6302 - St. Augustine Ocean & Racquet Resort

07/04/2024

Happy Independence Day!

08/12/2023

What are your favorite restaurants in St. Augustine?

08/12/2023

08/12/2023

Surf Station employee Charles Gregory is found ! Flound alive, and although he can’t walk right now, the doctors say eventually he will be able to again

He is extremely sunburned and dehydrated after spending 36 hours in the Atlantic treading water, his muscles overused have atrophied clinging to his near sunk 8 foot john boat.

The tiny boat would have sunk completely, but he let the motor go and sink so the boat would stay afloat, but barely

All started at 4 am 2 days ago when Charles took his little boat out the inlet like he has done countless times before to go fishing for bull reds.

On his way out the inlet, a rogue wave hit the boat and knocked it over. A second wave came and knocked everything out of the boat. His life jacket was washed away by the huge wave. Charles t-shirt, cell phone, and all his belongings were in the front of the boat, and all sank, including his sunglasses, hat, and more. His radio, flares, horn, everything sank to the bottom of the ocean

Charles is fair skinned, and then had nothing to protect himself for the next 36 hours in the water floating. No sunscreen or even a T-shirt. Bare skin, with No food or water, nothing but his shorts, which he took off to wave at passing boats that never saw him.

Charles needed to tread water next to the boat because if he got on the boat it would sink. However, sharks would circle the boat and he would need to get on the boat temporally to get away from them, however, this made the boat sink.

It rained at night, which was good but very cold with nothing to insulate is bare skin. Charles got so cold and was shivering so badly, he threw up seven times.

During the day, about 20 to 25 boats and planes went by, but no one ever saw him.

When asked what kept him going, Charles said “Honestly, thinking about my parents. It sounds cheesy, but I couldn’t help the thought of them not knowing… what ever happened to me, if I were not to make it. I had left without telling them, and being that far out in the ocean, no one knew where I was.”

The Coast Guard found Charles 12 miles off Vilano, and 28 miles from Mayport

We will be very happy when Charles is able to return to work at the shop. He’s got yet more of this story to tell!

Said his dad Raymond to the community: “Thank you so much for the prayers. Those prayers got him rescued!”

07/26/2023

Here's how locals recommend exploring the coastal city, from ghost tours to gourmet ice pops.

07/26/2023

06/28/2023

03/17/2023

☘️HOP ON! Visiting St. Augustine, Florida this spring? Hop on and off an Old Town Trolley and learn history about the nation’s oldest city. Here’s a HUGE list of festivals to attend this spring:

☘️March 11: St. Augustine St. Patrick’s Parade
☘️March 11-12: Celtic Fest – Francis Field
☘️March 24-25: Lions Spring Festival – Francis Field
☘️March 25-26: 27th Annual Flower & Garden Expo – Sykes Family Farm
☘️March 26: St. Ambrose Spring Fair
☘️April 1-2: Old Town Art Show – Francis Field
☘️April 1-2: Florida Ma’am Music Festival – Colonial Oak Music Park
☘️April 8: St. Augustine Easter Parade
☘️April 14-15: PoetFest 2023 – Flagler College
☘️April 14-16: Gamble Rogers Folk Festival at St. Johns County Fairgrounds
☘️April 22: Lullaby of the Rivers – Vilano Beach
☘️April 19-23: Florida’s Birding & Photo Fest
☘️April 28-30: The Trailblazer Country Music Festival – St. Johns County Fairgrounds
☘️April 29: The Trailblazer Craft Beer Festival – St. Johns County Fairgrounds
☘️April 30: 26th Annual Taste of St. Augustine – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
☘️April 30: 13th Annual Race to the Taste 5K -S t. Augustine Amphitheatre
☘️April 28-May 14: Romanza Festivale
☘️May 3-7, 2023: St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival — World Golf Village
☘️May 6: Unidos En La Musica: A Latin American Festival — Francis Field
☘️May 6: St. Augustine Brewers’ Festival — Fountain of Youth
☘️May 10-14: St. Augustine History Festival – Multiple venues/attractions
☘️May 13: Snow White by Saint Augustine Ballet
☘️May 13-14: Tomato Festival at Wesley Wells Farm
☘️May 20: As If! The 90s Fest with headliners Vanilla Ice & Spin Doctors at Francis Field

