Our 15 Favorite Free Things to Do in St. Augustine, Florida

Looking for free things to do in St. Augustine, Florida? We’ve got you covered. We’ve been exploring this historic city from top to bottom for over twenty years, and this has led us to uncover 15 hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems that won’t cost you a dime.

From spirit tastings and farmers markets to art crawls and historic homes, there’s something for everyone who visits St. Augustine. This has made it easily one of our favorite destinations in North Florida! And if after all your exploring you’re looking for a bite to eat, we’ve made it easy for you with guides to the best breakfast spots and must-try restaurants in St. Augustine to boot! If you have to spend your money somewhere, why not spend it on food?

About St. Augustine, Florida

Before we get into our favorite free things to do in St. Augustine Florida, we wanted to share a bit about this city’s history.

St. Augustine boasts the title of the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. Yup, that’s right—before Jamestown! Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the city has witnessed centuries of history. From Spanish colonial rule to British occupation and eventual American independence, St. Augustine has seen it all.

So while St. Augustine is a paradise for any history buff, it’s also a vibrant city that offers an array of non-history-related activities. From pristine beaches and quaint streets to art galleries and state parks, there’s always something to do and see—and many for free!

15 Free Things to Do in St. Augustine, Florida

Okay, okay—history class is over. Let’s get into our shortlist for 15 of the best free things to do in St. Augustine, Florida. You may notice that we occasionally mention prices throughout the article. Though completely optional, we have chosen to include them if you have a special interest in a place and would like to experience one of their paid offerings.

And with that, I think we’re ready to dive in!

1. Walk around Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Kicking things off with one of St. Augustine’s most famous attractions, we have the historic Castillo de San Marcos. The Spanish built this iconic fort in the 17th century to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route. Its location right by the water offers stunning views of Matanzas Bay. Even without entering the fort, you can walk right up to and around this historical wonder. We love reading the informational signs as part of their outdoor exhibits to learn about the fort.

If you do choose to go inside Castillo de San Marcos, there is a $15.00 entrance fee for full access which is valid for seven consecutive days. Those with a USNP America the Beautiful Pass can get in for free.

We particularly enjoy walking in this area in the early or later hours of the day, especially in the summer, as it can be hot in the Florida heat.

Location: 11 S Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 9 am – 5 pm Everyday (to enter)
Recommended time: 30 minutes – 1 hour

2. Meander through the Governor’s House Culture Center and Museum

The Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum is a pleasant and 100% free history museum. This small museum houses a variety of artifacts from the early days of St. Augustine. On our visit, they also had a unique collection of local Florida art on display!

The building traditionally acted as the headquarters for Spanish and British governors during colonial times. Then, when Florida was ceded to the US by Spain, it became a courthouse and even served as the temporary Capitol building of Florida.

Although a short visit, it’s worth it if you’re interested in learning about the history of St. Augustine—without the information overload. The Governor’s House Culture Center and Museum has restrooms, water fountains, and is air-conditioned, making it a great stop even during the hottest of Floridian days.

Location: 48 King St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 10 am – 5 pm Everyday
Recommended time: 20 – 30 minutes

3. Sample local wine at San Sebastian Winery

The San Sebastian Winery is a pleasant local winery just a few blocks from the old town of St. Augustine. Having opened in 1996, this family-run business offers complimentary wine tastings as well as free tours of their facility. They’ve grown to be one of the top wineries in all of Florida, with a wide range of award-winning wines. This facility in St. Augustine houses the port wine production while the Lakeridge location produces about 95% of their wines.

San Sebastian Winery lets you sample wine for free on the first floor. The tour includes a short video on where the wine is grown and how it is produced before touring their facility. If you’re interested, head up to their second floor for more paid tastings ($5 to sample their reserve wines) or the rooftop to enjoy a glass of your favorite wine from the tour. On the roof, they serve food and drink with live music in the evenings from Tuesday through Sunday.

We were blown away by their customer service and eagerness to answer our questions. And as individuals with little to no knowledge about wine—we had quite a few!

