Bearing The Scars Of The Spanish Treasure Fleet Balanced With The Hatchlings Of The Loggerheads
Located on the north-eastern side of Florida, just on the curvature of land bordering Saint Augustine, Anastasia State Park’s beautiful beaches invite travelers with its soft white sand and inviting bright blue waters
“Usually, a park is acquired [by the state],” says Warren Poplin, Park Manager, “because of a unique quality it possesses. For Anastasia State Park, it is its pristine beaches.”
Anastasia Island was acquired by the state of Florida in 1949. Since then it has seen more than its fair share of devastation, such as the destruction of Florida State Road A1A by Hurricane Dora in 1964. This devastation caused the road to be completed reconstructed around the park while leaving a small part of the original road intact while renaming it “Park Drive”. The beach itself is bordered by a series of tidal marshes and sand dunes surrounding a lagoon.
History abounds in the park as well. The famous Ponce de Leon tried to claim the Florida Peninsula for Spain as a base to defend that nation’s treasure fleet. While this proved ultimately unsuccessful, the myth and lore of those days have lived into modern timers. St. Augustine Amphitheater whose grounds used to be included in the boundaries of the park now sits adjacent to its boundary. Built in 1965 on the 400th birthday of the city of St. Augustine, it housed the “official state play“ of Florida, entitled ”Cross & Sword” which ran from 1973-2003. The play itself, written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright John Green details the colonization of the city by Spaniard Pedro Menendez de Aviles and the bloody conflicts that ensued up and down the coast with the French Huguenots.
Anastasia’s inland waterway is rumored to have been especially dangerous for large ships in older days, which has caused a slew of found shipwrecks in the area in the last ten years. Warren Poplin has been present for many of the shipwreck finds in the area explaining, “This was a treacherous inland [corridor] for sailing ships so there are tons of shipwrecks around here.” In 2014, he confirmed the finding of pieces belonging to a ship’s skeleton that washed up on shore, found by a local adventurer. The presence of shipwrecks no doubt brings scuba divers also looking for treasure and adventure.
Currently, this area is a favorite of kayakers and stand-up paddle boarders. Anastasia Watersports rents out everything needed to explore all the nooks and crannies of the park’s hidden secrets. Renee Acuna, Assistant State Park Manager stated “Salt Run is the most popular area for stand-up paddle boarding visitors because you are very likely to see manatees, sea turtles, or pods of bottlenose dolphins.”
Coquina Quarry also exists within the boundaries of the park. For 300 years, coquina rock, a shell stone, has been used as a building material because it is relatively soft and lightweight and hardens when exposed to air. The Spaniards who settled this area used it to build their settlements. The Quarry has been named a historic site for its involvement in helping to build of the Castillo De San Marcos, a national monument in St. Augustine that was built to make the city better prepared in the event of another pirate invasion. The city had been almost completely obliterated by both by a fleet led by Sir Francis Drake in 1556 and then by English pirate Robert Searles in 1668. Anyone visiting the Quarry is welcome to explore the area and examine the rocks, but are not allowed to take any pieces due to its Historic Site title.
The beauty of this ecosystem resides in its ability to remain fairly untouched. “[The park gives you] the feeling that you are on your own remote island,” says Renee Acuna. Anastasia is a popular nesting ground for birds and turtles, especially Loggerheads which are especially well-known in the area. Their presence has inspired the formation of the “Sea Turtle Nesting” program by park officials to ensure the safety of the eggs. “Sometimes the turtle lays eggs where they are in danger and we will relocate them to a safer area when needed,” explains Acuna. This program is a way for visitors to be involved in the primal act of the baby turtles’ journey to the sea without causing them any harm.
With its dedication to the preservation of natural beauty, inviting beaches, deep seated history and incredible sunsets, Anastasia State Park offers the tangible dream of a Florida adventure.