Photo of Castillo de San Marcos courtesy of Thinkstock/zhuzhu
St. Augustine
The Mecca for Spanish Florida ambiance. This was where the then-powerful empire established the first European city in America in 1565, beating out Jamestown and Plymouth by nearly half a century. You won't be able to miss Castillo De San Marcos, standing guard over the waterfront. It is the oldest masonry fort in U.S., and is constructed of a compressible type of limestone called "coquina." Instead of shattering when hit by cannonballs, the projectiles would embed themselves, leaving the walls intact. This "bastion" fort bore the brunt of hundreds of years of colonial wars before invasion by benevolent tourists.
The Colonial Quarter provides historical immersion into St. Augustine as she was during the prime Spanish Empire years. Homes, shops (and of course, the blacksmith) are all as they were way back when. Reenactors also go through musket and cannon drills. Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is the actual site of the original 1565 city, and features a reconstruction of the original Spanish mission, and native dwellings.
Mel Fisher Museums Key West and Sebastian, FL
In 1985, treasure hunter Mel Fisher hit the mother lode and capped off a legendary treasure hunting career. He had discovered the sunken Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha off of Key West, a ship that slipped beneath the waves in 1622. The shipwreck contained silver bars, silver coins, gold, and jewels, along with historical artifacts. This and other discoveries by Fisher and his team led to the founding of two museums, one in the Florida Keys and the other on the Treasure Coast, dedicated to a wealth of Spanish colonial artifacts. Scuba diving packages are available to visit the Atocha herself on the ocean floor, and the gift shops have authentic treasure for sale.
San Luis de Talimali, Tallahassee
The "Mission Period" in Florida history had Franciscan clergy setting up centers of worship throughout the northern part of the colony, in an attempt to convert the local native population. In the colonial turmoil of conflicts, the original structures were destroyed, so almost all of the sites in Florida are just outlines in the mud. San Luis de Talimali is different. Located just 2 miles from the State Capitol Building in Tallahassee, it was itself the administrative center of the Spanish Province of Apalache. On this site, the chief's house, council house, and church have been reconstructed just as they might have appeared in the 17th century.
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