Vacation as Education

I’ve been to sunny Florida on several occasions. Some trips were for business and others for pleasure. But never have I gone with the intention of having an educational excursion. On a recent vaacation that my husband and I took to Daytona Beach, we decided to take a day trip to St. Augustine. Someone who was also staying at our hotel suggested we visit the historic town, which was about an hour drive away.

St. Augustine is beautiful, with its cobblestone side streets, trollies, historic locations, and variety of restaurants. Upon crossing the bridge into the town, one of the first buildings I spotted was Castillo De San Marcos. Construction on the fort began in 1672 and was finished many years later. The oldest fort in the United States, the structure was huge and impressive and lured us into the parking lot. A national monument, Castillo De San Marcos bears a lot of history.

I’m always eager to learn more about history. A former Army reservist, my husband was also taken with the aspect of learning more about history. Upon entering the fort, patrons are greeted by guides who were dressed as soldiers from that time period. They provided us and the other visitors with an interpretive history of the fort and life during that time period. We learned that the city was founded by Spanish Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, when Florida was part of the Spanish Empire.

The fort has changed hands six times. The transitions were peaceful and happened among the Spanish Empire (who had two possessions), the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Confederate States of America and the United States (two possessions).

During our visit, we learned about the daily lives of the soldiers who lived at the fort. We viewed their sleeping and eating quarters, prayer sanctuary, and many other rooms within the fort. The informative and personable guide, who led our tour, also told us of the role the Spanish Empire in the freeing of African slaves who’d escaped British slavery of the Thirteen Colonies, which were on the Atlantic coast of North America.

All of the patrons were intrigued by the reenactment of Spanish soldiers firing cannons. It took place on the roof of the fort. Everyone, especially the children in attendance, were told to cover their ears while the cannons were fired. The reenactment was a replication of the actual pomp and circumstance the soldiers went through before firing the cannon.

Time constraints prevented us from visiting other locations in St. Augustine, such as the Colonial Spanish Quarter, the oldest wooden schoolhouse, the Pirate & Treasure Museum, and many other historic sites. I definitely have plans to return because there is so much more to see, do, and learn about this important place in history.

You don’t have to travel all the way to Florida for a taste of history. I've learned that there are many forts right here in New Jersey, such as Fort Hancock in Sandy Hook, Fort Mott in Pennsville, and Fort Nonsense in Morristown. Summer vacation is right around the corner. Give one of them a try.