Location: 157 King St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 10 am – 6 pm Everyday
Recommended time: 1 – 1.5 hours

4. Walk through Old Town

When it comes to walking in St. Augustine, St. George Street is one of the top streets to visit. Even without buying anything, you can enjoy window shopping, people-watching, and passing by historical curiosities like the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse! St. George Street is the most touristy as it has a lot of small businesses like cigar, ice cream, fudge, and souvenir shops.

We recommend starting at the Old City Gates and continuing down until you reach Plaza de la Constitución. We find this small, shady park to be the perfect point to enjoy a snack on a bench. If you continue down one block further, you will pass by Stanbury Cottage, a quaint historical home.

To escape the tourists, we highly recommend getting off St. George Street and exploring the other small, walkable streets in Old Town. We love walking down Aviles Street, part of the more artsy district with local artists and galleries. The cobblestone streets lined with the old Spanish architecture are just as quaint but a lot less touristy.

Location: St. George Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Open 24/7
Recommended time: 1 – 2 hours

5. Peruse Farmers Markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays

Every Saturday from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, there is a lively farmers market held at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Here, local vendors and artisans set up shop. We saw everything from fresh produce to artisan cheeses, sometimes with free samples!

In addition to food vendors, Saturday’s Farmers Market had craft vendors and live music playing to enjoy as we strolled.

Location: 1340 A1A South St. Augustine, Florida 32080
Hours: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Recommended time: 1 – 2 hours

Midweek, you can find another farmers market in St. Augustine Beach—the Wednesday Pier Farmers Market! As the name suggests, this market is located at St. Augustine Beach Pier Park. Its hours are from 8 am to 12 pm, staying open an extra hour until 1 pm November through April.

This market serves as a gathering point for the local community—bringing together neighbors, farmers, and artisans alike. Offering a selection of fresh, seasonal produce, Pier Farmers Market is a pleasant way to spend your Wednesday morning.

Location: 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL, 32080
Hours: 8 am – 12 pm (1 pm November through April) every Wednesday
Recommended time: 1 – 2 hours

6. Enjoy free tastings at City Gates Spirits Distillery

For a unique and free tasting experience, head to City Gates Spirits Distillery. During our visit, we were promptly greeted by their knowledgeable and friendly staff, who guided us through a tasting of their handcrafted spirits while we enjoyed the sunny bayfront view.

They offer free samples of several of their delicious vodkas, whiskeys, rums, and moonshine while teaching you about the distilling process. It’s a great way to learn about the culture of handcrafted spirits in the South and discover new flavors—all without spending a nickel!

Some of their unique flavors include an apple pie moonshine and a sweet tea vodka! If those aren’t your jam, don’t hesitate to talk with their staff to receive a recommendation based on your preferences.

Location: 11 St George St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 11 am – 7 pm Everyday
Recommended time: 1 hour

7. Enjoy the sun, sand, and waves at St. Augustine Beach

What’s a visit to St. Augustine (or anywhere in Florida for that matter) without a beach day? St. Augustine Beach, also the name of the adjacent city itself, is located on Anastasia Island, east of downtown St. Augustine. With wide, clean beaches, public restrooms, showers, and nearby parking, St. Augustine Beach is a comfortable spot to spend an entire day by the water.

We recommend checking out St. Johns County Ocean & Fishing Pier as well, especially at sunset, for spectacular views of the coastline and water from higher up. There is a fee to access the pier, but you can peruse the park area for free. Although St. Augustine is part of Florida’s Historic Coast that boasts 42 miles of beautiful sandy beaches, St. Augustine Beach and Velano Beach are the closest to Old Town.

This beach is lined with a myriad of eateries—two of our favorites being The Kookaburra and Beachside Diner. For more on these restaurants and others, check out our recent blog posts on the best breakfast spots and must-try restaurants in St. Augustine.

