Spectacular piece of history! Amazing views! A great place to have a picnic in the grass, read a book, or just people watch. Check it out! read more

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This was on our check list to stop by while we were in town for spring break. Located right on the coast, there's a paid parking lot right in the front. If it's full, you'll have to go few blocks down to another lot. Admission is $15 to get in. It's an old fort that has cannons sitting on the top. We went to check out the cannons upstairs and the view. Checked out each rooms and read the history of the place. read more

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The Castillo de San Marcos which is the oldest masonry fort in the United States is a must stop, especially if you have children. There is a small entrance fee of $15 for adults and kids under 15 are free. There are many historical artifacts located around the fort and they do a great job of making sure it's both visually enjoyable and an educational experience at the same time. Kids can do a workbook that once finished they can recieve a badge. Great views and very spacious with many photo spots. If you are lucky, you'll be able to witness a reenactment while visiting. Highly recommend Castillo de San Marcos when visiting St Augustine. read more

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This is an awesome historic site. The signage in the rooms traces the history very well and really provides good information. It is well worth a visit. Even if you are not a history buff (as I am), you must go for the views. read more

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Castillo de San Marcos was a great time. it is normally $15 but for some reason there was no fee on the Saturday I went. Just walked right in. I got to see lots of artifacts up close, learn the history of the fort and ongoing conservation efforts to preserve it. So don't sit on the walls people. Also there was a cannon demonstration. It is across and a block down from the visitor center. So very centrally located with great views. A definite must if you come to St. Augustine. read more

We visited this lovely park on a recent trip to Florida. It was so interesting to see the architecture of the buildings and walls from another era. The park was well maintained and the concrete paths made it easy for a member of our party in a wheelchair. However, our visit was ruined by over-agressive park rangers who harrassed us constantly about where we could walk and where we couldn't. It really ruined our vibe and visit read more

This is the most interesting fort i visited in US. It totally worth the 15dollar admission fee. It fun to walk around and read the stories about the Castillo. Fascinating! And it's also beautiful if you go up on the 2nd floor. The view is spectacular! I highly recommend it! read more

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This is an awesome to spot that also serves as a national monument. It's also beautiful because it's right next to the bay. You have an option of walking around without having to pay or you can go inside and tour for a low price to support the national monument. There are plenty of areas where you can sit and there's also a parking lot right in front of the monument. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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Historic fort dating to Spanish colonial era. Quite well preserved for 350 years old. Part of the US National Park System. A number of rangers act as docents in period costume. An array of original - not reproductions - cannon used to defend the fort in many conflicts. Not an easy tour for the mobility challenged. read more

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Gorgeous historic castle in Saint Augustine with so much history. Take it all in as it takes you back in time to how our country started. This is definitely a must see in Saint Augustine. read more

Description The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States, constructed by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695 to protect their territory. Built from a unique limestone made of shell fragments, the fort withstood numerous sieges and battles, showcasing its resilience and strategic design. This is a child/family friendly tourist are to visit and depending on the day and time you can see them fire a canon from the second floor. You can see everything here in about an hour there is an open area in the middle and a few rooms you walk into to see what they have and they have the history written throughout the fort. What I ordered They have a little shop by the entrance on the first floor that sells souvenirs books, candles and water bottles. Water bottles are $3 a bottle. Value If you are in the military you get a free annual membership because this is considered a national park or something along the lines of that and youre able to bring in 3 adults free. Ambiance/Crowd It was casual attire, imagine walking through a mini old time castle. Depending on the weather it can make or break it. I went. around 3pm in May so it was very hot outside and basically everywhere. Parking There is parking right in front which is $2 but to find parking is hard since it is a limited parking lot. 4 year olds thought corner He thought the outside of the castle and the bridges were cool as well as the canon firing. read more

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I was sitting at O-Ku, a sushi restaurant in Jax Beach, with a table full of Floridians claiming with confidence bordering on arrogance that St. Augustine was the oldest city in the US. I have spent enough time with Floridians to know that this level of confidence is usually rooted in absolutely nothing. "They're really acting like Jamestown doesn't exist..." I thought to myself. Before dropping the Jamestown bomb, I whipped out my phone and went straight to google just to double check. Can you imagine the lies people got away with before google???? Just saying anything, standing on completely baseless business. You'd have to go to the library the next day just to fact check someone ahahaha that'd be brutal. Anyways, you can see where this is going. I was completely wrong. St. Augustine (1565) is high stepping into the endzone with being the oldest city in the US. A full 42 years before Jamestown, VA. That one hurt. I checked like 8 different sources looking for anything to dispute the truth. That's the thing about the truth though, it's always shining through. We went to St. Augustine the next morning, and Castillo de San Marcos is the city's heartbeat. It is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. The Castillo is in the shape of a star and made of a stone called coquina, which is Spanish for "small shells." No excuse just produce. After paying the $15 dollar entry fee, we walked in and you can immediately feel some sort of energy. At least I can, I'm a nut though. It's almost like a deep reverence for generations past that put their lives on the line in wars and battles so I could be sitting in this coffee shop chillin, with my only stresser being if they put almond milk in my latte instead of oat milk smh. At every corner of the star, there is a little infographic detailing something that happened in that very spot all those years ago. In essentially every paragraph, they sneak in some variation of "the fort walls were never breached" ahahaha you can't help but respect that, sometimes you just gotta let em know! Closed mouth don't get fed! All in all, The Castillo is a mus-- WAIT. YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE OLDEST CITY IN THE US?!?!?! Y'ALL STILL GOING TO JAMESTOWN?!?!?! COULDN'T BE ME!!!!!!!! Thank you, St. Augustine. Thank you, Google. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__ read more

