Welcome to Ancient City Tours…
St. Augustine, Florida
Where the Past is the Present
Whether you visit St. Augustine for hours or days Ancient City Tours is the locally owned receptive tour operator that will take care of your needs.
Headquartered in the Love Tree Cottage, Which is conveniently located at 6 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, Florida. Ancient City Tours services tour groups of all types as well as individual visitors to the Nation’s Oldest City.
Looking for history, romance, ghosts or just plain fun?
St. Augustine, our Nation’s Oldest City, offers adventures for all! The easiest way to fully enjoy all the city has to offer is with one of these designed St. Augustine Vacation Packages offered by Ancient City Tours.
What’s New
Nights of Lights 2016 – 2017
Every Night from Nov. 19, 2016 to Jan. 31, 2017
You’ll never forget Nights of Lights in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches… Florida’s Historic Coast! Nights of Lights traditionally begins the Saturday before the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, Nights of Lights “turns on” November 19, 2016, and continues nightly through January 31, 2017.
A Christmas Tree in the Plaza
The best way to experience Nights of Lights is to plan an overnight stay so you can soak up the sparkly, festive atmosphere and enjoy all the dining, tours, and entertainment this award-winning holiday celebration has to offer.
For more info and a money saving coupon click here: More Nights of Lights Information
A Ghostly Encounter Walking Tour…
EXPLORE HAUNTED ST. AUGUSTINE
(Learn the History of our building and the story of St. Augustines original Love Tree)
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A Ghostly Encounter
6 Cordova St. St. Aug. Fl
904-827-0807
Join us on our award winning Walking Ghost Tour.
Your licensed, costumed storyteller will amaze and beguile you with stories and ledgends of our city’s “DEAD”.
Citizens! Enter our building. Investigated by Peace River Ghost Trackers and many more, to hear of the Paranormal activity occuring there, of the tales of what was here before this home was built and what secrets it is believed to be hiding. Then it is out into the city for more adventure.
You can also buy your tickets at 6 Cordova street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Bring Your Friends!
No group is too big…No tour is too small! Our Group Sales Department will handle all of your groups needs to make their trip to St. Augustine a truly memorable one. Choose from educational field trips, adult tours, entertainment and theater tours, or let us help you build your own custom itinerary. Attraction tickets, books, art work, gift items, and more can be purchased at the Love Tree Cottage.
NEW! Click here to view our St. Augustine Tour Videos!
Our Tours
The Legend of the Fountain of Youth
Ponce De Leon landed on the strange land of what later would be known as Saint Augustine, Florida on April 3rd, 1513. When he gets off of his ship, he meets these tall, tan, healthy looking individuals. The Timucua native Americans. Ponce De Leon was quizzical about how their elders were able to grow so old and still look healthy. He saw that they were drinking water that came out of the ground, he called this water deposit “la fuenta”- the Fountain.
Ponce De Leon never in his journals mention a magical fountain that could restore health and make people last forever. So where in the world did the legend of the Fountain of Youth come from? Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo wrote about Ponce De Leon’s travels in 1535 and talked about the magical fountain water which he placed in Biminy. The legend grew from there with other authors spinning the tale of Ponce De Leon’s travels. Why did Oviedo say Ponce De Leon was looking for magical waters? Many think he did it to generate favor in the courts.
Oviedo still wasn’t the man to place the Magical Fountain in what would later be Saint Augustine, Florida. Again, Oviedo claimed De Leon was looking for the fountain on the island of Biminy. It was a man named Fernando Fonteneda in 1575 that placed the magical fountain water in Saint Augustine, Florida. He wrote an epic tale about the restorative waters.
Even knowing all the history and research there is on the legend of the Fountain of Youth- many people still believe in the waters magic. People have claimed it has kept them young, sprite, and healthy. Others has claimed it has healing properties. My question to you is- do you believe in the legend of the Fountain of Youth?
As the school year comes to an end!
Hello everyone,
Have you ever wondered what our tour guides will be doing while school is on Summer break? Well, not only will we be increasing our knowledge of the town’s history but we will be creating new itineraries for the upcoming school year!