We can comfortably spend the entire day in this pleasant beach town without needing to head back to downtown St. Augustine if we don’t want to. We recommend coming prepared with your own chairs and umbrellas, though, as there is no beach rental!

Location: 1 8th St, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Hours: Open 24 hours
Recommended visit: 4 hours – Entire Day

8. Explore the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve

Best explored by hiking or biking, Guana Tolomato Matanzas is enough for a half or entire day of exploring. With 73,256 acres of hiking trails, picnicking spots, and gorgeous lookouts, this large wildlife reserve is located just north of the city of St. Augustine.

We recommend starting your trip at the GTM Research Reserve visitor center, opening at the same hours as the GTM reserve (see below). Here, the staff can provide you with maps and recommend some well-maintained hiking trails, with several trailheads starting just outside of the research center. We also love picking out and downloading trails beforehand on the AllTrails app. Below, we’ve shared the map of a 14.3 kilometer, 2.5 hour loop through the park, popular among hikers, bikers, and even birders! AllTrails has plenty of other loops listed as well, of varying times, difficulty levels, and distances.

Various native wildlife can be seen while exploring this reserve’s forests, marshes, and swamps, including the likes of armadillos, pelicans, and cranes! If you arrive by car, they do require a small fee for parking ($3.00 during our visit), but there is no entrance fee to enter the reserve itself.

Location: 505 Guana River Rd #6527, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Hours: 9 am – 4 pm Tuesday – Saturday (Closed Sunday and Monday)
Recommended visit: 3-4 hours

We love using AllTrails to download maps offline so we can always stay on the trail. Sign up for AllTrails+ so you too can download maps offline before your hike!

9. Take the free ferry to explore Fort Matanzas

Next up we have Fort Matanzas, a coastal stone fort built by the Spanish in the 1700s. To access the Fort Matanzas National Monument, there is a free short boat ride offered to visitors to cross the river. You’ll want to park by the National Park Service point as you can’t drive up to the monument.

Everyone from the rangers to the boat staff is very friendly and happy to chat about the history of the area. Once the ferry has dropped you off on the other side of the river, you can walk around as well as inside Fort Matanzas. Up on the rooftop, we were able to enjoy some pretty amazing views of the water and surrounding area.

Location: 8635 A1A S, St. Augustine, FL 32080
Hours: 9 am – 5:30 pm Everyday
Recommended visit: 1 – 1.5 hours

10. Peruse the interior of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine

Dating back to the 18th century, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the oldest Catholic Parish in the United States! The entrance to this architectural wonder and important historical landmark is completely free, making it the perfect spot to escape the hustle and bustle of St. George Street.

Complete with grand stained glass windows, a historic bell tower, and paintings illustrating the early days of St. Augustine, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is a short but worthy stop if you’re looking to gift yourself a few quiet moments.

Location: 38 Cathedral Pl, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 8 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday (Closed to the public Saturday and Sunday)
Recommended visit: 10 – 15 minutes

11. Tour the Peña-Peck House

The Peña-Peck House is another historic house museum from the Spanish period of St. Augustine, dating back to the 1800s. Currently, it also serves as the center for St. Augustine’s Woman’s Exchange, a non-profit that gives scholarships to women over 30 going to college.

Free guided tours are available on Sunday through Friday from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm. Local volunteers lead the tour, which takes about 20-30 minutes in total. It’s recommended to leave a donation for the St. Augustine’s Woman’s Exchange, but not required. We were blown away by the knowledgeable volunteers and the history of this home.

Even if you don’t go on the tour, the Peña-Peck House also has a lovely gift shop run by volunteers from the women’s organization. All the goods are made locally and aren’t your average run-of-the-mill souvenirs, so if you’re looking to bring something back for friends or family, this gift shop is a must!

