I visited Florida's lesser-known treasures - here's what to see in St Augustine and Amelia Island

Bright lights, nightclubs, rollercoasters, beach life, “the place where I come let go / Miami the bass and the sunset low / Every day like a mardi gras, everybody party all day / No work all play, okay” as the Will Smith track had it several decades back: that was my impression of Florida. Glitzy, glamorous. And add some alligators in there too, probably.

But like all general impressions, it’s miles from the whole truth. And a week spent on the north coast of the state was a welcome look at an area steeped in not just American but world history. It reminds you that Florida is in America’s South, with well-mannered friendliness the order of the day.

We stayed for a week in two areas which rival each other to be the oldest inhabited settlements in America: Amelia Island and St Augustine. Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island has the oldest recorded sign of inhabitation, but St Augustine, founded in 1565, is the oldest continuously occupied settlement.

Both are a long way from the world of Disney, and I mean that in an entirely complimentary way. Beautiful 19th century - and older - houses are on every corner in the older parts of each city, and everywhere are constant reminders of the patchwork past of the area, changing hands from the French to the Spanish and the English on a regular basis as the colonial powers fought out their rivalries on lands far from home. You see the influence of different cultures everywhere - food, architecture, street names, in people’s faces - and this melting pot has created a wonderful destination.

11 things to do in St Augustine and Amelia Island

Eight Flags road tour

Daniel is a great guide, and the understated tour is an eye-opener. Don’t be fooled by his English accent and background; the guy is a walking encyclopaedia of Floridian facts. Just roaming around Fernandina Beach in the back of a minibus may not not on the face of it sound fun, but in the company of someone who really knows his stuff, and in the surroundings of a delightful city with not just history but beautiful homes to ogle, the time will flash past. A great way to get grounded not just geographically but historically. Start reading up now on why it is called Eight Flags and you won’t be disappointed.

Horse riding on the beach

Some of us were born to be at one with our animal brethren, to gallop at dawn and feel alive. Some of us grew up in suburbia and frankly are scared of huge animals, and while we like riding bikes have never been on a horse. Luckily Amelia Island Horseback Riding cater for all, regardless of how inept you (me) may be with equines. Riding down the beach was an experience not to forget; it may have been quicker to have walked on two legs but that’s not the point… it makes even the horse-dubious realise why it’s a privilege to have such a lovely wide beach to enjoy.

Fort Clinch

It’s easy to scoff at America’s relative youth (there are several trees in Fernandina that easily predate the earliest surviving house) but that’s a silly attitude to take. What’s more enlightening is to be amazed by the fact that how unstable Florida’s situation was in the (English) Victorian era. After centuries of colonial invasion and the American Civil War, it was still not clear what might happen. And that’s why military developments such as Fort Clinch were necessary.

Unlike those built by the English in the Solent about 20 years later, nobody’s calling these “follies”. Fort Clinch, which was there to defend St Mary’s River, is a beautifully preserved, well, fort. You walk around it and you feel what life was like on this outpost, built when America’s vast size and sparse population would have meant that the whole country felt like the wild west.

Fountain of Youth Park

Moving south to St Augustine and its environs, the first place to visit has to be the Fountain of Youth park. The legend has it that Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon came ashore here and found the spring that not only gave him and his men drinking water but miraculously can (even now) preserve a youthful appearance. Ponce de Leon gave Florida its name (La Florida - “flowering”, or “of the Flowers”), as he was struck by how verdant the land was, and created the first colony when he landed, but it strikes me the Fountain of Youth story may just have improved in the telling over the years. While no doubt you’d have been delighted to find a spring after months on a ship, to modern-day tastes it’s just very minerally. However, that’s not to detract from the park itself which has a great story to tell and is thoroughly enjoyable - it’s slightly kitschy, it’s got the vibe of being the destination of a 1,000 school trips, but if you don’t enjoy watching a man fire a musket or a cannon then you have no soul.

Yoga

An unexpected highlight of our trip was a “Yoga on the Lawn” session with Pilates Yoga Loft in St Augustine. An 8am start in front of the historic Ximenez-Fatio House, with a leader who even by gym instructor standards was radiating positivity, and a wonderful experience. Even those of us who can’t touch our toes greatly enjoyed it and were pleasantly exhausted later in the day.

Salt spa

A new experience was a salt spa in St Augustine. The name, and the fact it was described as a cave, suggested an underground trek but in fact it was inside what looked on the face of it an unremarkable house, in which the “cave” had been built. The science is that the negative ions in salt are good for you, and a salt cave is bacteria-free and so can help people with lung conditions such as asthma. In reality though, sitting for an hour in the dark in the cave with relaxing music being piped through was a wonderful and relaxing experience, and if I became more healthy because of it then so much the better.

St Augustine

Just walking around St Augustine is a wonderful way to spend time. The architecture is superb, the Old Town is beautiful, and the story of how oil tycoon Henry Flagler turbo-charged the town by building hotels there, inspired to create a spa resort by his ill wife is fascinating. It’s easy to while away an afternoon browsing in the niche town centre shops or just wandering, staring at the grand churches and hotels (some of which have been converted to university buildings).

