Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Built between 1672 and 1695, Castillo de San Marcos was the first masonry fort constructed to defend Saint Augustine. It was known as Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1784 while under British control and Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942.

The Castillo is a masonry star fort made of a stone called "coquina", literally "little shells", made of ancient shells that have bonded together to form a type of stone similar to limestone.

In November 1702, British forces attacked the fort. All of the city's residents, some 1,200 people, along with all of the fort's soldiers, some 300, were protected inside the wall of the fort for the next two months during the attack. The British cannon had little effect on the walls of the fort. The coquina was very effective at absorbing the impact of the shells, allowing very little damage to the walls.

Location

Saint Augustine, St. John's County
Florida, USA

Getting There

Here's a brief guide on getting to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument:

By car: The monument is located in St. Augustine, Florida, and can be reached via I-95 or US-1. There are parking spaces available on site, although they may fill up quickly during peak hours.

By bus: The St. Augustine Red Train Tour and Old Town Trolley Tour both have stops at the monument, so you can easily reach it by taking either of these tourist buses.

By foot or bike: The monument is located in the historic district of St. Augustine, so you can easily walk or bike to it if you're already in the area.

By boat: If you're arriving by boat, you can dock at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina and take a short walk to the monument.

Once you arrive at the monument, you can purchase tickets at the visitor center and enjoy the historical exhibits, ranger-led tours, and scenic views of the waterfront.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Florida that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.