Visiting Jacksonville/St. Augustine the week of May 27th

**D. Bryant** · 4-May-2009, 15:42

Hi folks,

My wife will be making a business trip to Jacksonville and St. Augustine, FL during the week of May 27th. I'll be piggy backing on the corporate dime. Any recommendations on can't miss locations for view camera photography?

So far I've unearthed information about an Airplane Boneyard on US 1, the St. Augustine lighthouse, and Lightner Museum.

Good restaurants, museums, street scenes, sea marshes, and wild caught seafood markets are also of interest.

Travel will be by auto from the Atlanta area with a planned 4 day trip, including travel time.

Thanks,

Don Bryant

**Doug Howk** · 4-May-2009, 16:16

Food: Cap's on A1A South Ponte Vedra and Conch House & Gypsy Cab Cafe on Anastasia Isl.

Marsh: most of Jax Northside towards the ocean; Guana Preserve on A1A (and North end too, near Palm Valley Intercoastal bridge).

Scenic: the Navy airplane boneyard on rt 1 unfortunately has high fence & restricted access. Castillo fort is good although entire St Aug area is overrun by tourists;-)
Big Talbot Isl with dynamic shoreline (plenty of driftwood at the bluffs parking entrance).
Ft Clinch in Fernandina.

Museums: Cummer in Jax Riverside area (& it has a nice garden but no tripods/monopods).

**wclavey** · 4-May-2009, 20:59

I was there for 8 days last fall for a family reunion. My wife and I enjoyed the Columbia restaurant in the old St. Augustine section, and we ate there twice... once with a small group and once just us.

The Castillo is absolutely over-run with tourists and difficult from a photography point of view - - I just ended up using MF handheld there. But further south of town on the Matanza River is a smaller fort that is part of the park system... you get there on a short ferry ride. It is surrounded by marshes and I got some good 4x5 and MF shots there of the fort, the marshes & the river.

**D. Bryant** · 6-May-2009, 12:19

My wife will be making a business trip to Jacksonville and St. Augustine, FL during the week of May 27th.

Thanks guys! Perhaps the weather will be nice that week.

Don

**JWebb** · 6-May-2009, 20:19

Restaurants...Salt Water Cowboys - right on Dondanville Rd off of AIA on Anastasia island very rustic overlooking the marsh and intercoastal (also a pretty nice location for some marsh shots.) Creekside owned by same owners as Salt Water Cowboys off of Dix Boat Yard rd off of US1 overlooks the marsh from the west side of the intercoastal just before the intersection of US1 and 312 one of the bridges over to Anastasia Island.
As previously mentioned Caps overlooking the intercoastal 3rd street of 1A Coastal Hwy just north of Vilano. In downtown St Augustine OC Whites Just South of the bridge of Lions.

For Landscape /seascapes the Anastasia Park for sand dunes and sea oats. The pier at St Augustine Beach on Anastasia island. Some interesting Architecture at Flagler college as well as the narrow streets and homes on the Intercoastal south of Kings street. Inlet south of Crescent beach.

Have a great trip were going down the 21st through the 25th.

John

**darr** · 7-May-2009, 04:47

Originally Posted by Doug Howk

Ft Clinch in Fernandina.

I was there in December, and had no problem with a tripod. Not very many people hanging around. Would like to go back again.

**D. Bryant** · 7-May-2009, 09:39

Originally Posted by darr

I was there in December, and had no problem with a tripod. Not very many people hanging around. Would like to go back again.

Nice shots Darr. I've been to Ft Clinch and never had a problem with tripods but there was a crowd there when I visited 2 years ago in April. Unfortunately the weather was windy and cold though sunny, really weird. The Amellia Is. Ritz was one of the best Ritz hotels I've visited. The food was amazing.

Don Bryant

**Doug Howk** · 7-May-2009, 10:54

The reference to "no tripods/monopods" was to the Cummer Museum & Garden, not Ft Clinch. Actually, the bigger and older the camera/tripod the more appropriate for the Fort.

Ft Matanzas was mentioned earlier. Problem is the ferry can be crowded and you only have a few minutes at the Fort before having to return. If you do go in that direction, Washington Oaks just past Marineland is worth a stop. Across the Intercoastal from Washington Oaks is Princess Place Preserver (off rt 1), with nice views and plenty of deer.
Too bad I have to work that week since always enjoy an outing.

**darr** · 7-May-2009, 12:36

Originally Posted by D. Bryant

Nice shots Darr. I've been to Ft Clinch and never had a problem with tripods but there was a crowd there when I visited 2 years ago in April. Unfortunately the weather was windy and cold though sunny, really weird. The Amellia Is. Ritz was one of the best Ritz hotels I've visited. The food was amazing.

Don Bryant

Thanks Don.

**wclavey** · 7-May-2009, 13:49

Originally Posted by Doug Howk

Ft Matanzas was mentioned earlier. Problem is the ferry can be crowded and you only have a few minutes at the Fort before having to return.

Yes, the time there (at the fort) was not great but I asked the person back in the office if I could stay through a couple of cycles and it was fine with them. She just told the operator that I wasn not coming back with the same group. There are only about 5 people on the ferry on each trip.