Facts About St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine's historic district has plenty of sightseeing and shopping available. The walking mall on St. George Street is filled with touristy shops, restaurants and some sightseeing. The visitors' center is at the corner of St. George and King Streets. Within the historic district, you may take trolley or carriage tours, tour the Fort Matanzas National Monument, visit the oldest house National Historic Landmark or take in the Lightner Museum.

The World Golf Village, located off of I-95 west of downtown St. Augustine, is a complex of golf courses, lodging, shopping and homes. The golf courses--King & Bear and Slammer & Squire--are collaborations of some golf's most well-known figures. The Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus-designed King & Bear is a playable, forgiving course set among beautiful pines. The Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen-designed course has challenging par 3s and is the tougher of the two courses. Besides getting out on the course, the World Golf Hall of Fame has an interactive museum filled with memorabilia from golf's greatest names. There is an IMAX theater on site, as well.

St. Augustine's beaches range from the touristy to the secret. For a full-blown beach experience, complete with crowds, restaurants and a pavilion, visit St. Augustine Beach in the heart of Anastasia Island. For those seeking a more relaxed beach experience, Vilano Beach to the north offers many services but is less used than St. Augustine Beach. Crescent Beach to the south is a nature preserve, in which you'll enjoy a more unspoiled experience. The water is fairly calm year-round, though cold enough that you might want to skip swimming from November to March.

Besides the World Golf Village, St. Augustine has plenty of golfing opportunities. South Hampton (links style), Royal St. Augustine (trouble around the greens), St. Augustine Shores (parkland) and the St. John's Golf and Country Club (challenging and tight) are available for public play. These courses are reasonable in price and can usually be played for between $20 and $70 per round. Up the road about a half-hour in Ponte Vedra, you'll find the TPC Sawgrass complex, which has several courses available to the public, including the tricked-up and tough Stadium Course, site of The Players Championship.

The St. Augustine Premium Outlet Mall is a popular shopping destination for north Floridians. Located just off I-95, south of the World Golf Village and west of downtown St. Augustine, the outlet mall has a wide variety of shops, including Mikasa, Liz Claiborne, Movado, Coach and the Gap. The mall spans both sides of the highway and many chain restaurants and lodging chains have sprung up around the shopping center.

St. Augustine's lodging properties range from intimate inns to value-priced motels to high-end resorts. If you're looking to stay in town, St. Augustine has more than 25 bed and breakfasts sprinkled along the water and throughout the historic district. In addition, the Casa Monica is a resort in the historic district. On Anastasia Island, there are many value hotels and motels as well as vacation rentals. At the World Golf Village, you'll find resort lodging at the Renaissance.