St Augustine Scavenger Hunt

48 free finds around the Castillo and the bay, in the old town, on the Plaza and along King Street.

St Augustine Scavenger Hunt

TeamMeet at (place and time)

  1. Stay with your team on public streets, lawns and the seawall walk.
  2. Keep back from the seawall edge and cross only at marked crossings.
  3. Buy nothing, take nothing and climb nothing, walls included.
  4. Photograph nobody outside your team without asking.
  1. The grass slope that makes attackers climbThe glacis on the land sides forced attackers uphill toward the cannons. Stand at its foot and look up at the walls.
  2. Two marble lions guarding a bridgeThe Bridge of Lions, built from 1925 to 1927, carries copies of the Medici lions. Write which way they face.
  3. Openings along the fort's top for cannonsCount the openings along one wall.
  4. A pointed bastion at a corner of the fortThe four bastions are San Pedro, San Agustín, San Carlos and San Pablo. Count the ones you can see from one spot.
  5. Sailboat masts in the harborCount them from the seawall.
  6. A cannon on the fort's wallCount the cannons you can see without going in.
  7. The Bridge of Lions opening for a boatIt is a double-leaf drawbridge. Watch it lift and write how long it stays up.
  8. The fort's moatIt was usually dry but could be flooded about a foot deep if attackers came by land. Write whether it is dry today.
  9. A shell you can see in a coquina wallCoquina is rock made of old shells bonded together; the Castillo's came from a quarry across the bay. Look closely; scratch nothing.
  10. The green where civil rights marchers gatheredIn 1964 a tree on the fort green, called the Freedom Tree, was a meeting place for demonstrators. Find the green and write one thing on it.

Next step Going inside the fort? The museum huntTurn it into a photo hunt

How it works

A fort of shell stone, a drawbridge guarded by lions and a hotel of poured concrete from 1888: this St. Augustine scavenger hunt holds 48 finds, each free to see.

Read the full guide

Start at the Castillo

The Castillo and the bay opens first. St. George Street runs south from the old city gate to The Plaza, and King Street leads west from it. Use the menu to choose one, then press Print this list.

Proof on paper

A team proves each find with a word, a number or a year on the sheet. Where a note gives the answer, it is the judging rule.

Tips
  • This list stays outside the fort, the schoolhouse and the museums, so a whole family can play it without a ticket.

Questions and answers

Can you do a free scavenger hunt in St. Augustine?

Yes. Every find is seen from streets, lawns and the seawall. The Castillo is ticked from its green, and museums, carriages and trolleys are left out, so nothing needs a ticket or a purchase.

Is St. Augustine good for a kids' scavenger hunt?

Yes, with an adult in every team. The fort's moat, cannons and bastions and the lions on the bridge suit children best. Keep back from the seawall edge.

Why is it called the oldest city?

Spanish settlers founded it on September 8, 1565, making it the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded settlement in the contiguous United States.

More tools

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All 48 finds

The Castillo and the bay 12

  • A cannon on the fort's wall Count the cannons you can see without going in.
  • A pointed bastion at a corner of the fort The four bastions are San Pedro, San Agustín, San Carlos and San Pablo. Count the ones you can see from one spot.
  • A shell you can see in a coquina wall Coquina is rock made of old shells bonded together; the Castillo's came from a quarry across the bay. Look closely; scratch nothing.
  • A star-shaped fort built of shell stone The Castillo de San Marcos, begun in 1672, is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Tick it from the green.
  • The Bridge of Lions opening for a boat It is a double-leaf drawbridge. Watch it lift and write how long it stays up.
  • The fort's moat It was usually dry but could be flooded about a foot deep if attackers came by land. Write whether it is dry today.
  • The grass slope that makes attackers climb The glacis on the land sides forced attackers uphill toward the cannons. Stand at its foot and look up at the walls.
Show all 48 finds (41 more)

The Castillo and the bay, continued

  • The green where civil rights marchers gathered In 1964 a tree on the fort green, called the Freedom Tree, was a meeting place for demonstrators. Find the green and write one thing on it.
  • Openings along the fort's top for cannons Count the openings along one wall.
  • Sailboat masts in the harbor Count them from the seawall.
  • The tide on Matanzas Bay The water here rises and falls up to 6 feet and does not flow one way. Write whether it looks high or low.
  • Two marble lions guarding a bridge The Bridge of Lions, built from 1925 to 1927, carries copies of the Medici lions. Write which way they face.

