Castillo de San Marcos: A Self-Guided Tour of St. Augustine’s Old Fort

Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. It’s also been attacked around a dozen different times in history but never been taken by the enemy in battle. On this walking tour, you’ll learn about the history of the fort from pre-construction to the present day. If you're interested in learning more facts than you would on most tours, this in-depth guide to Castillo de San Marcos is the one for you. Our tour begins at the entrance to the fort, Castillo de San Marcos Admission Center, where you’ll make a couple of brief stops outside before continuing inside to the Spanish guard rooms. From there, I’ll guide you into the courtyard to work your way clockwise through every available room. Along the way, I’ll tell you about the different eras in St. Augustine’s history and how they affected the fort. You’ll make your way around the inside before heading upstairs to the gun deck where our tour will conclude. From the gun deck, you’ll get a fantastic vantage point on the inlet and waterways, and one-of-a-kind views of the whole city. Along the way, you’ll also have a chance to: • Learn about the stone the Spanish called coquina and find out why it was perfect for building a fort • Imagine a day-in-the-life of a soldier stationed here and see where they would eat, sleep, and use the bathroom • Find out what the British called the Castillo during the era of their occupation • Hear about a daring escape when the fort was a prison for Native Americans during the 1800s • Climb to the gun deck and get your head around the types of weaponry used by the Spanish during their occupation, and enjoy the magnificent views I’ve spent a lot of time in this fort, working as a tour guide and in the fort bookstore, and working as a volunteer presenting historic weapons demonstrations. I’ve picked up stories, facts and theories from park rangers, books, articles and websites and have done my best to condense this information into an audio tour so I can share this fascinating history with you. Perhaps it’s your first visit to the fort, or you visited on your fourth grade field trip to St Augustine. Either way, this tour will offer an array of interesting facts and give you a greater appreciation for its role in our city’s history. Allow approximately 1-1.5 hours for this tour. There are plenty of benches for breaks and bottled water available for purchase.

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