First Coast
Explorer
Florida's First Coast
From the nation's oldest city to uncrowded Atlantic beaches, hidden nature preserves, and waterfront restaurants worth driving for. This is your insider guide to the best of Northeast Florida.
Dolphin arch, pelicans, and intracoastal fishing. Open 24 hours. One of the best free stops near St. Augustine.
The last wild place in Jacksonville Beach. Cypress, Spanish moss, and eagles nobody knows are there.
Founded in 1565 — 55 years before the Pilgrims, 42 years before Jamestown — St. Augustine has been continuously occupied for 460 years. The Spanish architecture, the coquina fort, the cobblestones, the ghost stories, and the best datil pepper food in the world all exist in the same place. An hour south of Jacksonville Beach and worth every minute of the drive.
311 acres of salt marsh and pine flatwoods. Boardwalk, overlooks, kayak launch, and gopher tortoises.
Sea turtle maze, waterfront rookery, and mosaic storytelling theater behind the Ponte Vedra Beach Library.
The last wild place in Jacksonville Beach. Cypress, Spanish moss, and eagles nobody knows are there.
Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Ponte Vedra Beach each have their own character — connected by A1A and the Atlantic Ocean. Nature preserves tucked between condos. Craft breweries that have been feeding the neighborhood since 2009. Escape rooms. Bowling alleys since 1950. A naval destroyer on the riverfront. This stretch has more going on than most visitors ever discover.
Florida's oldest restaurant chain. Spanish-Cuban cuisine, tableside sangria, and flamenco on St. George Street.
Caribbean waterfront deck, live music Thu–Sun, best happy hour near St. Augustine. Arrive by boat.
Inside Beach Marine on the Intracoastal. Fresh seafood, live music, happy hour Monday all day. Arrive by boat.
