St. Augustine, Florida

Saturday morning we decided to drive over to St. Augustine and do a little exploring. It has been years and years since we have done this so it was nice to visit St. George street and see all the shops and old buildings. We got there early in the morning, but it was still very hot, but we had a great time and Lily had a blast. People were constantly stopping to talk w/ her and well she just loved it. Below is a little History about our Oldest City--

When Menendez arrived off the coast of Florida, it was August 28, 1565, the Feast Day of St. Augustine. Eleven days later, he and his 600 soldiers and settlers came ashore at the site of the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy with banners flying and trumpets sounding. He hastily fortified the fledgling village and named it St. Augustine.

Utilizing brilliant military maneuvers, Menendez destroyed the French garrison on the St. Johns River and, with the help of a hurricane, also defeated the French fleet. With the coast of Florida firmly in Spanish hands, he then set to work building the town, establishing missions to the Indians for the Church, and exploring the land.

Thus, St. Augustine was founded forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts - making it the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American continent.