St. Augustine Florida June 2011

St. Augustine, Florida

My wife and I have been to St. Augustine many times but this time we discovered something new, the Alligator Farm & Zoological Park. St. George Street is still an entertaining walk, the fort, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is fantastic for history buffs, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum is great for kids and the Alligator Farm was a big surprise. We had our 11 year old grandson with us or we would have never stopped. I was impressed with the Native Swamp & Rookery at the Alligator Farm. Starting in February and ending in June the rookery is home to wild birds and their offspring. Roseate Spoonbill, Herons, Egrets, Ibis, Wood Storks nest in the native swamp which is accessible by a boardwalk. With Alligators in the water below and hundreds of birds in the trees above it is a rare treat. Some of the nests were at eye level and less than ten feet away from the boardwalk. I wish I had my good camera. That’s Orie, grandson, in the Alligators mouth.

Florida is way more than theme parks.