Fort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center

A National Park Service site on Rattlesnake Island featuring a 1740s coquina watchtower guarding the southern approach to St. Augustine.

8635 A1A South, Saint Augustine, FL 32080 · Saint Augustine, FL

About Fort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center

Fort Matanzas National Monument protects a coquina watchtower finished in 1742 that guarded the southern river route to the Spanish settlement of St. Augustine. The site also includes a few hundred acres of coastal land with dunes, salt marsh, and maritime forest, home to plants and wildlife, some of them threatened or endangered. Visitors reach the fort by a ferry that runs on a boarding pass system issued at the park's visitor center. Hundreds of thousands of people visit each year to enjoy the river and ocean beaches.

#fort
#coquina
#national monument
#barrier island
#Spanish colonial

What's around here?

The closest stops to Fort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Attractions
Family Favorite
Marineland of Florida
Under $25
Watch dolphin talks, feeds and training sessions at the 1938 oceanarium where Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed.
3.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Anastasia State Park
Under $25
Spend a beach day on four miles of sand across the bay from old St. Augustine, rent a kayak, or camp a short walk from the dunes.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Attractions
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
$25–$50
A long-running Florida zoo focused on alligators, crocodilians, and exotic birds and mammals, with daily wildlife shows.
12 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
Sightseeing
St. Augustine National Cemetery
Check prices
Historic national cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida, known for its coquina monuments and Florida Indian Wars graves.
Transit: reachable by public transit
13 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
History Buff
St. George Street
No admission fee
Walk a pedestrian-only street through historic downtown, from the City Gate past colonial buildings, shops and courtyards.
Transit: reachable by public transit
13 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Under $25
Walk the gun deck, casemates and courtyard of a 17th-century Spanish coquina fort on the St. Augustine bayfront.
Transit: reachable by public transit
13 mi awayMore like this