St. George Street 12

  • A Catholic cemetery on Cordova Street Tolomato Cemetery stands where a mission village is marked on a 1737 map. Tick it from the gate, quietly.
  • A house wall made of coquina Write the house's street number.
  • A lane so narrow you could almost touch both sides Write its name from the sign.
  • A Protestant burial ground outside the gate The Huguenot Cemetery was used from 1821 to 1884. Read one date through the fence.
  • A street in the old town with no cars Write its name.
  • A street sign in Spanish Copy it.
  • A walled garden seen through a gate Write one plant you can see. Stay outside.
  • A wooden balcony hanging over the street Count the balconies on one block.
  • A wooden schoolhouse on St. George Street The house at 14 St. George Street is on tax records from 1716 and was a school from 1788. Write what it is built of.
  • The oldest year on a house plaque Write the earliest year you find on any plaque.
  • Someone in colonial costume Write the color of their hat. Photograph only if they say yes.
  • Two stone pillars of the old city gate They stand across from the Huguenot Cemetery, near the wooden schoolhouse. Walk through and write what sits on top of each.

The Plaza 12

  • A cannon near the bayfront Write which way it points.
  • A cathedral finished in 1797 The Cathedral Basilica's congregation, started in 1565, is the oldest Christian congregation in the contiguous United States. Count the openings in its bell tower.
  • A church bell ringing Write the time you heard it.
  • A gazebo or bandstand Write its color.
  • A governor's house of coquina on King Street Government House's east wing dates from 1706 to 1713. Write its street number.
  • A monument in the middle of the Plaza Copy its first word.
  • A sign for a street on the old town's edge The historic town plan is bounded by Cordova, Orange and St. Francis Streets and the bay. Find a sign for one of the three streets.
  • An open-sided shelter on the Plaza Count its posts.
  • Anastasia Island across the water Walk to the Plaza's bay end and write one thing you see on the far shore.
  • Flags flying near the Plaza The town was Spanish, British from 1763 to 1784, then Spanish again until 1821. Count the flags you see.
  • Oaks shading the Plaza's benches Count the benches in the shade.
  • The year 1565 written somewhere in town The city was founded on September 8, 1565. Write where you found the year.

King Street 12

  • A church dome near King Street Write its color.
  • A fountain in a King Street courtyard Write what the water pours from.
  • A grand 1888 hotel that is now a college The Hotel Ponce de Leon, built from 1885 to 1887, is now Flagler College, founded in 1968. Tick it from King Street; the grounds are a campus.
  • A house built to copy a Moorish palace Villa Zorayda at 83 King Street was built in 1883, inspired by the Alhambra in Spain. Count the arches you can see from the sidewalk.
  • A lamp on one of the first buildings wired for electricity The Ponce had electric light from the day it opened. Count the lamps by its gate.
  • A lion's-head water spout Write where you found it.
  • A second 1887 hotel that is now a museum The Hotel Alcazar, Spanish Renaissance Revival, holds the Lightner Museum. Tick it from the sidewalk.
  • A sign with the college's name Copy it exactly.
  • A wall of poured concrete mixed with shell stone The Ponce was the first hotel of its kind built wholly of poured concrete, with coquina mixed in. Find a shell in the wall.
  • Palm trees along King Street Count the palms on one block.
  • Red tile roofs from one corner Count every red roof you can see without moving.
  • Towers on the front of the college Count them from across the street.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in St. Augustine, Florida, around the Castillo and the bayfront, in the old town on St. George Street, on the Plaza and along King Street, sorted by area, all scored from public streets, lawns and sidewalks with nothing bought, no fort or museum ticket and no tour. Nothing was copied from another list; no shop, tour company or bar is named. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by St._Augustine,_Florida, Castillo_de_San_Marcos, Coquina, Bridge_of_Lions, Matanzas_River, Oldest_Wooden_School_House, Huguenot_Cemetery, Tolomato_Cemetery, Cathedral_Basilica_of_St._Augustine, Government_House_(St._Augustine), St._Augustine_Town_Plan_Historic_District, Ponce_de_Leon_Hotel, Flagler_College, Lightner_Museum and Villa_Zorayda. Licence: own work