Anastasia Island Florida State Park
 

Less than a half mile from our Bed and Breakfast St Augustine Fl is the spectacular Bridge of Lions which leads to Anastasia Island, home of Anastasia State Park. For the best exploring, swimming, fishing, camping and hiking in St. Augustine, look no further than Anastasia Island Florida State Park.

The four miles of wide, sandy beaches on Anastasia Island offer the perfect beach day walking along the shore, watching for birds, swimming in the surf and perhaps trying for a few waves on a surfboard. Lifeguards are on duty Memorial Day through Labor Day, but visitors are encouraged to heed warnings about ocean conditions.

For the nature lover, Anastasia State Park St Augustine Florida features a self-guided nature trail that traverses ancient sand dunes covered with hardwood hammock. Explore the pristine beach, tidal salt march and maritime and upland hammock preserved wilderness areas full of abundant wildlife, plant life and many different species of birds. Anastasia Island Florida State Park is home to loggerhead sea turtles, various butterflies, and wildflowers. Numerous wading birds and raptors include herons, egrets, ibis, Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, hawks, eagles, osprey and owls.

As with most everything in St. Augustine, Anastasia Island State Park is rich in history and is just one of the numerous St. Augustine Activities to enjoy on your St Augustine Vacation. When the Spaniards founded St. Augustine in 1565, they originally used the area’s abundant Pine Trees and Palmetto to construct their homes, forts, etc. Around 1598, after much destruction to their wooden structures, the Spanish discovered coquina rock. “Coquina”, meaning “tiny shell”, is deposits of rock made of broken shells. The material is very easy to harvest from the ground but hardens when exposed to air. The Spanish forced Native American laborers and eventually black slaves to hew out squares of coquina from the ground and haul the blocks from the quarry. The coquina was then ferried across the Mantanzas Bay to St. Augustine where it was used to build public and private buildings, including the immense Castillo de San Marcos Fort. The old Spanish quarry is now a protected historical site in Anastasia Island State Park. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is another current site where a coquina quarry was once utilized.

Anastasia State Park St Augustine Florida also offers excellent camping, beachcombing, picnicking, canoeing, biking and kayaking. Island Joe’s is the local camp store with fishing supplies, bicycles, beach chairs, umbrellas, restaurant, and other camping and beach necessities. Anastasia Watersports provides rentals for canoes, sailboards, paddleboats and kayaks. Be sure to see Fort Mose Historic State Park during your Anastasia Island Florida State Park visit, directly north of and adjacent to Anastasia. Fort Mose is highly significant as the first free black community in the United States.

Anastasia State Park is open year-round from 8:00 am to sunset.

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