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Guest services helped my husband, who is a veteran get a lifetime pass for FREE to any national park! WOW! The fort is quite interesting and is the closest thing I've ever seen to a fairy tale castle. It has a real mote! No water in it now, but easy to imagine. The park presentation given by one of the park personnel was impressive and made the history of the Castillo memorable. Bathrooms were cool and clean. The view upstairs was beautiful and breezy on a hot summer day--worth the climb. The unique construction and architecture add to its historic value. A must see during a visit to St. Augustine. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

The best experiencia with my familia Clean the bathroom Great sfatt. Conocimos a Jeremias read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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While on Vacation, we visited Castillo de San Marcos a Fort in St Augustine. We were able to get in free with his Military pass. The kids had a great time exploring the Fort and all the rooms. They listened to the guides, read the signs and watch the films. They really enjoyed the Fort read more

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I've gone quite a few times to St. Augustine now, and I always say I'm going to take the tour to the Castle and for some reason I never get to it, however, I have walked around it from the outside and it is a very nice stroll. From time to time you find the groups of tourists on their tour and it appears to be very interesting, though from afar it also seems to be very similar to other tours to other colonial fortresses in other places except for the fact - and this is very important - that it seems to be very well preserved. It is a nice walk, specially at night when it isn't too hot... plus, at nights their parking is free, so after you walk around you can also go and walk around the rest of the town. If I ever get to do the tour, or at least visit the inside I'll update my review. read more

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This was on my Florida bucket list to experience with my partner. St. Augustine itself is a beautiful, charming beach town. The fort is made of seashells and limestone (or sand?). It's free for veterans, with a minimal ticket price for others. There are two floors of history to explore: the second story houses the cannons, while the first floor contains several rooms within the fort. There are plenty of fun photo ops to capture with family, friends, or someone special. read more

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. It is a modern marvel with a breathtaking view. I'm truly grateful that I was able to visit this national treasure. I love all things historical. The park rangers were helpful in educating us on the history. The fortress and gun-decks were interesting to look at as well. Thankful that it's being preserved for generations to come. read more

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Ft St Augustine is what we kids use to call it they access Federal Parks access pass it was a got one parking is horrible so dont go on a weekend well preserved 15 dollars a person they have stamps for your passport read more

The park employees sure do know their history. They explained everything. They also had a demonstration of how the Spanish fired a cannon in the 16th century (with a cannon ball full of confetti of course). read more

Easily my favorite attraction so far, and I've been to nine museums and attractions in the guide books. This was intelligent, thoughtful and authentic. Did not feel as kitschy and commercialized as the others. Ticket is good for a seven day pass and there's still more to see, so I'm definitely going back! read more

I love this historical fort! There is so much to see here. You could easily spend two hours trying to see everything. Our guided tour took us outside in the moat, inside and on the 2nd floor. There are so many stories here of ghosts and mysteries of how prisoners escaped. We didn't get to see all the rooms on the first floor, the gift shop or the cannons shoot off. I've been to this fort 8 times at least but I still enjoy visiting each time. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Outside rifle practice area - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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The historic preservation. The fort is still in great condition. The rooms are set up to be like a museum. There are times when you felt like you were a part of the history. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Fort San Marco for Juneteeth! - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

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Step back in history at the fantastic national park/monument. You must stop to talk to the rangers and costumed interpreters to get the full breadth of history and fun facts about this fort. It's a great stop for families and the history nerds in your life Construction of the fort began in 1672, 107 years after founding St Augustine when Florida was part of the Spanish Empire. It's completely made out of seashells!! It's fun to climb the stairs and explore all the alcoves. Make sure to find the gunpowder stores & the names of all the cannons. Parking is tough! Downtown parking in St Augustine is always a challenge. You have to manifest parking luck. read more

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What a great stop. Age 15 and under are free. $14.95 for those 16+. Lots to do to spend an afternoon walking around. Cannot imagine having to man this fort in August back in the days of use. It was an amazing site to see. read more

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Free to walk around. Great views throughout the day. Early morning you can watch the sunrise over the bridge with the structure in the background. read more

I always love exploring historical places. This place is just gorgeous with the water right there and the palm trees blowing in the wind. The fact that this building is still standing through all of the hurricanes when modern day architecture cannot hold up to some of the storms is very impressive. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

