Historic Coast Culture

Historic Coast Culture There’s culture around every corner of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & Florida’s Historic Coast! Discov

Before there was backyard BBQ, there was Timucua barabicu. 🔥🍖As you fire up the grill this Labor Day weekend, consider t...
09/04/2026

Before there was backyard BBQ, there was Timucua barabicu. 🔥🍖

As you fire up the grill this Labor Day weekend, consider this: the cooking tradition we know and love has roots that stretch back centuries.

The Timucua, Indigenous people who lived throughout Northeast Florida, including the area around present-day St. Augustine, cooked meat and fish slowly over open fires on wooden grills. Their name for this cooking style? Barabicu.

Over time, Indigenous, Spanish and African culinary traditions intersected with other cultural influences, laying the foundation for the many regional styles of American barbecue enjoyed today.

So, while you’re feasting on that Labor Day BBQ, you’re also experiencing a little piece of an ancient Florida story – one that began with the people who were here first.

Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸

📸 Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

09/03/2026

See the Deadheads' "long, strange trip" on the big screen. 🎬✌️

On September 13, SUMMER TOUR brings the spirit of the Grateful Dead’s open road to Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in a documentary that follows fans Jerry and Annie as they crisscross America during Dead & Company’s farewell tour. 🚐

Through the eyes of director Mischa Richter – a fellow Deadhead – the film focuses on the fans, capturing the freedom, adventure, and search for belonging that have kept the Dead’s music "truckin'" from one generation to the next. 🎶

You'll also groove to the sounds of the Sam Grisman Project, an improvisational acoustic group rooted in the musical traditions of Jerry Garcia, David Grisman and generations of American roots musicians.

📅 September 13 | 6:30 pm
📍 Ponte Vedra Concert Hall: 1050 A1A North • Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

🎟️ Get tickets: https://bit.ly/SamGrismanProject

Presented by Sing Out Loud Festival and St. Johns Cultural Council

09/01/2026

Let the fiesta begin! 💃🇪🇸

Step onto Aviles Street and step into St. Augustine’s Spanish heritage at the Annual Aviles Street Festival on Saturday, September 5, from 12-9 pm.

Stroll the charming, European-style street, take in its historic buildings, pop into museums and galleries, and discover the stories of St. Augustine’s Second Spanish Period. Festival highlights include:

🏛️ Mini Tours of Aviles Street
🍸 Founder’s Day Cocktail Special at Forgotten Tonic
🇪🇸 Spanish-themed temporary tattoos at The Bart
🔎 Spanish Treasure Hunt at Trinity House Goldsmiths (12-4pm)
💃 ZaZa Flamenca at The Bart (3-6pm)

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum
🎨 Live Painting with MG Ferguson Fine Art (all day)
🏺 Artisan Market & Sangria Demo (4-9 pm)
💃 Flamenco De La Costa (6:15 pm & 8 pm)
⚔️ Sword Duel with Spanish Military Hospital Museum Reenactors (6:30 pm)
🎓 Flagler College Student Presentations (7 pm)

Learn more: https://bit.ly/AvilesStreetFest

👀 This all started with that first sighting.On August 28, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his settlers spotted the si...
08/28/2026

👀 This all started with that first sighting.

On August 28, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and his settlers spotted the site that would become St. Augustine, naming it for Saint Augustine of Hippo, whose feast day they were celebrating.

Just days later, on September 8, they came ashore and founded the city that would become the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental U.S.

Celebrate this incredible history at Founders Day on September 12, featuring reenactments, a procession, cannon and musket salutes, and more.

🗓️ Saturday, September 12 • 10am to 2 pm
📍 National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios | 101 San Marco Avenue & Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park | 11 Magnolia Avenue

Learn more: https://bit.ly/StAugFoundersDay2026

08/27/2026

Stetson Kennedy wasn’t afraid to put himself on the line for what he believed in.

The author, folklorist and lifelong advocate for human rights famously infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan after World War II, exposing its activities and later chronicling his experience in “The Klan Unmasked.”

His groundbreaking and award-winning books also included “Palmetto Country” in 1942, “Southern Exposure” in 1946 and “Jim Crow Guide” in 1956.

Kennedy also dedicated his life to protecting Florida’s natural environment and preserving its traditional culture. He set aside the land that became Beluthahatchee Park as a wildlife refuge, creating an enduring legacy where visitors can experience Florida’s native flora and fauna.

On the 15th anniversary of his passing, let's take a moment to learn more about the remarkable life of Stetson Kennedy—and the special place he left for us.

