The OrgNash Guide to St. Augustine Beach
As a Nashville Native, I grew up going to 30A. We stayed in a house called Wright by the Sea (which is no longer there BTW) and enjoyed bike riding, Modico Market and all the Seaside things before the Truman Show made this rainbow beachside place so popular. But I married an Alabama guy and his family spent their beach days in St Augustine Beach, so that’s where my in-laws take us every year. I’ve loved the change of pace in this still undiscovered place. I wanted to share all the details of where to stay, eat and things to do - plus, an unexpected and unique beach feature. If you are looking for a walkable beach with delicious fried seafood and a kid-friendly vibe, then this is for you!
Where to stay:
If you have the option, I highly recommend renting a house on the beachside of the alphabet streets. We always stay in the same house on D street (ironic because our last name is Dilbeck) and we’ve found that renting through Sunset Realty (rather than VRBO) is a better experience. There is a boardwalk to directly access the beach and because you can drive on the beaches of St Augustine Beach, its easy to tote stuff back and forth. We’ve really enjoyed this unique attribute of St Augustine beaches especially with toddlers.
I’ll admit I was a little nervous about the “driving on the beach” aspect of St. Augustine the first year we went there but I’ve found the positives outweigh the negatives. The beaches are blocked off and patrolled by the coast guard to keep everyone safe. The only time you might be close to the cars is when the tide gets really high but even then there is not much “traffic.” You do need a 4WD vehicle to drive on the beach. It opens as early as 8am (even though the signs say 9am) and there are several beach access entrances. We love that we can keep a big cooler in the car for drinks, and load and unload all of our beach toys, chairs, towels and tents as needed. It makes getting to the beach each day so easy.
Where to eat:
We’ve tried dozens of places over the years and these are our top recommendations:
Island Donuts: A morning favorite for our whole family. We’ve tried all the flavors and none disappoint. My favorite continues to anything with the blueberry cake base.
Beachcomber: We love walking here (beach or sidewalk) for lunch. There is beach seating and every item on the menu is delicious. We love the trigger fish tacos and the fish of the day sandwich, along with their house margaritas.
Saltwater Cowboys: This is a tried and true dinner and date spot on the south side of St Augustine (in fact, they are only open for lunch on the weekends). Its located on the intercoastal marshes and so beautiful. They serve up their own brand of fresh seafood, BBQ ribs, chicken, steaks, gator tail, and frog legs.
Collage: I’m still speechless over how good this dinner was. Ty and I went here on a date and every single thing was amazing: the service, the dinner, the desserts, the wine. YUM! Still not over it. I had the lobster ravioli which came with an entire lobster tail on top and Ty had the Black Grouper. We also enjoyed a dessert that even let Ty “the never eats dessert guy” impressed. This is a great fancy date night option and is one of the top 100 places to eat in America. Def need a reservation because the only walk-in space is a one, 2 top table.
Seafood Kitchen: Where the locals go! We order from here most nights and have to-go around the dinner table at our rental. I recommend ordering early and before you go to pick up - it gets backed up fast! The staff is so friendly and this is definitely a local secret. The ambience is lacking - picnic tables in sand overlooking the parking lot but the food is delish. We love the blackened shrimp, the fried oysters, shrimp scampi and the seafood pasta are all ridiculously good. This place is what I think of when I think of good fried seafood at the beach - delicious, affordable, casual and fried.
Coneheads ice cream: We loved this place! All the ice cream was so yum and they even had many dairy free options for our DF kiddo!
What to do:
Beach: As I mentioned before, many of the beaches allow you to drive and park on the sand. This makes transporting coolers and beach supplies super easy. From March through September, cars pay an access toll of around $10 a day. There are also dune walkovers (like a boardwalk) which is how we access the beach from our rental house by foot. Lastly, there are opportunities to park and walk in a variety of places. The beaches are also well patrolled by coast guards and because St Augustine is on the Atlantic the waves are big enough for surfing and body boarding.
Downtown: Historic St Augustine reminds me of a combination of New Orleans and Gatlinburg. There are nice art galleries and historic buildings dating back to the 1700s with beautiful architecture on the outside but inside those buildings sometimes you find the typical touristy stores as well as art galleries, ice cream and wine shops.
The Alligator Farm: We take the whole family here every year and it continues to be a hit. You can use your local zoo membership for an extra discount or google coupons before you go! There are crocodile and alligator feedings almost every hour. There are also other reptiles, mammals and wildlife presentations. We generally spend about 1.5 hours here and bring the stroller because its can be really hot and its a big facility. Don’t miss seeing the humongous crocodile, Maximo!
Castillo de San Marcos: This is the oldest structure in St Augustine. I haven’t personally been here but my family says its a great spot to go on a day trip and explore. On the weekends they do cannon firings too!
Fishing on the pier: Ty and his brothers spend at least one morning each trip here. You can get everything you need to fish straight on the pier - license, bait and fishing rods.
How to get here | Travel:
Drive your own car: We’ve done this several times. From Nashville with toddlers it took over 12 hours. Because you risk hitting Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Jacksonville traffic it can be quite variable.
Fly into Jacksonville or Orlando: We flew into Jacksonville via Southwest this year. We then rented a car with car seats (highly recommend) and drove to the beach which took about 1:45 with traffic (we arrived right during peak rush hour). Fair warning, the car seats are not very nice but they do the job and we felt safe for the week.
What did I miss? What else would you like to know about St Augustine Beach?
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