Family Trip to St. Augustine

Remember back in July, when my husband and I went to St. Augustine for our anniversary? Remember how I said we both loved that place so much that we felt like we simply must take our kids there some time? Well, last Thursday and Friday Kate was out of school, and even though Ryan was not (his college holidays don't really match up with Kate's school holidays, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas) we decided to go for a couple of days.

We had a really fun time. Our plans didn't really work out like we originally planned (sometimes they don't), but we still had a great time together. I wish Ryan could have been with us. Maybe we'll go back again another time :)

Here are some pictures from our trip:

firing of the cannon on the bay at the Fountain of Youth

love these old trees on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth

Kate: "Look Mom, someone who's shorter than me!"

Life-size statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, he was only 4'11" tall.

exploring a Tumucuan Indian village on the grounds at the Fountain of Youth

This exhibit was really neat. This globe was 2 stories tall and rotated on an axis. It presented the story of Ponce de Leon's journey to the New World in search of the Fountain of Youth.

Here we are at the Planetarium learning about early maritime navigational methods. This was very interesting to Will, as he learned much about this in the book, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.  

drinking the legendary waters from the Fountain of Youth

touring the fort

enjoying a gourmet popsicle from The Hyppo

They were delicious, made from all-natural fresh fruits!

the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, very beautiful

We are not Catholic; we are of the Protestant faith. But since we are currently studying the Reformation in church history, I thought it would be interesting to see something of what we've read so much about.

beautiful courtyard gardens outside the Lightner Museum

I probably enjoyed this trip way more than my kids did, just because I am so fascinated by history (I probably should've been a history major in college!). There are so many museums in St. Augustine, and we didn't have time to go to all of them. One that we did go to, the Pirate & Treasure Museum, was a big hit with the kids! I have no pictures to share though because you're not allowed to take pictures inside this museum :(. The kids really enjoyed this one because there was lots of interactive participation required, lots of hands-on activities, and a scavenger hunt.

We originally had planned to spend one day touring St. Augustine and one day at the resort where we stayed, because they have a lot of different activities and things to do there. But the weather was supposed to be rainy on one of the days, so we decided to spend the "good day" touring, and just came home early the next day. All in all, I think everyone had a good time.