What's a good 3-day itinerary for St. Augustine?

Day 1 stays inside the Historic District, which runs about 1.5 kilometres from Castillo de San Marcos to the González-Alvarez House. Be at the Castillo gate at 9 AM when it opens. The coquina walls, started in 1672, feel warm and gritty under your palm, and the view from the gun deck across Matanzas Bay is worth the $15 admission. Walk south along Avenida Menendez to the Cathedral Basilica by 10:30. The interior runs 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the sidewalk. Head west to St. George Street for lunch at Columbia Restaurant, where the 1905 salad and a Cuban sandwich tend to run about $18 together. The afternoon belongs to the Lightner Museum ($17.50) inside Henry Flagler's 1888 Alcazar Hotel, and then three blocks south to the González-Alvarez House, documented to 1723. Dinner at The Floridian on Spanish Street, where Mayport shrimp and grits cost $22 to $28 and the stone-ground grits are likely the best you'll find north of the Georgia line.

Day 2 crosses the Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island. The St. Augustine Lighthouse, built in 1874, opens at 9 AM and costs $14.95. The 219-step climb is steep and narrow. That said, the breeze at the top takes the edge off the humidity, and you can see down the coast past Crescent Beach on a clear morning. By 11 AM, walk 400 metres south to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, operating since 1893. The boardwalk through the bird rookery smells strongly of salt marsh and nesting colonies, and you'll hear wood storks and egrets overhead. Admission is $29.99. After that, drive 10 minutes south on A1A to St. Augustine Beach for the afternoon. The sand tends to be packed and firm enough to walk barefoot without sinking. Dinner back downtown at Catch 27 on Charlotte Street, where the seared scallops and shrimp plates run $20 to $30 and the dining room sits narrow and loud on busy nights.

Day 3 covers ground outside the tourist core. Start at Fort Mose Historic State Park, 3 kilometres north of downtown. The Spanish established Fort Mose in 1738 as the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what became the United States. The visitor centre opens at 9 AM, and entry is $2 per person. The site is a boardwalk through salt marsh where you might spot osprey and fiddler crabs picking through the mud. Head back downtown by 11 AM for a free tour at St. Augustine Distillery on Riberia Street. They pour samples of bourbon, gin, vodka, and rum inside a converted 1917 ice plant where the original brick walls still hold the building together. Lunch at Preserved on King Street in Lincolnville. The fried chicken sandwich runs about $16, and the cornbread comes out warm with honey butter. If energy remains, drive 23 kilometres south on A1A to Fort Matanzas National Monument. The free ferry to Rattlesnake Island runs every 30 minutes until 4:30 PM, and the 1742 Spanish watchtower sits alone in the marsh with nobody else around.

Mind you, June in St. Augustine means temperatures around 32°C by noon with humidity above 80%. The air feels heavy and damp by mid-morning. Carry water and front-load the outdoor walking before 11 AM. St. George Street gets thick with foot traffic on weekends, so a Tuesday or Wednesday morning is better for the Historic District. Metered parking downtown costs $2.50 per hour, or $15 for the day at the visitor centre garage on Castillo Drive. There is no useful public transit. You will need a car for Days 2 and 3. That said, Day 1 is entirely walkable from any hotel in the Historic District or Uptown San Marco. Total walking across the three days comes to about 15 kilometres, with another 65 kilometres of driving on Days 2 and 3.