Favorite Attractions and Activities

Laying on the beach and eating seafood provides excellent entertainment, but there are lots of things to do in St. Augustine- ranging from tourist-trappy to historical/educational.  Both can be fun.  Here's some of our favorites we've gone back to over the years:

• St. Augustine Lighthouse- Climbing to the top gives you a nice view of the island and the city.  The museum is also pretty interesting.  Open 9am-6pm. 81 Lighthouse Avenue
  904-829-0745  www.staugustinelighthouse.com
• Alligator Farm- Slightly smelly but great fun.  Besides alligators they have a variety of monkeys and birds.  The reptile shows are educational and entertaining.  
  999 Anastasia Blvd  (904) 824-3337   www.alligatorfarm.com
• The Old Fort (Castillo de San Marcos)- Essential if you want to get a little of the historical flavor of St. Augustine.  Located on the bay at the edge of downtown, it provides some nice views and educational displays.  1 S Castillo Dr  (904) 829-6506
• Scenic Cruise of St. Augustine- An hour and 15 minute narrated cruise around St. Augustine.  A good way to get an overview of the city from the water.  Very scenic and relaxing. St. Augustine Muncipal Marina in front of downtown.   www.scenic-cruise.com/
• The Oldest House- St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in America and supposedly this is the oldest house.  Nice museum and tour.  271 Charlotte Street  904-824-2872  www.staugustinehistoricalsociety.org
• Colonial Spanish Quarter- This is a "living history museum" where the staff is dressed in colonial clothes and demonstrates crafts and other aspects of colonial living.  Located on St. George St. near the city gate downtown.  www.historicstaugustine.com/csq/history.html 

Cheesier options:

• The Fountain of Youth- We've actually never been here but it is one of St. Augustine's major claims to fame.  11 Magnolia Avenue www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/
• Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum- This was a childhood favorite of mine, though not sure it's been updated much in the past 15 years.  19 San Marco Ave  staugustine.ripleys.com/
• Ghost tours- Like a lot of tourist towns, there's a ton of these in St. Augustine.  We recently saw that there's now a Haunted Pub Tour which just might take it up a notch.

We're planning to provide some maps with flyers and coupons once everyone arrives.  See you all soon!

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Top St. Aug Restaurants

Since the McCurdys have been going down to St. Augustine for so long, we have lots of favorite restaurants.  Here's a short list of the best:

1. Caps on the Water- good seafood (especially the fried shrimp and vanilla grouper) and a beautiful view of the water with a dock and outside seating.  4325 Myrtle St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-8794‎

2. Creekside Dinery- "down home" style seafood and chicken, very consistent with quality and service, again nice view.  We usually end up here more than once during a week of vacation.  160 Nix Boat Yard Rd, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 829-6113

3. Columbia Restaurant- this is the location of the rehearsal dinner but it's worth trying again for lunch or dinner.  Authentic Spanish/Cuban style cuisine with lots of fresh seafood.   98 Saint George St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-3341‎

4. Barnacle Bill's- best for a large selection of fried (and grilled or broiled) seafood, casual and reasonable prices.  14 W Castillo Dr, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-3663

5. The Reef- beautiful ocean views, good seafood, chicken and steaks.  4100 Coastal Hwy, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-8008‎

Lunch places:

1. The Bunnery- Our favorite hands down.  Nice atmosphere in the Old City part of downtown St. Augustine.  They have a variety of tasty sandwiches, salad, and very importantly pastries, cookies and cakes.  121 Saint George St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 829-6166‎

2. Florida Cracker Cafe- downtown restaurant with nice seafood, casual, reasonable prices.  81 Saint George St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 829-0397

3. Schmagel's Bagels- Hole in the wall sort of place downtown.  Very nice bagel sandwiches and wraps, pretty cheap.  69 Hypolita St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-4444‎

Fancy stuff:  Just in case anyone wants to try some true "fine dining" down at the beach.

1. La Pentola- since my parents often had their anniversary down at the beach, this was a place they celebrated.  They call themselves 'continental cuisine'.  Recommend reservations.  58 Charlotte St, St Augustine, FL‎- (904) 824-3282‎

2. Cortesses Bistro- Pretty little restaurant downtown.  Gourmet style chicken, steak and of course seafood.  172 San Marco Ave St Augustine, FL 32084 (904) 825-6775‎

Please ask us for more recommendations if you need them!  Stay tuned for a list of our favorite attractions and activities coming soon.

Music requests

We are putting together our own music for the wedding with the help of one very skilled John McCurdy.  But we'd like some input from the guests.  Send us the name of one of more songs that are guaranteed to make you get up and dance.  I reserve veto power especially for the Macarena.  But we do want to play a variety of music that everyone will love and most importantly DANCE to.  Send your requests to katie.mccurdy@gmail.com or johnmc@uga.edu. Thanks!

Hotel Reservations

Hi all and Happy Valentine's Day! We have reserved a block of rooms at two hotels very close to the bed and breakfast where the wedding will be held. Both are oceanfront and they've given our party a discounted rate.

The first is La Fiesta Ocean Inn and Suites at 810 A1A Beach Blvd (0.3 miles from the B&B). Phone number 904-471-2220 and the reservation is under McCurdy. They've given us until one week prior to reserve the rooms but since the wedding will be during peak season, we recommend getting your room early. www.lafiestainn.com

The other option is the Holiday Inn at St. Augustine Beach located at 860 A1A Beach Blvd (0.5 miles away). Phone number 1-800-626-7263 and ask for the McCurdy-Baxter Wedding. Reservations can be made under our party until May 26th. www.staugustinehi.com

We made these reservations for convenience but they are by no means the only options! There is a huge variety of hotels and inns in the St. Augustine area, and some of you may want to be closer to downtown. Also, I know some of you have already made arrangements at condos to make a vacation out of it which is great! If you have any problems or are in need of suggestions don't hesitate to ask us. The McCurdy family has been going to St. Augustine for years so we are familiar with the area. For those of you who don't have it my email is katie.mccurdy@gmail.com. Can't wait to see you all there!

Registries

We are registered at Macy's and Crate and Barrel. To find our registries online follow the links or go to the registry page of the main website and search for Katie McCurdy or David Baxter.  You should find us!

House of Sea and Sun

The House of Sea and Sun is a historic home which is now a bed and breakfast right on the beach on Anastasia island.  It used to be the home of the niece and heir of Henry Flagler.  We've reserved this place for the whole weekend of the wedding!  Check out their website for some extra info and pictures  www.houseofseaandsun.com  The bed and breakfast is nearby many, many hotels some within easy walking distance.  We'll be reserving a block of rooms at one of these hotels so watch the blog for that information and other recommendations.  

Welcome!

Hi all and welcome to our wedding blog :)  In the next few weeks I'll be posting info about our wedding location, places to stay, our registries, etc.  The plans are still being set but feel free to ask me, David, or our parents if you have questions.  I hope to see you all there on June 27th in St. Augustine!