If you’re looking to recapture a sense of what serenity feels like again, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more relaxing escape, about an hour and a half drive from Orlando.  In search of that peace and sanity, one of my favorite journeys was unplugging from society, for a quick weekend getaway with my family, glamping in St. Augustine.  Although most visitors wander the streets of the second oldest city in America, in search of its timeless architecture and quaint shops, a discerning few know of a special place just south of town.  On the Northeast, Florida Coast is a hidden treasure any nature enthusiast would dream of, Anastasia State Park.  St. Augustine was founded in 1513 by Juan Ponce de Leon, I wondered, was this the place he was searching for?

Leaving The World Behind

 Looking forward to leaving the world behind, we head out on the open road to explore it all.  The entrance to the park is almost hidden, on a road that weaves away from town.  After a brief stop at the rangers’ station, (where they give you directions, a map and the rules of the park) the sandy gravel road leaves way to the natural habitat of the region.  Mixtures of coastal mangroves and woodsy charm extend before you.  Almost as soon as you arrive, you finally begin to exhale, ready to explore the creature comforts of your campsite.

Home For The Weekend

 Campsites are located in the maritime hammock.  You can choose from an RV location or a more secluded tent site from one of the 139 campsites throughout the hammock.  Looking for a richer experience (and because we lacked an RV) we chose the latter.  Each campsite is easily found by markers along the winding road.  When you find your marker, alas, it’s a cleared area with a mixture of beach framed by forest.  Conveniently equipped with a picnic table, bonfire pit/grilling area, electrical outlet, and running water.  Alive with the vibrant greens of the oak and long-leaf pines, you’ll hear squeaks of miniature woodland creatures in the not-so-far-off distance.

Glamping It Up

Corral the children and begin to capture the spirit of your weekend haven, setting up your camp.  Each tent site is spacious enough to occupy an eight-person tent, a two-person tent, a hammock, and several chairs for evenings around the fire.  In true “Glamping” style, finish off with air mattresses, soft sheets, cozy blankets, pillows, a throw rug for outside your tent and assorted lanterns. 

Gathering Supplies

To illuminate the site at night (and deter your furry neighbors), a string or two of white Christmas lights chase away the ghostly shadows and adds a welcoming glow.  When gathering timber for the fire, you can purchase logs on the property or do as we did and wander the brush around your site in search of useable twigs, already fallen from the trees.  Choosing to explore that option takes you over hidden paths, looping through the other campsites.  It’s not uncommon to dead-end at a stream or marshy waterway.

Getting Lost In Nature

For fun, lists of enviable kid-friendly activities will surely bring you to your spiritual center, in the shared experience of it all.  They have everything from location-based activities like Waymarking, Orienteering, Letterboxing & Geocaching to watersports by the marsh.  You can fat bike the 4 miles of beach on sand-friendly wheels (rent them from the beach-front concession stand), surf fish on the pristine powdery sands or inland at the salt marsh.  Hike the 1600 acres of rich ecosystems teeming with wildlife.  Swim, birdwatch or wile away the hours drifting in your hammock, reading your favorite book, allowing the silence of your surroundings to wash over you.

Playing With The Wildlife

     We chose kayaking, fishing, hiking, and beachcombing for our excursions.  On the first morning when we rented our kayaks (from Anastasia Watersports on the property), my daughter’s boyfriend paddled to the edge of the mangrove fishing from his in the lagoon.  The rest of us raced our way to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum on the inlet to the Intracoastal.  My son’s girlfriend danced playfully on the tip of her kayak, while in wonder, we watched what appeared to be a rock-like formation rising to the surface.  Revealing itself, finally, as a playful manatee, he quickly swam away.  Ever so often, coastal birds soared above, dipping into the waters around us.

A Fisherman’s Heaven

     For the fishing enthusiast, there’s a large diversity of recreational species lurking in the area’s numerous impressive waterways.  Heightening the experience, we waited until just after nightfall to go surf-fishing.  With campfire chairs and cozy throws in hand, we traveled the boardwalk that weaves through the protected dunes dressed in seagrass, delivering us to the beach.  The ocean at night is breathtaking.  The moonlight, its reflection captured in the waters, shines a mosaic path of deep blues and greys, across the crashing waves to guide your line. 

That night, all we caught were sea-spray and a couple of crabs burrowing themselves in the sand.  But, if I close my eyes, I can still hear the roar of the waves and feel the salt air in my lungs from that all too brief moment in time. As dawn breaks over the horizon, beachcombing, particularly shelling, is a favorite pastime here.  Waiting until low tide reveals the largest collection of rarities in unspoiled shells.  Then, leisurely strolling the coast in search of your treasures, with no regard for the time that’s past, you’ll witness the Laughing Gulls dance away from crashing surf and the Brown Pelicans dip into the ocean, collecting their morning meal.  The coastal birds are not the only ones you’ll share this sanctuary with.  For birdwatchers, it’s known to have over 150 species either living or migrating here every year.

An Evening Under The Stars

As night closes in you’ll gather around the campfire for the evening’s feast. This becomes more of an experience than a meal. Then, drifting in the sway of your hammock, eating smores, trading stories and watching the crackling fire carry burning embers into the night sky, are just a few ways to wind down your day.  When bedtime approached, with no chance of rain, we unzipped the peephole at the top of our tent.  Through the canopy of the forest, the stars twinkled as the shifting and shapeless clouds danced across the moon.  All the while, the coastal breeze gently rustling the leaves, lulled us to sleep.

Ponce de Leon’s Answer

     As you come to the end of your journey, you pack the last of your campsite in the car, restoring the site to its pre-weekend peacefulness.  Never feeling more relaxed, a thought occurred to me.  Juan Ponce de Leon, truly found what he was in search of.  The Fountain of Youth was not a potion, nor a spring.  It was the peaceful sounds of nature, the chattering of the wildlife, the critters that scurried the paths before you.  The Fountain of Youth was a moonlit walk on the beach, with the salty sea air and Mother Nature’s waves crashing at your feet, leaving the world he knew behind, to join the serenity of this passage in time.

How To Book This Weekend Getaway

For More Information Reserve Your RV or Tent Site with the links below:

Anastasia State Park

300 Anastasia Park Road

St. Augustine, Fl 32080

Phone: 904-461-2033

Website: www.floridastateparks.org

For Reservations: 1-800-326-3521

www.ReserveAmerica.com

Open Year-Round

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13