When friends and family ask me for must-see family destinations in Florida, I always tell them there are so many great things to do in St. Augustine with kids. My family and I had such an amazing time exploring this special place, and I can’t wait to share our top recommendations with you.
As the nation’s oldest city, Saint Augustine captured our hearts with its stunning scenery, amazing historical sites, and Spanish architecture. Add in the gorgeous beaches and many things to do in St. Augustine with kids, and you have the perfect spring break or summer family beach vacation.
With tales of pirates, ghosts, and ancient explorers, you won’t run short on attractions and activities. Create a trip itinerary to ensure you hit all the major sites, and one thing is for sure: you’ll never get bored!
If you’re looking for a Florida trip the whole family will love, read on to learn why we love the city of St. Augustine so much. You’ll also see why it’s one of the best places to visit in Florida with kids. It’s definitely not your typical Florida Disney or theme park vacation.
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About St. Augustine
The vivid history and scenery truly set St. Augustine apart from any other U.S. family destination we’ve visited. During your trip, you’ll spend your days walking the brick-lined streets and taking in the city’s European flavor with horse-drawn carriages, centuries-old historic buildings, secret hidden courtyards, and more.
Founded in 1565 by the Spanish, St. Augustine is the oldest occupied European settlement. That’s 55 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and 42 years before the Jamestown Colony. Pretty incredible, right!?
Unfortunately, most of the historic architecture is much newer because only the revered Castillo de San Marcos survived the complete destruction of St. Augustine by the British in 1702. As the oldest historic structure, you’ll definitely want to see it!
Even with many of the old structures gone, you can still capture glimpses of the First Spanish Colonial period of 1565 to 1764 in the town plan, balconies, houses, and narrow streets. The history alone makes this one of the best vacation locations for families to discover Florida, as Juan Ponce de Leon did in 1513. But the activities and scenery make it even more amazing.
Why Visit St. Augustine With Kids
We love St. Augustine because of its rich history and natural beauty. As a well-known spot for pirates and treasure, that theme runs throughout the city along with beaches, historical sites, and fun outdoor adventures that both kids and adults will love!
One of the biggest draws for families is the over 20 historical sites and attractions. Everyone in the family will learn something new and discover the diverse history of the city, all while basking in the dreamy scenery. From the Colonial Quarter to the Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
St. Augustine also has some of the best beaches in Florida, like St. Augustine Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach, with neat attractions like the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum. There’s really no shortage of things to do in St. Augustine with kids.
Top 15 Things To Do in St. Augustine With Kids
These are our favorite fun things to do in St. Augustine with kids that you don’t want to miss.
1. Visit the Beaches
St. Augustine is known for its clean and stunning beaches and natural scenery. And there are a few we love the best, like St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach, Vilano Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach. Crescent and St. Augustine Beach are two of our favorites in the area.
Since St. Augustine is on the Atlantic side, the waves are bigger, so these beaches are perfect for boogie boarding or surfing. And you’ll find all kinds of native wildlife to take in, as well as many types of sea shells to collect. My kids love to search for shark teeth, and they’ve found a ton at these beaches!
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2. Visit One of the National Parks or Florida State Parks
If you’re looking for more outdoor activities besides going to the beach, spend the day at one of the state parks in the area. You can visit Anastasia State Park, Fort Mose Historic State Park, or Fort Matanzas National Monument.
One of our favorites was Anastasia State Park. It has many unique and fun things to see, like the fishing pier, a 1,600-acre salt marsh, and four miles of beautiful beaches. If you happen to bring the family dog, it’s one of the top dog-friendly beaches in all of Florida!
Fort Matanzas National Monument was also a highlight for us. It has a recreational area, and you can travel through salt marshland, coastal scrub, ornamental gardens, and more to see bobcats, giant sea turtles, and more.
3. St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum
The St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum is the former Pirate Soul Museum that was originally in Key West. You can see neat, authentic pirate artifacts and learn more about how they lived in the 17th century. The museum also has some fun interactive exhibits everyone will love, like learning how to tie knots, playing with a ship wheel, seeing real pirate gold, and more.
There’s even a replica of Port Royal where you can visit a tavern and immerse yourself in the whole pirate experience. We had so much fun pretending to be pirates for the day and learning some cool history at the same time! Our favorite part was trying on pirate costumes and taking silly photos.