Learn more about Stetson Kennedy and Beluthahatchee Park: https://bit.ly/StAugBeluthahatchee

🎥 Kwasi Hope

The Stetson Kennedy Foundation

08/25/2026

Back to school, circa 1810. 🎒🍎

Step inside the Oldest Wooden School House and step back in time to the days when students learned reading, writing and arithmetic in a tiny wooden schoolhouse. 📚

Built by Minorcan settler Juan Genopoly around 1810, the home’s main room became a classroom where boys and girls from the Minorcan Quarter learned their lessons. Tuition was just 12½ cents a week for younger students and 25 cents for older students. Lessons came with parchment, quill pens and ink.

Students sat on log benches, old chairs and sometimes even the floor. The last class was held in 1864, but the schoolhouse found a new chapter in 1931 when former students reunited and recreated the classroom from their memories.

Today, you can explore the schoolhouse, kitchen and gardens — and every visitor even receives a diploma! 🎓

📍 14 St. George Street | St. Augustine, Florida
🎥 Oldest Wooden School House

Three years. And some seriously big milestones. 🍜🎉Happy 3rd anniversary to Lotus Noodle Bar! Since opening in St. August...
08/24/2026

Three years. And some seriously big milestones. 🍜🎉

Happy 3rd anniversary to Lotus Noodle Bar! Since opening in St. Augustine, Chef Barry Honan and his Lotus team have:

🥢 Prepared and served a meal at the James Beard House
🏆 Been named a James Beard Semifinalist
⭐ Become one of the first restaurants in St. Johns County to be included in the MICHELIN Guide

What started as a series of pop-ups has grown into one of St. Augustine’s must-visit culinary destinations, with bold flavors and creative dishes that keep people coming back for more.

📍 Lotus Noodle Bar
56 Grove Ave. | St. Augustine, FL 32084

📸 Melissa Marcarelli & Agnes Lopez

St. Augustine wasn't settled for the promise of gold or riches... Its value was strategic.In the 1500s, Spain’s American...
08/21/2026

St. Augustine wasn't settled for the promise of gold or riches... Its value was strategic.

In the 1500s, Spain’s American empire (which included Central and South America, Mexico and the Caribbean) was sending enormous amounts of silver, gold and other goods back to Europe. But sailing directly east across the Atlantic wasn't the most efficient return route. Ships could instead take advantage of the Gulf Stream, the powerful current that flows through the Florida Straits and northward along Florida's Atlantic coast. That current helped carry ships north toward the latitudes where prevailing winds could propel them eastward across the Atlantic.

That made control of Florida critical.

A permanent Spanish presence in Florida could help protect this critical route from rival powers, as well as provide a base for assisting sailors and recovering valuable cargo when storms and hurricanes wrecked ships along the coast.

This is one of the reasons the French colony at Fort Caroline (which we've touched upon in previous posts) was seen as such a serious threat—a French foothold in Florida could jeopardize Spanish shipping. This is also why the Spanish colony—which was not profitable and struggled with food shortages—was heavily subsidized by the Spanish Crown.

📸 Merriam Multimedia

The spirit of the Grateful Dead lives on in a special night of film and live music. ✌️🎶On September 13, head to Ponte Ve...
08/21/2026

The spirit of the Grateful Dead lives on in a special night of film and live music. ✌️🎶

On September 13, head to Ponte Vedra Concert Hall for two distinct experiences in one evening:

🎸 Sam Grisman Project: A live, improvisational acoustic performance rooted in the musical traditions shaped by Jerry Garcia, David Grisman (Sam's father) and generations of American roots musicians. (Check out the photo of baby sam with his dad and Jerry!)

🎬 SUMMER TOUR: A poetic documentary following a young couple on Dead & Company’s final tour, capturing the music, community and open-road spirit of the Deadhead experience.

📅 September 13
⏰ 6:30 pm
📍 Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

🎟️ Get tickets: https://bit.ly/SamGrismanProject

Presented by Sing Out Loud Festival and St. Johns Cultural Council

125 years. One legendary St. Augustine restaurant. ❤️Aunt Kate's Restaurant has been serving up fresh seafood and Old Fl...
08/18/2026

125 years. One legendary St. Augustine restaurant. ❤️

Aunt Kate's Restaurant has been serving up fresh seafood and Old Florida hospitality for 125 years – and now, this beloved riverside restaurant is getting the spotlight in Southern Living.

The restaurant's story began when Catherine “Kate” and Frank Usina were asked by magnate Henry Flagler to roast oysters for him and his friends. The party paid the Usinas more than the couple's typical week's salary.

Seeing an opportunity, they continued to prepare fresh-caught, local seafood for St. Augustine’s winter visitors. What started with a simple oyster roast has grown into a local treasure that has carried on through generations.

Read the full Southern Living feature here: https://bit.ly/SouthernLivingAuntKates

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184 San Marco Avenue
Saint Augustine, FL
32084

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