JOIN US AT THE St AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE

FOR THE FLORIDA LIGHTHOUSE ASSOCIATION’S

FOURTH ANNUAL LIGHTHOUSE CONGRESS

OCTOBER 3 & 4, 2014

The St Augustine Lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built in 1874. It is 165’ above sea level and has 219 steps. The lens is a first order Fresnel lens and consists of 370 hand–cut glass prisms arranged in a beehive shape towering twelve feet tall and six feet in diameter. In 2002 the Coast Guard transferred the deed for the tower to the St Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc.

In addition to the Lighthouse, the St Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. St Augustine Lighthouse maintains an active archaeological program that researches maritime sites around St Augustine and the “First Coast” region. In 2009 an unidentified colonial sailing vessel was discovered, and because of the items found it is believed to be one of the ships involved in the December 18, 1782 evacuation of Charleston at the end of the American Revolution. This ship carried Loyalist refugees and troops to St Augustine which was a loyal British colony. There is a very interesting Behind the Scenes tour, well worth the cost if you have the time. 

Our Friday night Board meeting will be at the Lighthouse MAP and due to room size the meeting will be limited to Board members only. The Social hour, open to all, will also be at the Lighthouse and the tower will be open for climbing. 

The Saturday morning meeting will begin at 9:00 AM at the St Francis BarracksSt Francis Barracks MAP, which is the Headquarters of the Florida National Guard. Inside the Barracks is a small Military Museum which is typically open by appointment only; however, it will be open for our meeting, so you can leisurely peruse the information and artifacts. Also, on the grounds of the Barracks is a small national Cemetery which contains the remains of the Officers and men who perished in the 1835 Dade Massacre that started the Second Seminole War.

The cost for this event will be $60 for FLA members and $85 for non-members. This cost includes the Friday night Social, the Saturday morning membership meeting, Lunch, and admission to the Lighthouse.

I know most of us have been to St Augustine a number of times and visited most of the attractions. However, Chris and I found a new place, the St Augustine Distillery St Augustine Distillery MAP which just opened in March, 2014 and offers FREE tours and tastings (must have proof you are over 21) 7 days a week.

The Red Train Red Train  will offer us a group rate of $18.00, for a three day ticket, (normally $23.99) if 20 or more people sign up. The train travels to the Lighthouse, St Augustine Beach and all around St Augustine. Please indicate on the registration form if you are interested in this group rate.  It must be paid all at once so if we do not have 20 people interested by September 24, 2014, I will not contact them.

There are many hotels and Bed & Breakfasts in St Augustine and the rates vary from $65 to $250+. I am listing 6 hotels, 4 on St Augustine Beach, and 1 on Anastasia Island.

St Augustine Beach

Best Western Seaside Best Western Seaside MAP

541 A1A Beach Blvd

St Augustine Beach, FL 32080

904 461-9990

Rate : Sun – Thur $79, Fri & Sat $113 (Ask for FLA rate)

Cut-Off for this Rate : September 2, 2014.

Castillo Real Castillo Real MAP

530 A1A Beach Blvd

St Augustine Beach, FL 32080

904 471-3505

Rate : $143 for 1 King OR 2 Queen (Ask for FLA rate)

Cut-Off for this rate : September 3, 2014

Hilton Garden Inn  Hilton Garden Inn MAP

401 A1A Beach Blvd

St Sugustine Beach, FL 32080

904 471-5559

Rate : Sun – Thur $109, Fri& Sat $149 (Ask for FLA rate)

Cut-Off : September 2, 2014

Hampton Inn Hampton Inn MAP

430 A1A Beach Blvd

St Augustine Beach, FL 32080

904 471-4000

Rate: Sun-Thur $129, Fri & Sat $169 (Ask for FLA rate)

Cut-Off : September 2, 2014

Anastasia Island

         Sleep Inn Sleep Inn MAP

601 Anastasia Blvd

St Augustine, FL 32080

904 825-4535

Rate : $89.95 (Ask for FLA rate)

Cut-Off : September 19, 2014