4. St. Augustine Lighthouse
We love touring lighthouses all across the country and in East Coast National Parks, and the St. Augustine Lighthouse on Anastasia Island doesn’t disappoint. Your kids will love Cracker’s and Eliza’s Club, the outdoor kid’s play area. The interactive app they provide makes it a fun learning experience for the whole family.
This iconic lighthouse is also a great way to give your kids some exercise. My kids enjoyed climbing to the top of the observation tower to see beautiful views of the area. There are also pretty nature trails to explore on site.
5. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
The Castillo de San Marcos fortress is probably one of the most popular tourist attractions in St. Augustine, where you’ll encounter staff and guides in period clothing. Don’t miss the fun demonstrations like cannon firing, musket drills, and soldier marches. We felt totally immersed in the time period and enjoyed learning about the fort’s centuries of history.
For a hands-on educational experience, have your kids join one of the Junior Ranger programs at the nation’s oldest masonry fort! If you have a National Park Pass, you can visit the fort for free. Get a glimpse into the life of a soldier here and see the gorgeous ocean view from the top of the fort.
6. St. Augustine’s Historic District
To really experience the history of St. Augustine with kids, head down to the historic Spanish quarter. Here, you can climb a 17th-century watch tower, eat 18th-century Spanish and British food, and more. The Historic District is a great place for shopping, too, especially St. George Street.
Tour the Government House Museum, where Spanish Governors ruled over the colony of La Florida centuries ago, and see candle makers, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen demonstrate their craft. My kids especially enjoyed watching the blacksmith at work and learning about how weapons were made during that time period.
7. Downtown St. George Street
The heart of St. Augustine, St. George Street, is the main street in the historic district and has many galleries, shops, and more where you can buy treats, chocolate, and baked goods. One of the top sites here is the old city gates that were part of the city’s defense.
You can also visit the Colonial Quarter here, a two-acre area where you can experience life in St. Augustine 300 years ago. Strolling St. George Street is also a great activity for toddlers as you can relax here, and there is no traffic since it’s a walking mall.
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8. Old Town Trolley Tour
The St. Augustine Hop-On-Hop-Off trolley tour has 23 different stops that make touring St. Augustine with kids more fun. Be prepared to spend some time doing it, though, because even without getting off, it takes a few hours to complete. Your ticket for the Hop-On-Hop-Off trolley tour also includes the St. Augustine History Museum, so don’t miss it!
An alternative option is the Red Train Tours by Ripley’s, which leaves you from Ripley’s Believe It or Not if you want to visit the museum. This tour is about an hour long and takes you to famous paranormal and historic sites around town. My kids loved hearing about ghosts and pirates while riding on the train.
9. Haunted Trolley Tour of St. Augustine
If you want a unique way to learn about the history and paranormal activity of St. Augustine, you’ll love the Haunted Trolley Tour. You and your family will hear all about the murders, mysteries, and ghosts of St. Augustine on these guided tours around the city. Some stops include the Tolomato Cemetery, Old Jail Museum, and Potter’s Wax Museum.
This ghost tour is better for older kids as it may be too intense for younger children. My family and I enjoyed learning about the darker side of St. Augustine’s history, but it may not be suitable for all ages.
10. The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
This 15-acre private park sits next to Hospital Creek and is on the U.S. National Register for Historic Places. As the famous landing site of Ponce de Leon in 1513, this park is home to the legendary Fountain of Youth. You can even drink from the fountain to see if it grants you eternal youth!
There are many fun things to do with kids here, like the Timucuan Village, Spring House, and Navigators Planetarium. They even have a Fountain of Pooch for pets, and you can feed peacocks or just relax for a while. My kids had a blast with the interactive exhibits and learning about early Spanish explorers.
11. St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park
See hundreds of different crocodiles and alligators at St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park. At this ultimate wildlife adventure, you and the family can watch the alligators eat and visit the Alligator Swamp — a boardwalk laid over a swamp filled with many alligators.
The alligator farm was one of the highlights of our St. Augustine vacations because the kids loved it. The St. Augustine Wild Reserve is another great park to visit with kids because you can see exotic animals from all over the world. Here, you can enjoy seeing leopards, active wolves, and even Michael Jackson’s African lion.
12. Take an Airboat Tour
There’s really no better way to see the many freshwater tributaries in St. Augustine than an airboat tour. You can tour the St. Johns River and see alligators, birds, manatees, snakes, and other wildlife. We saw several manatees in the shallow water and even had a close encounter with an alligator sunbathing on the bank.
