My Florida journey...
Florida’s known for fantasy, not history. But Laura Gelder discovers there’s a different side to the land of Disney if you head north
León spotted Florida’s coast. That’s why I started my trip in St Augustine,
T Pensacola Village
believed to be the spot where the Spanish fi rst landed, and now the nerve centre of a state- wide initiative to make folks realise Florida has more than sun and sand – Viva Florida 500.
Where it all began Just two hours from the screaming
scramble of Orlando’s theme parks, St. Augustine’s streets resonate with the clip- clop of horse carriages which carry tourists
around its tree-lined streets. The architecture here swings wildly between
clapboard colonial and exotic Moorish fretwork. Tendrils of bougainvillea compete with billowing Stars and Stripes adorning the balconies of the wooden taverns, where patrons sit enjoying live music, sipping a beer while watching the world go by. St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied city in the United States. As Richard Goldman, Executive Director at the St. Augustine VCB put it: “When Jamestown, Virginia
his April 2 marked 500 years since Spanish conquistador Ponce de
was being built, St. Augustine was being refurbished.” It does seem unfair that Jamestown is lauded as being the cradle of American civilisation, especially in light of the USA’s huge Hispanic population. The city’s oldest building is Castillo de San Marcos,
where construction began in 1672. The fort’s coquina walls, crafted from sea shells and coral, have sheltered Spanish, British, Confederate and US soldiers. These
“Tendrils of bougainvillea complete with billowing
days the cannon fi res for the amusement of tourists but I was impressed by the faint lines of 17th century graffi ti, etched into walls of the dank barracks by the Spaniards. Even better, the Pirates Museum really captures the swashbuckling New World era! It’s stuffed with genuine Jolly Rogers, pieces of eight and other hearty plunder. The more civilised 1800s era of the city lives on in the dreaming terracotta spires of Flagler College. Once a luxury hotel, now a private liberal arts college, it exudes exclusivity, even now when converse sneaker-clad students tread its ornate marble fl oors. When we hit the road, I began to realise that Northern Florida is a confusing place for a fi rst timer to the Sunshine State. Underneath the bright skies there are palm trees, but there are also live oaks delicately draped in Spanish moss, corn-based grits are as much a religion as a breakfast porridge and there’s a distinct southern twang to many-a local accent.
Stars and Stripes adorning the wooden taverns”
MANTA RAY INN
Your home away from home! With one- and two-bedroom oceanfront apartments, this charming inn offers panoramic views of South Florida's best sandy beach
Recommended by Fodor’s - winner of the acclaimed White Glove Award and Number one on TripAdvisor
www.mantarayinn.com 1715 S. SURF RD, HOLLYWOOD, FL 33019
T: 001 954 921 9666 | F: 001 954 929 8220 E:
INFO@MANTARAYINN.COM
My Magical Moments SOUTHERN SOUL FOOD
Sitting by the bonfi re, with the smell of fried cat fi sh and the twang of blues at Bradfordville Blues Club. Breakfast of buttermilk biscuits and smoked sausage gravy at the cute Paisley Café, Tallahassee The Bustling dockside Joe Patti’s Seafood Supermarket, Pensacola – the freshest seafood ever!
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