The fort was built in 1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet and protect St. Augustine from the British but it saw little action. It’s so small that it was manned by just four infantrymen, two gunners and one officer. Mantanzas, which means means slaughters, was bestowed on the area in 1564 after two French ships, carrying soldiers who were coming to provide aid to the Huguenot settlement at Fort Caroline, shipwrecked on the beach.The French soldiers surrendered to the Spanish from St. Augustine who killed almost 250 of them.
The fort is on an island. The park service runs a free ferry to it eight times a day in good weather. The visitor center has a film but no exhibits. A 1/2 mile boardwalk nature trail starts at the parking lot.
The visitor center is accessible. Neither the boat or the fort are accessible due to steps. It’s possible to see the fort from the boat dock near the visitor center. The boardwalk is accessible but it goes over the dune so it has an up and down hill.
The parking area is large enough for RVs parked parallel to the road but watch for low hanging branches. Fort
29.7163, -81.23413
Marcia told me last year that we need to get up to St. Augustine because there is so much to do and see....after this past week I see what she is talking about through you posts. Thanks....--Dave
ReplyDeleteI think that you would enjoy it. The first day, before we knew that we could stay at the RV parking lot and explore the whole area, I was kind of grumpy because of the parking situation. Strangely there are no handicapped spaces on the street ( not that we could use them) and few in most of the lots. Other access problems include steps at many of the stores and restaurants but there are enough that are accessible so it's okay. In the main part of town, all of the edges of the sidewalks that have pushed up a little have been ground flat. In the far southern section the sidewalks are not in as good of condition but they're still useable. Have fun!
ReplyDelete