Location: 143 St George St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 12 pm – 4:30 pm Wednesday – Saturday (Closed Sunday – Tuesday)
Recommended Visit: 30 minutes – 1 hour

12. Savor local spirits at the St. Augustine Distillery

If you got excited about City Gates Spirits, we’ve got another spot for you. St. Augustine Distillery is another excellent distillery, located in an ice plant dating back to 1907—giving way to this spot’s unique, rustic interior. This fully operational distillery offers free tours of their facility as well as free tastings of their rum, vodka, and bourbon. Elliot and I have been coming to St. Augustine for years, and this has been a favorite spot among us and our friends.

If you’re left wanting more, St. Augustine Distillery also offers two paid tours that go more in-depth—Bourbon History & Tasting Experience and Premium Spirits Tasting & Pairing for $10! We found all their staff to be very passionate and knowledgeable about the spirit-making process and more than happy to answer all our questions.

Location: 112 Riberia St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 10 am – 6 pm Everyday
Recommended Visit: 1-2 hours

13. Explore Fort Mose Historic State Park

If you’re looking to learn a bit more about the hidden history of St. Augustine, Fort Mose Historic State Park should be on your radar. Located north of St. Augustine, just off US 1, this historic park was where the first free African-American settlement in Spanish Florida was located. One Saturday a month, they put on a live historical reenactment to get a glimpse into what life was like for these settlers in the 1700s. In what would eventually become the United States, Fort Mose was the first legally sanctioned community of freed slaves, making it a valuable piece of Black History.

In addition to being a historical hub, Fort Mose State Park is an amazing spot to spend the outdoors in, outfitted with boardwalks over the marshes, picnicking areas, and grill spots. During your hike, keep an eye out for interesting local wildlife in the marshes, like blue crabs and wood storks.

If you’d like to learn even more about the history of Fort Mose, for $2 per person, you can enter their visitor’s center, which doubles as an interactive museum. Besides the visitor’s center, the rest of the grounds are completely free and open daily, every day of the year.

Location: 15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Park open 9 am – 5 pm every day, (Visitor’s Center Closed Tuesday and Wednesday)
Recommended Visit: 2 – 3 hours

We love using AllTrails to download maps offline so we can always stay on the trail. Sign up for AllTrails+ so you too can download maps offline before your hike!

14. Explore the Father Miguel O’Reilly House Museum

Coming back into the center of town, we’ve got the Father Miguel O’Reilly House Museum in historic downtown St. Augustine. Here, you’ll learn about St. Augustine’s Catholic heritage, which dates back to the 1500s. The interior of the Reilly house museum is fitted with furniture from the era, antique musical instruments, an old printing press, a quaint garden, and a permanent exhibit on the spot’s Catholic history.

The guides, Catholic nuns from the Sisters of St. Joseph order, are incredibly friendly and happy to chat about the home’s history. If you have a few dollars to spare, entrance to this museum is free, but donations are accepted.

Location: 32 Aviles St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 10 am – 3 pm Wednesday to Saturday (Closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday)
Recommended Visit: 1 hour

15. Peruse the St. Augustine Art Association

Last but not least, we’ve got the St. Augustine Art Association. This art association, founded in 1924, is a non-profit art space housing a wide variety of changing art exhibitions as well as a permanent collection dating back to the 1930s. In addition to their gallery spaces, they organize lectures, workshops, concerts, and other events for the public.

Located right by Harbormaster Park, this art space is a pleasant way to spend an hour or so in the early afternoon. On the first Friday of every month, they organize a free art walk through the town’s galleries from 5 pm – 9 pm. A handful of art galleries will open to the public and offer refreshments and live music. More information about the First Friday Art Walk and St. Augustine Art Association’s latest exhibits is on their website.

Location: 22 Marine St, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: 12 pm – 4 pm Tuesday – Sunday (Closed Monday)
Recommended Visit: 1 hour

Map of 15 Free Things to Do in St. Augustine, Florida

In hopes of making this even easier for you, we’ve put together a map of the exact directions where you can find these 15 free things to do in St. Augustine, Florida! 😎

How to use this map: We have saved the locations from this guide on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. In your Google Maps, click the menu icon and then Saved Maps, where this map will appear.

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