Anastasia State Park

Overview

Located near the city of St. Augustine, Anastasia State Park is a 1600-acre state park that has a four mile-long unnamed beach. This unnamed beach is also known as Anastasia State Park Beach. This beach is situated on an island named Anastasia Island. Tropical vegetation and sand dunes are also present near this beach. The beach and the area around it have many amenities including lifeguards (available between Memorial Day through Labor Day), restrooms, showers, picnic tables, boardwalks, an observation area, concession stands, pavilions, and a children's playground. Rental facilities for beach chairs, bikes, watersporting equipment, and beach umbrellas are also available in Anastasia State Park. Dogs are not allowed on the beach in Anastasia State Park. The beach also offers accessibility to people with disabilities. Getting to Anastasia State Park is easy - the parking lot for Anastasia State Park is present near 644 Anastasia Park Road, and you can easily walk to the beach from this parking lot. However, it is important to note that you need to pay an access fee to enter this state park.

The beach in Anastasia State Park offers many fun activities including hiking, biking, wildlife watching, beachcombing, sunbathing, fishing, swimming, surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, skimboarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, canoeing, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, picnicking, water-skiing, and boating. If you are planning to enter the water near Anastasia State Park, we recommend being careful as the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents. We also recommend wearing a sweat-suit while engaging in aquatic recreational activities during fall and winter as the water here can be cold during this time. In addition, it is also important to note that a designated swimming area is also present in the water near Anastasia State Park. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many kinds of animals in the water near this beach including sea turtles, dolphins, crabs, and manatees. If you like birdwatching, you can view many kinds of shorebirds around the beach in Anastasia State Park including gulls, skimmers, and terns. If you are planning to fish in the water near Anastasia State Park, please ensure that you follow the local fishing regulations.

Anastasia State Park has a beautiful landscape which is composed of many kinds of habitats including upland hammock forests, salt marsh, and sand dune fields. You can explore the park’s unique habitat via the hiking trails present here. A lagoon named Salt Run is also present in the state park which offers an amazing kayaking, canoeing, and fishing experience. The state park also has old quarries which were used to mine coquina limestone - the limestone mined from here was used in the construction of the nearby 17th-century Castillo de San Marcos. The state park also has an oceanfront campground near its beach which accommodates both tents and RVs - in 2015, Travel + Leisure magazine listed it as one of the United States’ prettiest beachfront campsites. If you are planning to camp in Anastasia State Park, we recommend visiting the state park’s webpage at the Florida State Park’s website for more information regarding the camping rules and charges.

Attractions

There are many attractions near Anastasia State Park.  St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum has a lighthouse known as the St. Augustine Light Station which was built during the 19th-century and is still active. This lighthouse offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the northern Florida shoreline. The museum premises have fun exhibitions and historic structures which offer a unique insight into the vibrant history of St. Augustine and Florida. Interesting demonstrations and live wooden boat-building sessions are also organized on the museum premises. The museum also has a shipyard-themed play area for children. In addition, the museum also offers a variety of interesting tours for an additional fee including a tour of the light station conducted by the lighthouse-keeper and even a thrilling ghost tour at night. St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is one of Florida’s continuously running attractions. This zoological park is home to 24 species of crocodilians, along with many other kinds of reptiles, birds, and mammals. This park also hosts many exciting and informative events including educational demonstrations, camping sessions for school kids, zip-line tours, night shows, and wildlife shows. In addition, the zoological park also has an exhibit displaying fossils. If you are looking for another attraction near Anastasia State Park, Oldest House Museum includes the González–Álvarez House which was constructed in the early 18th century and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The museum offers interesting historical and cultural exhibitions. In addition, the museum premises also include beautiful ornamental gardens.

Restaurants

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Anastasia State Park. Blackfly The Restaurant is an upscale restaurant that serves amazing gourmet dishes with culinary influences from the Caribbean. Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille offers outstanding salads, soups, seafood, poultry, tacos, sandwiches, pastas, Southern-style dishes, burgers, and steaks. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Anastasia State Park, Mojo’s Tacos serves amazing Mexican and Latin American dishes including arepas, nachos, burritos, and tacos.

Hotels

If you are looking for a hotel near Anastasia State Park, there are many great nearby options. The 4-Star Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront has Spanish Colonial-style architecture and it also offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a hot tub, and a restaurant. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Bayfront Marin House offers many amenities including a bicycle, beach chairs, an umbrella loaner facility, an evening happy hour with drinks and appetizers, and continental breakfast. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Anastasia State Park, the 2-Star Best Western Bayfront has a pool. In addition, the hotel is also located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in St. Augustine.