Historic St. Augustine – A safe place to travel during COVID-19

Across the country, and around the world, our communities are undergoing a unique evolution. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to adjust our way of life and anticipate a “new normal.” As the nation’s oldest, continuously occupied city, historic St.Augustine has had to rebuild itself many times, following sieges, fires, disease and pandemics. Over the last 450 years, our city has always come together, adapted and emerged on the other side better than ever before.

1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic

From masks and social distancing to a push for more outdoor events and entertainment, life in St. Augustine today is strikingly reminiscent of a time not so far from our own – the Spanish Flu of 1918.

“A quarantine was put in place in St. Johns County in the hope of limiting the spread of the illness. Schools closed, church services were canceled, movie theaters and soda fountains were shut. Any gatherings had to take place outside so that there was good air circulation,” writes historian Susan R. Parker, a columnist for The St. Augustine Record. “By Halloween, the flu threat had abated and public gatherings could resume…the school board voted to limit classroom size in re-opened schools to no more than 40 to control contamination.”

2020 COVID-19 Pandemic

Today, just as it did after the Spanish Flu, life in historic St. Augustine is slowly resuming. Businesses are now reopening following strict safety and sanitation rules and people are venturing out, bringing vibrant life back to the city we love. To ensure St. Augustine is a safe place to travel, masks are required at all indoor public locations and must be readily available when there is no avoiding coming within six feet of an individual outside. St. Augustine has wonders to explore around every corner so even the most cautious individual can find an adventure to both energize and relax one’s soul.

So we invite you to join us as historic St. Augustine experiences another rebirth – because our city has so much history to explore and so much left to discover. When you’re ready to visit, our doors are open.

So we invite you to join us as historic St. Augustine experiences another rebirth – because our city has so much history to explore and so much left to discover. When you’re ready to visit, our doors are open.

A Safe Place to Travel

In the meantime, begin planning your trip by virtually discovering these spaces and places you can safely explore on Florida’s Historic Coast:

• St. Augustine Lighthouse and Keeper’s Quarters
  The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is dedicated to discovering, preserving, presenting and keeping alive the story of the nation’s oldest port. Current safety practices include one-way traffic, limited capacity and interactive experiences, masks encouraged and multiple hand sanitizer stations across the property.
• The Lightner Museum
  Formerly the Alcazar Hotel, the Lightner Museum is located in downtown historic St. Augustine. Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner opened this museum which features items of Victoriana, as well as a stained glass room by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Current safety practices include 25 percent capacity, timed entries, masks required and hand sanitizer stations throughout the property.

• Villa Zorayda
  The Villa Zorayda is an architectural wonder, inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, and setting the tone for the Spanish Revival architecture found throughout St. Augustine. Originally built in 1883 as a winter home, this beautifully preserved villa spent years as a club and a speakeasy, a film location, a private residence and, now, a museum housing a wide array of Egyptian artifacts and irreplaceable antique items. Current safety practices include 50 percent capacity for social distancing and masks to be worn indoors.
• Spanish Military Hospital
  Get a dose of history as you experience what it might have been like to be a hospital patient in Spanish colonial times. Herbal medicines and surgeries of the time are demonstrated in these tours of the historic Spanish Medical Hospital. Explore the herb garden and potentially leave with your own medicinal recipe. Current safety practices include limited capacity to properly social distance, regular sanitization and masks are required indoors.

• Gonzalez-Alvarez House
  For a true walk through the ages, visit the oldest house in Florida. The present Gonzalez-Alvarez House dates back to the 1700s and includes evidence of all periods in St. Augustine’s past. Tours offer an inside look at the daily lives of the settlers, building use, archeology and culture on the Florida frontier. Current safety practices include social distancing, masks required with limited quantities available at the museum store to ensure proper sanitization.