St. Augustine has many family attractions for you to immerse yourself in. Below are five fantastic and essential places to see for you and the whole family to experience on your next visit to the ancient city.
Pirate Museum
Location: 12 S Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, FL
The Pirate Museum is the best place to be to experience the bizarre and fascinating history of pirate culture in St. Augustine. The Pirate Museum is a private collection, brought to life through various exhibits and recreated items.
Guided tours are available from some accomplished and passionate pirate enthusiasts- in full character! The Pirate Museum is home to the only currently-verified treasure chest in the world. Take a wide look into the golden age of pirate lunacy.
Tickets are $13.99 for adults and $6.99 for children aged 5 to 12. The Pirate Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
Castillo de San Marcos
Location: 1 S Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32084
As one of the oldest masonry forts in the entire country, the Castillo de San Marcos is a must-see family attraction. It’s also one that can’t possibly be missed if you try due to its massive size and majestic greens surrounding it along the St Johns River.
The fort is in a prime location at the northern end of St. Augustine downtown. Anyone looking for a detailed impression of St. Augustine’s roots will find it at the fort.
It features cannon demonstrations, guided tours, weapon loading demonstrations, fully-attired team members, and vocal stories of the battles that took place protecting the island from pirates, the French, and other groups.
Entrance is $10 per person, with children age 15 and under free. Parking is available in a nearby lot and the meters during posted hours.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not
Location: 19 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Ripley’s Museum is a cultural icon. The museum has many locations throughout the country. The St. Augustine museum fits all the best odds and ends from the collection into an interactive museum. It’s the perfect place to take the kids.
They can explore their instinctive interest in getting their hands sticky by dipping them into wax. They can fulfill their lifelong dream of making a mess everywhere by setting up experiments, tossing blocks, and more. The museum itself is filled with plenty of activities, around 800 in all, with some special items from the original collection.
Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum is open every day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are around $14, with different exhibits and combination packages changing the price accordingly. Exhibit prices cost about an additional $8 and a typical package is around $28 per person.
The Old Jail
Location: 167 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084
What makes the Old Jail special is not the fact that it is old (though that’s important) or that it’s a jail (also important), but it’s the passion of the spirited tour guides.
The Old Jail is only available by guided tour, where an enthusiastic and maybe even spooky tour guide, in full garb and character, will take you through the hanging square, the punishment hall, and the most dismal jail cell reserved for the worst of the worst.
It’s an eerie look into a world hidden away, peaking out just long enough for you to get a quick glimpse on your next family vacation.
The Old Jail is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12.
Book Your Stay
Call (877)-542-2488 to reserve a spot at our premier St. Augustine resort for your family vacation. Contact our information desk line at (800)-398-5980 for general information and to help you find the right kind of vacation rental for you.
Potter’s Wax Museum
Location: 31 Orange St., St. Augustine, FL
Though you may miss Potter’s Wax Museum if you blink at the wrong time while passing by, it’s a treat you should definitely try to visit. In short, Potters’ Wax Museum displays highly-refined and well-crafted wax “memorials” of various cultural icons, historical figures, and celebrities.
Kids will get a kick out of the life-sized wax figures, and adults will enjoy the accuracy to detail. Snap a picture with Jack Sparrow, shake hands with George Washington, or try to get the attention of Voldemort and Harry Potter.
It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. Overall, the museum is home to 160 different historical figures and odd characters of the past. Tickets are $6 to $10 at the door.
