St. Augustine, Florida, during the winter holiday season is my favorite!
During Christmastime, the entire downtown historic area is covered in lights with music, vendors and tours from Nov. 19, 2022, to Jan. 31, 2023. The Visit St. Augustine website claims that there is over 3 MILLION lights during this time!
I went the weekend before Christmas so it was SUPER busy, but it was still beautiful. Parking was a nightmare but the best place to park, in my opinion, is the Historic Downtown Parking Facility, which was $15 for the night. At the garage, there was an option to pay for a tram to drive you around town so that you can see all of the lights without walking everywhere. I didn’t do this option because I enjoy walking, but it’s a good option if you’re traveling with those who have difficulty walking long distances. The trolley looks like a party because they play Christmas music and every time one passed by, people were always singing and greeting others.
The main area with the most lights is the Plaza de la Constitución, which was beautiful. They added a Christmas tree this year, and there were people singing Christmas songs in the main gazebo. There were also a ton of vendors under an awning where kids could get face painting, drawings, etc.
There are also tons of lights along the boardwalk / highway 1 route. The Hilton hotel is almost entirely covered in lights, which must’ve taken days, if not weeks, to decorate.
The Lightner Museum and Flager College were decked out in lights and were very pretty as well!
Perhaps the only place not decked out in Christmas lights was the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It has the typical lights that light it up year-round, but no Christmas lights. It’s likely because it’s a historical monument from the 17th century, so it’s probably best that they preserve the monument. The monument is closed so visitors can’t go inside, but I still enjoy the exterior in the moonlight.
Overall, I absolutely love the Night of Lights in St. Augustine and highly recommend visiting, if you can!
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Thank you for reading! Have you ever been to see the Christmas lights at St. Augustine? Let me know in the comments below and like this post if you want more like it!
Xoxo’s
Emmalee
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Emmalee Mauldin 