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| Drink fresh spring water from the "Fountain of Youth" |
After visiting Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, we walked around the old town for a little while, then decided not to go to the Colonial Quarter for a tour since we were running short on time. Instead we drove a short distance to the Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Historians believe this to be the site near where Ponce de Leon landed and explored on April 3, 1513. I'm looking at that date and realizing it's April 3 today, 503 years later! Wow! In 1565, Pedro Mendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine, making it the USA's oldest successful European settlement. This site was also the home of a Timucuan Indian village, so that has been reconstructed for visitors.
Admission to the park is $15 for adults and $9 for children ages 6-12. Discounts may be available, and parking is free.
For me, the biggest visual attraction was the flock of beautiful peacocks.
First Mission Church of Nombre de Dios
Baptismal font
Firearms demonstration
Canon demonstration
Watchtower - with repair workers, not Spanish soldiers
Spanish workboat
Large cross in the distance
And a modern boy who likes to do pull ups
Timucuan village house
Alligator hide
Can you imagine what it would have been like to live there as a Timucuan or a Spaniard?
Virginia Knowles
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