Shark’s teeth

Out of town, if you are on the Florida coast then you must go to a beach and look for sharks’ teeth. Locals will tell you which are the better places to scour - but the geography of the state means you have plenty of beach to choose from.

Ghost tours

St Augustine is one of the most haunted places in America, as befits the country’s oldest city. During our stay our party encountered some, let’s say, intriguing phenomenon, but nothing that could be committed to video. However, ghost tours flourish and one of the good after-dark ones is Ghosts and Gravestones, which takes visitors on a trolley bus to the Tolomato Cemetery, a scary wax museum complete with tales of executions, and into the Old Gaol. Suffice to say there were genuine screams.

St Augustine lighthouse

Back into daylight - although another allegedly haunted location - St Augustine lighthouse is a must on a clear day. Not far out of town, there is the chance to climb the tower itself for great views of the area, and also some fascinating social history about the shrimping industry.

Fort Matanzas

The A1A road which tracks the coastline in north-east Florida is worth a mention in and of itself, and if you follow it south from St Augustine you’ll find Fort Matanzas. Built by the Spanish to defend St Augustine, it’s accessible by a quick ferry ride as it sits on an island and, surrounded by small islands and salt marsh, just like Fort Clinch it’s a reminder of how tough early settler life was. The fort is well preserved, and the knowledgeable park rangers will fill you in on its history.

Where we stayed

During our time on Amelia Island we were at the Omni resort, a huge sprawling development that for several decades has been a byword for luxury. The hotel has more than 400 rooms, and the owners have a history of making sure that the area’s natural beauty is preserved.

In St Augustine, it was the Collector Inn - a collection of historic buildings restored in beautiful grounds. Staying here gave a real impression of what what a St Augustine neighbourhood would have looked like two centuries back. It was just a short walk to St Augustine’s downtown - a great location.

7 places to eat on Amelia Island and in St Augustine

Lagniappe - the word means a free gift for a customer, and the gift given here is a wonderful and relaxed restaurant that was packed on the weekday night we visited, and deserves to be packed out from hereon in. Generous American food - think the US equivalent of a gastropub, or a restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously, while being entirely serious about what it serves.

It’s near the coast so there’s plenty of seafood; I opted for the day’s special of meat loaf and the waiter almost shook my hand, he was so pleased. It was superb - huge meaty flavours in every mouthful, beautifully presented with fried onions. Anyone who goes here will wish it was in their neighbourhood.

Palace Saloon bar - Florida’s oldest bar (dating for 1903) makes much of its history but there’s no getting around the fact it’s a beautiful building. The former haberdashery has been extended and includes a beer garden; come for the ambience, try the celebrity Pirate Punch but seek solace in the local - and excellent - draft Mocama IPA.

Salt Life food shack - a small chain across north east Florida, imagine a Cornwall surfer vibe. Plenty of seafood served almost anyway you can imagine, such as fish tacos, poke bowls, but plenty of other options. It’s the kind of place where there’s no hard and fast rules - it’s in seafood central but if something else works, like Hawaiian wings, edamame beans or deep-fried avocado, then it goes on the menu. Chilled.

Cranking up the sophistication, David’s in Fernandina Beach is a classy restaurant which prioritises confident cooking. Its steaks are tremendous - a “Picanha Wagyu” with a fondant potato, grilled carrots and chimichurri will live long in the memory. Perfectly executed - dining perfected as an experience. The chef is David from Columbia - not for the first time, a meeting of different culinary cultures produces magic.

Just across the water coast-side from St Augustine in Vilano Beach, Pesca is another venture from an up-and-coming chef with roots outside Florida, Michael Lugo from Puerto Rico. His restaurant is at the top of a Holiday Inn, with great views of the sea one way and St Augustine the other, and diners will be delighted by his zesty salads and way with seafood.

La Cocina - a tremendous restaurant in St Augustine, where fine dining and formality meet comfort. A daunting menu offers primo, secundo and entrees in the Italian tradition, but dig deeper and you’ll find comfort food such as peri peri chicken or BBQ Korean short ribs amongst the offerings.

But, and here the twist comes again, it’s fine dining comfort food. The ribs have been deboned and braised to give delicate garlic and ginger flavours, while there is a subtle pile of jasmine rice on the side. A restaurant where the chefs have an inherent understanding of the joy of food, for sure.

If you’ve ever wanted to be shuttled around a city while eating fine food and drinking lovely wine then this is where to come. (Actually, if at least one of those isn’t on your life’s wishlist you’re an idiot. Stop reading.) A wonderful idea, which combines a great way to investigate St Augustine with some tremendous food, just letting The Tasting Tours Food Tour do the hard work was brilliant.

We ate swordfish, tried wine tasting, and enjoyed pork tacos and churros. Our host and guide was Judi, who was superb - we spent at least 87% of the three hours laughing hysterically with her, on a day when the rain beat down, and her passion for St Augustine was evident from the get-go. It’s not hard to understand why. It’s a special place.

Tom Morton went to Florida with Visit Florida, which provides information on the best places to go in the state, as well as flagging up holiday deals.