I love rollercoasters! The higher and the faster they are the better. I am not, however, very good at open heights. Growing up near the lighthouses of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay I never thought walking up one would bring on my first panic attack.
My husband and I went to St. Augustine and the first stop into town is the St. Augustine lighthouse. The picturesque sea side lighthouse doesn’t look scary from the car, walking up to it or even just inside the door. Walk up a few of the 219 see through steps and it is a different story. Here is a picture looking up.
My legs were trembling and shaking and I was short of breath the entire time, I’m not sure if it was a panic attack but if it wasn’t it was the closest I want to be to having one. I got to the observation deck and stayed there long enough to take this picture:
It was quite overcast but the view is still gorgeous and worth that terrifying climb. (I don’t think I would do it again though). I made my husband walk right in front of me the entire way down so he blocked my view and I just stared at the back of his head. Here’s their website, http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/. The cost is only $8 and you can find a 10% off coupon on their website.
We also had a chance to visit the Spanish fort, Castilla de San Marco. It is the oldest masonry and only extant 17th century fort in North America. It was so beautiful and amazing to see how it was built and the strategic way it was used. There were two areas where I got the creeps. The two Eastern corners of the building where the prisoners were kept. There’s more information at the national parks website, http://www.nps.gov/casa/. A tip if you are going for the day is you can park at the parking meters at the fort (free on Sundays) and then walk right into town.
St. Augustine has fantastic restaurants with water views, beautiful art galleries and lots of antique shopping. We got the most amazing ice cream at Kilwins on St. George St, which is the oldest street in the country. You actually can’t miss it with the smells of homemade fudge and waffle cones wafting down the street. We just went for a day trip but we saw the Casa Monica hotel and made a note to stay there for our next trip to St. Augustine.
Laura Laws
Cell: 786-546-8668