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State Park Overview |
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Located south of historic St. Augustine, the parks hardwood forest of ancient oaks was in its youth when Juan Ponce de Leon landed near the area in 1513 and gave Florida its name. On Anastasia Island, park visitors may enjoy a broad beach, a lagoon bordered by tidal salt marsh, and maritime and upland hammock.
Camping, beachcombing, swimming, picnicking, windsurfing, hiking, wildlife-viewing, and boating are popular activities. Nature trails meander through the maritime and upland hammock that covers ancient sand dunes. For anglers, Anastasia is a great place to haul in the big catch. The parks full-facility campground is in a wooded area within easy bicycling or walking distance of the beach.
Island Joes camp store, rental shop, and tropical grill sells beach sundries, camping and fishing supplies, and rents bicycles, beach chairs, ocean toys, umbrellas, canoes, sailboards, and kayaks. Lessons on various water sports are available. Call 904-461-9322 for more information. |
Camping |
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Anastasia State Park has a 139 site campground that is equipped for both tent campers and RVers. Each site has a picnic table, an in-ground grill, fire ring and water. All sites are equipped with electricity, if needed. None of the sites have sewer hookups, but there is a dump station located in the campground, as well as dumpsters for your household trash. For your convenience, there are two public telephones in the park one is located in the camping area and one at the picnic area. Each of the sites is located in a shady hardwood hammock, away from the blowing sand and salt spray of the beach. However, most sites are within walking distance to the beach. There are natural barriers between each site that allow privacy for the visitor. Since one of the goals in state parks is preservation, site sizes vary. There are a few sites that can accommodate camping rigs up to 40. Reservations for campsites may be made up to eleven (11) months in advance by contacting ReserveAmerica, toll-free, at 1-800 326-3521 (800 am to 800 pm), 1-888-433-0287 (TDD) (For Hearing Disabled). Nightly
Camping Rates for Anastasia State Park are
Year Round $23.00 plus tax
(Rates subject to change without notice.) Camping supplies can be purchased at
Island Joe?s, located near the entrance to the beach. This concession-operated park store offers camping supplies, ice and firewood and has bicycles, beach/water-related and recreational equipment available for rental. Anastasia also offers the Bedtime Story Camper Lending Library of picture books for campers aged four to nine. From pelicans to insects, the Lending Library is a fun way to enhance your child?s experience in the Real Florida. For a quiet afternoon or bedtime, share a story with your child to help explain the sights and sounds of Anastasia State Park. Ask the Ranger Station about how to check out a book. |
Swimming |
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Fishing and Hunting |
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History of the Area |
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More than 300 years ago, sites like the coquina quarries located within Anastasia State Recreation Area were busy with workmen, mostly Native Americans, hauling out blocks of rock. By the late 1700?s, the Native American population had died out and quarry workers were usually enslaved Africans. With hand tools, they hewed out blocks of the soft shellstone and pried the squares loose along natural layers in the rock. The blocks were loaded onto ox-drawn carts, then barged across Matanzas Bay to the town of St. Augustine. The blocks were used to construct the Castillo de San Marcos and many other public and private buildings.
From its founding in 1565, St. Augustine had been a struggling outpost of Spain?s American empire. Spanish soldiers built their fort and their homes out of the pine trees and palmetto that were so plentiful. Time after time, their wooden settlement was destroyed by storms or burned by pirates and other European raiders. On Anastasia Island, the Spaniards discovered a better building material deposits of a rock made of broken shells. As early as 1598, they dug enough to build a gunpowder storage magazine. But they had neither the manpower, the engineering skills nor the tools to excavate enough for a large structure.
Finally, in 1671 large-scale quarrying began in the stone pits. Anastasia Island was even called Cantera, Spanish for quarry. This site is one of several on the island the St. Augustine Amphitheater is located in another site. Coquina rock is relatively soft and easy to cut while in the ground and hardens when exposed to air. The Spanish learned to waterproof the stone walls by coating them with plaster and paint. Coquina rock has a unique feature that made it ideal for a fort.
When besieging ships bombarded the Castillo, the walls simply absorbed the cannon balls. Coquina continued to be a prized building material not only to the Spanish but later to the British (1763-83) and the Americans (1821). |
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Area Accommodations |
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St. Augustine, FL
Price Range $0$0
Web Site
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Historic inn accommodations in St Augustine, featuring newly renovated antique-filled rooms and suites. Located within a quiet walled courtyard on the brick paved streets of historic old St. Augustine |
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More Info | |
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Florida information. Online hotel reservations, attractions and events. Florida State parks and ... Alphabetical Region Central Florida ANASTASIA STATE PARK St. Augustine, Florida Contact ... |
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From I-95 take exit 311 (old 94). Go east on State Road 207. Turn right on State Road 312. Turn left on A1A. Travel approx. 1.5 miles north to main park entrance. (Turn right after The Surf Station.)
From US-1 turn east onto State Road 312. Turn north (left) on A1A. Travel approx 1.5 miles north to main park entrance. (Turn right after The Surf Station.)
Fort Mose Historic State Park is located just east of US-1 at the end of Saratoga Street in northern St. Augustine. |
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