While we were in Jacksonville we drove down to the town of St. Augustine.  It’s the oldest established town in the U.S. – established in 1513 and there’s a fort on the waterfront that was established in 1672.

The town, and Florida as well, were ‘discovered’ by Ponce de Leon.  St. Augustine is also where the fabled “Fountain of Youth” was found.  It’s actually a spring that bubbles up through the rocks and has a high content of sulfar which contributes to health.  The natives of the area had been drinking this water for centuries and told Ponce de Leon of it’s restorative and healthful properties.

And, there’s a lot of history of pirates in the area as well.  There was a pirate museum in St. Augustine boasting the largest authentic collection of pirate artifacts in the world.

Here are some pictures we took in St. Augustine: