St Augustine, FL - places to stay?

[John_S2]

My DW would like to escape to the St. Augustine, FL area for a few weeks this winter if possible. Any suggestions for places to stay and things to do? Debating driving our class C down or trying to find a place to rent in that area. Would appreciate any and all suggestions.

Thanks, John S.

[The_Painting_Te]

Another vote for North Beach Camp Resort. Atlantic Ocean is on one end of the campground and the IntraCoastal Waterway on the other. Good vegetation separates sites. Three good restaurants within walking distance. Facilities are old but kept clean daily. Staff is helpful. Camp on!

[fla-gypsy]

Having been in Florida the last 55 years I am here to tell you, "bugs"
can happen at any time the temp is above freezing. If you cringe at the site of a bug/snake/large reptile or temps above 80* this may not be the place for you.

[magnusfide]

linnemj wrote:
We just got back from St. Augustine last week. We likes Anastasia Island State Park. The sites are private and the location is great. We liked to bike into the Historic Downtown area (about 1 1/2 miles). The beach at the park extends north and is very isolated, perfect for long walks and shell hunting. We ate at O'Steen's restaurant twice. Excellent shrimp and scallops at a reasonable price. They are closed Sunday and Monday and it is cash only.

Forgot to mention Anastasia Island SP. They're an outstanding place to stay as well and cheaper than Stagecoach. In winter, no bugs either. Here's a link to info
http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/default.cfm

[linnemj]

We just got back from St. Augustine last week. We likes Anastasia Island State Park. The sites are private and the location is great. We liked to bike into the Historic Downtown area (about 1 1/2 miles). The beach at the park extends north and is very isolated, perfect for long walks and shell hunting. We ate at O'Steen's restaurant twice. Excellent shrimp and scallops at a reasonable price. They are closed Sunday and Monday and it is cash only.

[magnusfide]

Don't know your preferences. We don't do Florida in warm weather, too many mosquitoes, snakes and ticks. We prefer winter in Florida.

Stagecoach RV is nice and a great base camp with lower rates. If you like to go sight-seeing and wander for the day like we do, this is a good camp for that. St. Augustine is full of terrific sight-seeing opportunities. Great for us as we prefer canoeing, fishing, biking, and hiking. We also like to visit historic sites and enjoy the natural beauty-we aren't into outlet malls or theme parks though you can find a few of those nearby. If you're tired of cooking I also recommend O'Steen's and Aunt Kate's on A1A.

Re Crooked River State Park: very nice and quiet, perfect temps in winter. No bugs or water moccasins during the winter months. http://www.gastateparks.org/CrookedRiver Great for a stopover on the way to St. Augustine.

[fla-gypsy]

I would recommend North Beach RV if you are looking for the beach experience. If not Stagecoach is decent for just serving as a home base to see the area. Anastasia Island SP is a lovely natural CG with W&E only with one loop that can accomodate larger RV's but is difficult to get reservations. My first choice would be North Beach. Enjoy your time in St Augustine, it is a great place to visit. There is a trolly vendor that allows on and off privelges at multiple locations that can serve as a great way to learn about the town and get you to some major attractions. The visitor center is first class and right across the street from the St George street entrance to the old city and the trolly picks up there as well. If you are interested in other north Florida ideas while you are here I can help with those as well.

[tropicdad]

I live not too far from St. Augustine, about 30 miles. My DW is from there. If you like shopping the Outlet Mall is over at State Rd 16 and I-95. Camping World also has a location near the mall. On Wednesday morning there is a farmers Market at the St. Augustine beach pier and Saturday there is a farmers market at the St. Augustine amphitheater by the lighthouse, I think it is open 8-noon. There is also the St. Johns River Farmer's Market on State Rd 13 near Switzerland in Alpine Grove Park, open 10-2.
To eat where the locals eat, go to Aunt Kate's on A1A at Vilano Beach next to North Beach Camp, O'Steens on A1A on the island near the bridge of Lions, Nalu's Tropical Takeout at the SurfStation parking lot which is at the entrance of Anastasia State Park. Try the Baja Fish Tacos, best in town. Sunset Grille south of the pier, Conch House too. I could go on and on there is a lot to do here, come on down.

[2hams]

We stayed at Stagecoach RV Park and liked it. There are two large outlet malls nearby. We also liked Crooked River SP, but were eaten alive by the bugs.

[JoeH]

We stay at North Beach Camp.
It's just a bit north of town. For things to do, check out the historic district, take a buggy ride, go to the alligator farm, visit the fort, take a ghost tour, the segway tour is a pretty cool way to explore teh town, it leaves from the Fountain of Youth park. Lots of good restaurants in town too.

[Teacher_s_Pet]

We have stayed for a few days at Stagecoach RV Park & Indian Forest Campground, both were nice basic Rv parks. We've also stayed one night at Anastasia State Park and then fled the mosquito infested "Florida Hammock" type loop we were assigned.

At the time my many medications made me a virtual buffet for the pests. In the 5-6 minutes it took for me to do the outside "blue jobs" in setup, I was bitten over 15 times. No thanks to a return trip for us.

[monkey44]

Some folks will chime in here for that area that know it better than me. But, don't miss Crooked River State Park just off I-95 at Kingsland, GA right on the Georgia / Florida border about sixty miles north of St Augustine - a nice stop over, some great hikes along the river, and then a short drive down the coast the St Aug. St Mary's historic town is worth a day too, right near Crooked River.