SEE THE FULL FESTIVAL LIST HERE: http://totallystaugustine.com/2023-spring-festivals-in-st-augustine-florida/

03/17/2023

Spring time and crocodilian love is in the air! 💗 Crocodiles may look scary because of all those teeth, but they can be quite affectionate. 🐊 Maximo enjoys his cuddle time with Sydney.

🐊 Saltwater crocodiles

03/17/2023

08/28/2022

Happy 457th birthday, St. Augustine!

Happy Birthday, St. Augustine! 🎂

Today (Aug. 28) marks 457 years since Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his crew first spotted the land that would be claimed for the King and Queen of Spain, and would become the charming city you see today.

That was 42 years before Jamestown was established and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock! St. Augustine remains the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States.

Shown: A statue of Admiral Menéndez in front of City Hall

07/08/2022

Members of the Historic Florida Militia saunter from the City Gates, along St. George Street to the Plaza and then to Aviles Street.

05/18/2022

May 18 is International Museum Day! We have quite a few amazing museums in St. Augustine, Florida! Here’s a list:

🗝 Lightner Museum

🗝 Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center

🗝 St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

🗝 Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

🗝 Saint Augustine Historical Society - Oldest House Museum Complex

🗝 World Golf Hall of Fame

🗝 Ripley's Believe It or Not!

🗝 Old Jail Museum a Old Town Trolley Tours

🗝 Villa Zorayda Museum

🗝 Potters Wax Museum

🗝 Oldest Store Museum Experience at Old Town Trolley Tours

🗝 St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum

🗝 Spanish Military Hospital Museum, St. Augustine Florida

📸:

11/02/2021

✨ NIGHTS OF LIGHTS countdown! Only 19 days until Light-Up Night on November 20 at 6:30 pm in the Plaza de la Constitucion in St. Augustine, Florida!

👉 See the fall + winter EVENT HUGE LIST of events here: totallystaugustine.com/fall-winter-events-in-st-augustine-st-johns-county/

📸:

09/22/2021

🍁🎃 HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL!

The pumpkins will be available starting October 14 at First United Methodist Church, 118 King Street, downtown St. Augustine, Florida!

🍁🎃 Until then, grab pumpkins, vegetables and other handmade items on September 25 at Wesley Wells Farms!

🍁🎃 FALL FESTIVAL & EVENTS: http://totallystaugustine.com/2021-2022-festivals-events-in-st-augustine-st-johns-county/

🖤 🕷 👻 We are currently putting together a list of Halloween events! Email us at totallystaugustine.com or message details!

📸: Pumpkins at in October 2020. They return October 8, 2021

🍁🎃🍁
#904

08/26/2021

✨🎄 NIGHTS OF LIGHTS! It’s still August and we are already thinking about the 28th annual Nights of Lights in St. Augustine, Florida!

Save the Dates: November 20, 2021 through January 31, 2022. More than 3 million lights come on each nights at dusk in the historic district and beyond!

Upcoming posts:

✨September for Locals (Discounts to local attractions for St. Johns County residents)

✨ Fall Festival List

📸:

✨🎄✨

06/13/2021

06/01/2021

03/31/2021

It’s sea turtle nesting season!
Thousands of sea turtles nest on Florida’s beaches each year. Since most sea turtles nest at night, it is important to keep our beaches dark because lights can disorient nesting and hatching turtles. You can help sea turtles by keeping beaches clean and filling in any sand castle moats, umbrella holes or other deep depressions that turtles might fall into while crawling across the beach. Learn more about “clearing the way at the end of the day” https://bit.ly/3m41mtq

photo by Dr. Witherington