We also have created vacation packages, as well as, day time walking tours. That’s right, we can help you with your vacation plans. We will take the hassle away from you, so that you can enjoy all of your time with your loved ones! Are you interested in learning more about Henry Flagler? If the answer is yes, then our Flagler Legacy Tour is for you. Want to learn about our Myths and Legends? That’s right, we have a tour for that!
Saint Augustine offers us a countless amount of history and all our of guides absolutely love sharing that history with you. We welcome your questions and we guarantee you will leave with more information regarding Saint Augustine than you came with.
Henry Flagler’s Best Employee c.1885
I feel it only right to introduce myself. My name is Morganne and I have been a tour guide with Ancient City Tours and A Ghostly Encounter since 2008. If you also follow our Ghostly Encounter Blog as well, you probably already know who I am. In any case, I absolutely love my job as a tour guide and religiously present myself for “school tour season” every year. “School tour season” is what all of the guides in town call the period of time either before or after the state standardized testing for schools in Florida; the time for a field trip to Saint Augustine. If you’ve been around town anywhere from March to June- you’ve seen them. Thirty to fifty fourth graders following behind their tour guide, heading to all the best stops in the city. Every year, before this rush of field trips I do extensive research on the history of Saint Augustine- you’d think, after eleven years, I knew all I could know about our quaint little city. The truth could not be farther! Every year I am amazed at how much new information I learn! Every year, all of the studying I do seems to motivate me to learn more and more. Well, it’s either the studying that motivates me, or the fear of looking stupid when I don’t know the answer!
The following is a story I learned of just recently, in a book I highly recommend, “Mr.Flagler’s St.Augustine”- I found it to be one of my favorite stories.
Henry Flagler owned a very large portion of St.Augustine during the Victorian era. Everything from the storm drains to the real estate and railroad, Mr. Flagler had it all. Partners with John D. Rockefeller, they owned The Standard Oil Company. Henry Flagler is responsible for building a few of the most beautiful hotels in the state if not the nation: The Ponce de Leon Hotel and The Alcazar Hotel. Both exquisite in detail and beauty, but The Ponce de Leon was no doubt more elite. During construction on The Ponce, a man was working as his “project manager” in today’s terms. His name was James McGuire. James McGuire had a housekeeper who soon had a son, Amos Phillips. Amos became known to McGuire as his “errand boy” but eventually, later down the line almost a son. One day McGuire put Amos in charge of some particularly valuable materials- instructing him to keep everyone out of the room and by NO means allow anyone to smoke nearby.
Not long after these instructions were given, a man came up smoking a small cigar. Amos very proudly told the man, “I don’t know who you think you are sir, but you are not to smoke in this area. Take your cigar and all that smoke with you!” That man smoking a cigar was, in fact, Henry Flagler. Mr.Flagler went right up to McGuire after the incident and asked “who the Negro man working in the storage room” was. “His name is Amos,” McGuire replied, “why sir, did he do something wrong?” Mr. Flagler replied quickly “Wrong? Absolutely not! That boy is the best worker we’ve got and I want to see that he gets paid for his efficiency and trustworthiness!”.
Amos Phillips went on to work for Henry Flagler and his business for fifty-one years after that, becoming very close- even something of a son- to Mr. Flagler. Mr.Phillips retired in 1936, “with great acclaim to his faithful service”.
Ancient City Tours Knows St. Augustine
St. Augustine, Florida, USA city skyline and Bridge of Lions.
Did you know your day doesn’t have to end when the bus heads home? Of course it not, Ancient City Tours works with many parents to arrange additional activities, which can include the whole family after your school tour is done.
From swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, or even a sunset boat cruise, we know the in’s and outs of our entire area. Kayak adventures, or even airboat rides on the St. Johns River, we can arrange your tickets.
Looking for a hotel? What about a 5 Star exclusive restaurant for you and your family? A single phone call is all it takes to get the information to transform your school activity into quality time for the whole family or even an extra evening of 1 on 1 time with your child that has worked so hard this year!
Call Ancient City Tours today because it really is all about you, and we can arrange all St. Augustine has to offer!
904 – 827 – 0807