These boats were specifically made to get around swampy areas like this, and you’ll find many in the area, like the 30-minute Sea Dragon Airboat Adventure. Or take a scenic boat tour that shows you city landmarks, mansions, and other breathtaking views along the Intracoastal waterway.
13. The Oldest Wooden School House
During a stroll along St. George Street, be sure to visit the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse still standing in the United States. This iconic schoolhouse is made with cypress and red cedar with wooden pegs dating back to the early 18th century.
Originally, this one-room building didn’t have any running water, electricity, kitchen, or bathroom, as kitchens were separate buildings to avoid the threat of fire. My kids couldn’t imagine going to school without any of these modern conveniences! Be sure to take a tour and learn more about the history of education in America.
14. St. Johns County Ocean Pier
Another great site to visit is St. Johns County Ocean Pier and Fish Camp. This camp is perfect for fishing or outdoor play, such as volleyball or Bocce courts, and it even has a covered pavilion with picnic tables. And if you time your trip just right, you can visit during sea turtle season, one of nature’s many amazing Florida marvels. We got to see a few hatchlings make their way into the ocean, which was absolutely magical!
15. St. Augustine Aquarium
No Florida family vacation would be complete without a visit to the aquarium. The St. Augustine Aquarium is one of the best places to learn about Florida reef fish, with indoor and outdoor exhibits of hundreds of different reef fish. The aquarium provides wet suits, snorkels, vests, masks, and shoes.
During our visit, we saw a giant touch tank with sea stars, stingrays, hermit crabs, and corals. They even had small sharks in tanks that we got to feed. It was so cool! The kids had such a blast, they didn’t want to leave.
Places to Eat in St. Augustine With Kids
St. Augustine has some amazing natural and local ingredients that make dining in the city a treat. Enjoy local cuisine and top-notch seafood in some of the best restaurants St. Augustine has to offer.
Here were our favorites:
- Le Macaron French Pastries
- Antonio’s New York Style Pizza & Rita’s
- Hyppo Popsicles
- The Blue Hen Cafe
- Athena Greek Restaurant
- Anastasia Dinner
- The Witty Whisker Cat Cafe
FAQ’s
There are so many things to do in St. Augustine that you could return for multiple vacations and not hit everything. But I recommend spending at least two to three days with your family to see the most popular attractions and sites.
Because Florida gets quite hot in the summer, March through May are the busiest times of year for St. Augustine. The weather is beautiful, with temperatures in the mid to high 70s, and the evenings are a little cooler. Plus, the water temperatures are around 76 degrees by the end of May.
Many people still visit St. Augustine in the summer (June through September) because it’s one of the best times to hit the beaches here. This area of Florida has some of the nicest beaches in the whole state!
One of our favorite boardwalks is the Vilano Beach Nature Boardwalk, and the most popular is the Tolomato Boardwalk, with scenic trails that run along the Tolomato River. While it’s not your traditional beach boardwalk, it’s great for hiking, bird-watching, picnicking, and fishing. Plus, it has multiple parking areas, including one with the pirate ship playground that young kids love in Palencia Pirate Ship Park.
St. Augustine is a great city to visit without a car. It’s walkable and easy to get around if you take a Ripley’s Red Express or Old Town Trolley Tour. Check out The Best Shoes For Disney World: My Tried and Tested Picks for the best walking shoes that make even exploring Disney a breeze.
If you drive to Florida, you can easily park at one of the free parking areas and hop on and off the tour stops as you venture through the city.
Final Thoughts on Things to Do in St. Augustine With Kids
As you can see, there’s plenty to do in St. Augustine with kids, from visiting St. Augustine Beach to the treasure and pirate-themed museum. You can also enjoy airboat tours or other guided tours of the city’s historic sites and wildlife. And with all the great restaurants, you’ll never go hungry!
As the oldest city in the U.S., this ancient city gives you a glimpse into the life of pirates, Spanish explorers, and other European travelers hundreds of years ago during the Golden Age of Piracy. There’s so much to do, and you’ll want to take a longer family vacation to truly experience all St. Augustine has to offer, like all the stunning natural wildlife like sea turtles and sights.
Planning to hit Orlando while you’re in The Sunshine State? Check out these 50+ Awesome Things To Do In Orlando With Kids and Toddlers in 2024!
We hope this guide helps you plan your next family trip to St. Augustine, Florida! It truly is a gem of a city with so much to offer for travelers of all ages. Happy exploring!