The first time I visited the Castillo de San Marcos (or the old fort) was almost exactly 20 years ago. The fort is managed by the National Park Service and is located adjacent to the historic area of old St Augustine. Not much as chang ed in the 20 years since my last visit - which, on the one hand is good. It means that the National Park Service is taking good care of it. However, on the other hand, there should be new displays, new exhibits, etc. Still, all-in-all, the fort is worth seeing and worth taking the tour. read more

This was my third visit to the national monument. It has a huge history exploration area on the bottom of the fort on the top of the fort. A large portion of Saint Augustine can be seen. Most days, especially weekends the volunteers will do a reenactment and shoot off cannons into the water. read more

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It was super cool seeing the history + cannons. I highly recommend stopping by if you are near here to tour the fort.

Amazing old fort with very interesting history in the oldest town in America. Be sure to walk all around the outside and see the views as well as going inside to see all the exhibits. Came on a hot sunny day and they handed out umbrellas. Came back later at dark and had fun taking pictures. read more

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A must-see stop in St. Augustine. Beautiful views all around the fort and from the top as well. Learning about the structure of the fort was honestly most interesting. It's cool to see the layout of the fort and what each room/section was used for. Lots and lots of cannons for sure! read more

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If you are ever in St. Augustine and haven't done so, you must see this incredible piece of American history. It was built by the Spanish to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. The monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Since it was two adults and two kids under the age of 15, it was only $15 for the four of us since the kids were free. We were able to go back as many times as we wanted for up to a week providing proof of receipt. You get to imagine what the battles were like with the cannons, rooms, and prison among all of the walls. The park rangers and volunteers provide presentations and are available to answer questions about the history on the life and experiences of the colonists who dwelt here, The National Park Guard takes extremely great care of the monument and even offer cannon firings. We went on a day they didn't have it, but I have seen it done there in the past and it's amazing to see it in action. There are great views of the city and the Matanzas River and well worth the experience. read more

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Very historic and neat fort! There are many informative displays that are written in both Spanish and English. They are very concise and easy to understand as well. The top area was very cool to walk around as well and gave some great views of the city and the ocean. The parking is pay by plate and there is plenty of parking as well. Overall, definitely worth checking out! read more

Castillo de San Marcos - The interior of the fort - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

4.5 This place is really cool if you enjoy learning history and spending time walking around. It's located in St Augustine Florida. It's a town with lots of cool history and architecture. It's $15 per adult person. There is a lot of interesting historical information regarding the Fort in the different areas and there is a small gift shop if you want to purchase something to remember your visit. The views are awesome. Just a reminder to be sure to put sunscreen on as there is very little shade. You may also want to bring bottled water as it's hot inside and outside. Overall it's a really cool place to see if you enjoy historical places with lots of information and beautiful views. read more

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Absolutely beautiful and intensely historical place to explore. It had a rich history that was well preserved, and celebrates nearly 3 centuries of history from a host of different cultures and nations. The photo opportunities here are perfect and make for some great family pictures. The living history workers and park rangers/volunteers truly knew their stuff. They provided very in-depth information and showed the time period uniforms, equipment, and even fired a real cannon. Their demonstrations were flawlessly preformed, even using Spanish like the original builder's of the fort once did. I would recommend this place to anyone! read more

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Our second trip here. We came on a free entrance day for the NPS, since this is a National park. This time we walked around the moat around the fort and got to experience that. You don't need to pay to walk outside the fort but the inside has such a beautiful history and story. I hear they shoot off cannons at 12, 2, and 4 but we missed that. That will be on our next trip! Get here early because the line gets LONG!! Parking right outside the fort is $2.50 per house. There is a parking garage right by the visitor center across the street that charges $15 for the day. We parked in the garage and walked the town for hours afterwards. read more

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You get in these places and you don't realize that inside they're really small. Pretty cool place to visit, some neat history. Depends on your tour guide how good an explanation you get for a lot of things. Been here a dozen times with various school groups, so I think at this time I could give a lot of the tours. read more

It sure helps to have the senior pass for this National Park since they charge $15/ person. Two of us got in for free with the pass. This is more expensive than some of the major parks out west! The parking is $2.5/ hour. A park ranger told us that the limit here is 4 hours and if you want to park all day park in the public garage by the visitor center since it is cheaper for an all day. The fort is very interesting and the signage explaining the history of the people, place and the building itself is well done. The views from the top are quite lovely. Despite the price it is worth a visit. read more

Castillo de San Marcos - Ramparts - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

This is my 2nd visit to Castillo de San Marcos. It is a great historical site. They have guided tours, $15 per person and kids are free. We decided on this visit not to pay for the tour, we walked the perimeter and enjoyed the views. It is a great place to take children, educational and fun. We enjoyed seeing the cannons, although this time I did not see the cannon demonstration. Our lazy stroll with pleasant sea breeze was enough. read more

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