in Old City

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on January 22, 2026. Posted in Art, Culture & Music, civil rights movement, Community, History & Heritage, Lincolnville, MLK Day, Oldcity, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

Most visitors come to St. Augustine for its Spanish colonial landmarks, centuries?old architecture, and postcard?perfect streets. But the Ancient City also holds a powerful place in modern American history. In 1963 and 1964, St. Augustine became one of the most volatile and nationally significant battlegrounds of the Civil Rights Movement. What unfolded here helped push the Civil Rights Act of 1964 across the finish line and permanently shaped the nation’s understanding of segregation, resistance, and justice. As we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Old City invites you to explore the...

St. Augustine’s Foundation: Spanish Colonial Architecture

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on December 30, 2025. Posted in About OldCity, Architecture, Attractions & Sightseeing, History, History & Heritage, Spanish Colonial, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

Walk down St. George Street on a humid August afternoon and you will feel it. The air cools as you pass beneath a second-story balcony. Your hand brushes against a coquina wall, rough with compressed shells, still holding the morning’s coolness despite the blazing sun. Wooden shutters filter light through barred windows, casting patterned shadows across worn stone floors. Even without knowing the history, your body understands that these buildings were designed to respond to their environment. This is St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, and these structures have been doing their job for...

Local Reads: Books Inspired by St. Augustine

Written by St. Augustine Mortgage Syndicated User on December 2, 2025. Posted in Art, Culture & Music, Books, History & Heritage, Local Reads, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Mortgage.

St. Augustine has a way of pulling you in before you even realize it. Maybe the feeling hits as you watch the lighthouse beam sweep across the inlet at dusk, or while you wander through Lincolnville with its weathered porches and branches that seem to stretch toward the street like welcoming arms. The old city has a talent for slowing life down, even if only for a moment, and creating the perfect backdrop for imagination. The narrow brick paths, the quiet side gardens, and the salt in the air feel like pieces of a story waiting for someone to write them down. Over the years, plenty of...