Day 1 – Home to Amelia Island, FL
Fly non-stop from Minneapolis to Orlando where we will enjoy a lunch stop as we make our way to Amelia Island on the Atlantic coast. There will be beautiful scenery along the way. We will check into the Hampton Inn & Suites, overlooking the Fernandina Beach Marina on Amelia Island for the next two nights. We will enjoy a wonderful welcome dinner and get to know our fellow travelers.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites (2 Nights)
Day 2 – Amelia Island
After breakfast at the hotel, we will climb aboard the Amelia Island River Cruise for their popular tour that will give us the extensive and rich history of Amelia and Cumberland Islands, with views of wildlife along the way. We’ll cruise by Fernandina’s shrimp boats, historic Old Towne and Fort Clinch to the wild horses of Cumberland Island. Our historians will share the colorful stories that define the character of this unique part of the world. Lunch will follow the cruise at the Salty Pelican. Next stop is a guided tour of Fort Clinch State Park. A row of cannons pointing across the St. Mary’s River into Georgia are silent testimony to the strategic importance of Fort Clinch during the Civil War. We’ll explore the fort’s many rooms, galleries and grounds, and learn about the life of a Union soldier through unparalleled living history programs. We will then return to the hotel for an evening on your own to explore Amelia Island. Perhaps you’ll choose to take a carriage ride tour, which is just a short walk away from our hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3 – Amelia Island to St. Augustine, FL
We bid goodbye to beautiful Amelia Island after breakfast and travel south down the coast to historic St Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. We will be met by our local guide who will be dressed in period attire appropriate to the topic of the day: the Menorcans of St Augustine. Our guide will take us to the heart of the city, the Plaza de la Constitucion on Cathedral Place. We will be treated to a tour of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine to learn about the history of the nation’s oldest Parish. Many of the statues and artwork visible in the Cathedral have close ties with the story of the indentured servants first brought to Florida in 1768 by Dr. Andrew Turnbull. We will then walk down St. George Street to visit both St. Photius National Greek Orthodox Shrine and the Catholic Tolamato Cemetery where many of the menorcans and their descendants were laid to rest. Then it is time for lunch on your own on St. George Street! This street was first closed off to vehicular traffic in the 1960s when St. Augustine was celebrating their 400th birthday as a city. Today it boasts over 250 gift shops, ice cream parlors, fudge shops, and restaurants! We will not find any recognizable national chains such as McDonald’s or Taco Bell! We are in a town of foodies that is known for their wonderful mom and pop restaurants. Later this afternoon we will cross the bridge to Vilano Beach and our hotel, which is nestled in a quiet, residential area but close to the historical district of St. Augustine, and is just a three minute walk to the beach! We will check in for the next four nights and freshen up before leaving for Aunt Kate’s! This wonderful restaurant is located on the waterfront of the Intracoastal Waterway and is owned by yet another descendant of the Menorcans. While enjoying dinner over the water, we’ll sample some authentic ethnic cuisine and learn about the flaming Datil pepper! An authentic experience with a true descendant and daughter of the nation’s oldest city is a great way to spend an afternoon upon your arrival in St Augustine.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hampton Inn & Suites Vilano Beach (4 Nights)
Day 4 – St. Augustine
After we enjoy our breakfast, we will make our way to the Lightner Museum. Occupying the former Hotel Alcazar, a Gilded Age resort hotel commissioned by railroad magnate Henry Flagler, the Lightner Museum offers an immersive experience of art, architecture, history, and design. Next, we will enjoy a wonderful historic tour of Flagler College. Henry Flagler gained his fortune in the grain industry and then partnered with John D. Rockefeller to start Standard Oil. In the late 1800s, Henry Flagler came to St. Augustine with his first wife to help with her ailing health. When Henry arrived, he saw great potential in the small town of St. Augustine. He extended the railroad from Jacksonville to St. Augustine and started to build luxury hotels. The first of which was the Hotel Ponce de Leon, the playground for the rich and famous of the time. In 1968, the former Hotel Ponce de Leon opened as the centerpiece to Flagler College. Then, be sure to have your walking shoes on as a local guide is going to tell us all about the city’s history as we go on a food & wine pair walking tour! We’ll take in the city views, catch sight of unique architecture, and enjoy enough scrumptious food and wine to satisfy us for both lunch and supper!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 – St. Augustine
After breakfast we are hoping on the Old Town Trolley Tour for several memorable stops. First is The Old Store, where we’ll watch in amazement as our friendly clerks, butcher and Snake Oil salesman demonstrate the very latest inventions for turn-of-the-century living. Step back in time and discover the latest and best time saving miracles from 1900! Items such as a goat-powered washing machine and a gas-powered iron! It’s truly like walking into a Sears Roebuck catalog from 1908. From steam-driven tractors, tonics, worm syrup, guns, bikes and so much more. The next trolley stop is The Old Jail, where we’ll get to see the cells firsthand and learn of the many injustices that took place here, mainly from the crooked sheriff who oversaw the prison. Beware! Florida Heritage Museum stop follows where we’ll be taken on a sweeping historical journey of the people, places, and things that helped shape this age-old city into a wonderful place to live. The museum is divided into several galleries, each telling a different aspect of St. Augustine’s long and rich narrative. We’ll see how the nascent tourism industry first started with the arrival of the Cracker pioneers and their covered Conestoga wagons carrying all of their earthly possessions. We’ll learn about the ‘Tin Can Tourists,’ known for favoring eating canned foods, and the vehicles they drove like a fully restored 1927 Ford Model T pickup camper. Our last trolley stop is the Potters Wax Museum. Unlike any attraction of its kind, it is housed inside the oldest pharmacy in the United States. This is the oldest wax museum in the country and there are a wide variety of figures to examine, ranging from Roman Centurions to celebrities, athletes to political leaders. There is a good chance that an artist will be on site to show you the workstation where all the magic happens. Next, we are off to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum. We’ll walk among legends, take aim at the Challenge Hole, and play over 165 courses on a simulator. The Museum celebrates golf and preserves the legacies of its 160 members who have made it great. We will then return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner at the Raintree Restaurant.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 – St. Augustine
After breakfast, we are off to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Having opened in 1893, it is one of Florida’s oldest continuously running attractions. We’ll see 24 species of crocodilians as well as a variety of other reptiles, mammals, and birds. We will enjoy an included lunch at the Alligator Farm. Now it is time for a cruise – welcome to St. Augustine Scenic Cruise! Since the 1900’s, St. Augustine Scenic Cruise has been giving visitors a unique view of St. Augustine’s historic land marks and natural beauty, available only from the water. Then we’ll return to the hotel to freshen up before making our way back to revisit St. George Street for our farewell dinner. We will also get to enjoy this historic area with wonderful shops, boutiques, & something for everyone.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 – St. Augustine to Home
We fly home today with wonderful memories of our winter getaway to Amelia Island & St. Augustine!
Included Meals: Breakfast
Flyaway Per Person Pricing Information
Flyaway Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
Roundtrip Airfare from MSP including all baggage fees, taxes & surcharges; 14 Meals, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
Stay 2 Nights on Amelia Island
Amelia Island River Cruise
Fort Clinch State Park
Stay 4 Nights in St. Augustine
St. Augustine Guided Tour
Lightner Museum
Historic Tour of Flagler College
St. Augustine Food & Wine Pairing Walking Tour
St. Augustine Old Town Trolley Tour including the Old Store, Old Jail, Florida Heritage Museum, & Potters Wax Museum
World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
St. Augustine Scenic Cruise