Saint Augustine, FL was without a doubt the best place to grow up

Everyone knows the spooky legends about the lighthouse

Saint Augustine, Florida. The nation’s oldest city, founded in 1565, rests along the northeast coast of Florida. To the locals, it’s called St. Aug or St. Auggy.

St. Aug ranges from Historic Downtown to the beach to World Golf Village. The variety of places, the history and people found in St. Augustine are what makes it the best place to grow up in Florida.

Downtown

I could be found at Historic St. Aug almost every other day since we lived only 10 minutes away. When tourists visit St. Aug, they’ll visit the immense Fort Matanzas which rests on the bay, or they’ll go on trolley tours, or my personal favorite, ghost tours.

St. George Street

Everyone visits St. George Street, the main street of historic St. Aug. Here, they’ll find locals sitting at bars or eating popsicles at The Hippo or buying fudge from Kilwins. They’ll also discover the history there. They’ll find the best traditional Spanish eatery where they’ll bite into their first crunchy, mouth-watering empanada.

Across from this, they’ll find people reenacting the daily lives of the original Spaniards. St. Aug has been taken over and influenced by the Spanish, the British and finally, the United States. This makes Saint Augustine the melting pot of North Florida and a getaway – even for the locals.

The beach

I miss living 10 minutes from the beach now that I’m in college. The best beach would have to be Crescent Beach, which is located right outside of St. Aug. Arriving at the beach at 8am and leaving by 6pm was the best part about weekends and summer. And the restaurant, South Beach Grill, had the best seafood and burgers known to man. Each beach day was concluded with a trip to the Surf Station.

The Surf Station

Everyone in St. Aug knows or at least attempts to learn how to surf at some point in their lives. And everyone who learns, learns through The Surf Station. At The Surf Station you can find an array of surfboards, bathing suits and many more beach accessories. Learning how to surf is the most painful workout experience of your life – at least for 9-year-old me.

Surfing is tough and if you don’t believe me, try it. Honestly, the only motivation a child like me had to actually stand up on the board was the promise of shaved ice. The Shaved Ice Lady was the way I ended each beach day. A cherry snow cone of ice cream on the bottom and marshmallow on top. And every cone was served with a smile.

The lighthouse

Everyone knows the lighthouse is haunted. The old housekeepers from years past haunt the stairs. There’s a story that at a certain time every night, you can hear a metal bucket fall down the stairs and see a man fall, but you won’t find anything there. Legend has it that this is how the keeper died.

There are also rumors you can see shadows – spirits of the restless dead – crossing in front of the beacon light. This is one of the main attractions of St. Aug due to its history and astonishing height.

World Golf Village

Home sweet home. Growing up, I lived in World Golf Village. This is where I met my best friend of almost 10 years, where I went to school, swam and played lacrosse. WGV was the best place to grow up and there is always something to do. One of my favorite things to go to in WGV was TPC, that giant golf tournament on TV every year. It’s the “event of year,” as people here say.

I would never trade growing up in St. Augustine for growing up anywhere else.

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Florida State University