Fort Matanzas National Monument - St. Augustine, Florida

Address:8635 A1A South
St. Augustine, Florida
Tel: (904) 471-0116

Fort Matanzas is a northern Florida monument paying tribute to an important piece of St. Augustine's history and several crucial events in Spanish colonial history. The coquina (small shell) structure, the oldest continually-occupied European settlement in the continental United States, harbors the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos. After Spain massacred French soldiers in 1565, the European monarchy began the process of establishing a stronghold in Florida. Fort Matanzas (literally meaning "slaughter" in Spanish) was ultimately built in 1740-42 as a last effort to ward off British advancement.
The Fort is accessible only by guided boat tours; free ferry service to the fort is available every half hour. Visitors coming for the history should stay for a popular half-mile hike through a coastal maritime forest and a day at the beach. You may spot an endangered manatee (it's totally worth catching even a glimpse of these amazing "sea cows") or several other endangered or threatened animals, including sea turtles.

Throughout its history, the story of Fort Matanzas has been closely intertwined with that of the city of St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos. This Spanish outpost fort was built in 1740-1742 to guard the Matanzas Inlet and to warn St. Augustine of British or other enemies approaching from the south. Fort Matanzas now serves as a reminder of the early Spanish empire in the New World. In addition, the park, which is located on barrier islands along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Matanzas estuary, provides a natural habitat rich in wildlife with the salt marsh, scrub, and maritime hammock now protecting endangered and threatened species like the historic Fort Matanzas protected St. Augustine long ago