Made in St. Augustine

The baskets pictured above may not be made in St. Augustine, however, you're going to need several to carry all the things you find that are! (They are available for sale at Zora Bora Gallery, by the way. And yes, Zora Bora features work from local artists—more than 30 of them!) St. Augustine is filled with artists, craftspeople, makers, artisans, and other kinds of creatives, so you can't go far without finding something uniquely STA to bring home with you. The problem you'll have is, if you've flown, you may not have the space for all your "treasures" as my six-year old niece calls them. The last time she visited, she flew home with a glowing ball from Happy Pappys in her lap on the plane. If only she had picked up a market basket during her visit! So consider yourself warned. You may need to return to St. Augustine again and again to continue your "treasure" hunt.

Art

Downtown

Aviles Street Area

Ancient City Art Gallery features more than a dozen local artists, many of whom create art inspired by St. Augustine. The oldest gallery in the city, PAStA Fine Art Gallery, has been featuring local professional artists since 1982. Plum Contemporary Gallery features up and coming local artists and I regularly drool outside their window. The day I broke down and bought a piece here was one of my happiest since moving to St. Augustine.

King + Riberia Streets

A half block south of King Street, across from the Lightner Museum, is Sweetwater Coffee Gallery. Here, you can take a much needed shopping break with a coffee, and, pick out the next thing you're going to buy as it's a gallery too. Sweetwater features work from resident artist, Hannah Keats, and owner, Sloane Keats, as well as other local artists. And yes, Hannah (daughter) and Sloane (mom) are related.

King Street's, ArtBox, features all kinds of local art, including jewelry—this is a very fun place to do your holiday shopping (and yes, you will for sure pick up a thing or two or three for yourself, too.) Across the street from ArtBox is Gallery One Forty-Four which features Lenny Foster's photography, whose work includes St. Augustine themes.

Around the corner on Riberia Street is H + H Blanton Art Studio + Gallery which showcases Heather Blanton's sports paintings—some of which feature local teams. Next to it is Maria Reyes-Jones Gallery—one of the happiest places in town. Why? Because Maria's whimsical paintings feature every color of the rainbow. In fact, Maria's mantra is "Color makes me happy!" Her gallery is the perfect place to visit on a cloudy day when you're feeling blue.

Uptown

Jenna Alexander Studio is a local favorite - part because of her own art and part because she hosts art fairs in front of her Uptown studio that make us all feel like cool Brooklyn-ites.

On the Island

The beachfront, Art Studio of St. Augustine Beach, enables you to enjoy gorgeous ocean views as well as gorgeous local art. High Tide Gallery is one of my favorite places to pick up local art because it's eclectic and features more than 50 local artists, plus, it's a lot of fun as it carries so many whimsical pieces. And then there's W.B. Tatter Studio and Gallery which has a world flair and features batik pieces made by owner, Wendy Tatter.

If you want to splurge, and visit all the galleries that participate in the First Friday Artwalk, you can—just don't blame me when the credit card bills arrive!

Bath + Body

If you, like me, are a sucker for handmade things that smell good, then be sure to pick up some local "potions and lotions." Bath Junkie has soaps, body washes, lotions, bath scrubs, and, the opportunity to customize scents and colors! The shop features more than 200 scents and 18 colors to mix and match, so you can create custom bath luxuries for souvenirs or gifts. Plus, inside the shop is The Tipsy Duck where you can enjoy all things rubber duck!

If you want to go uber local, St. Augustine Bath & Candle showcases soaps, candles, and bath accessories made with spring water from St. Augustine! Or, stop by St. Augustine Soap for a luxury, eco-friendly bar of soap like the Ponce de Leon, made with water from the Fountain of Youth! If all that isn't enough, fear not, you can visit Tillie's Bath Cottage for their famous Florida salt scrubs with scents like coconut, key lime, orange, grapefruit, or lemongrass. You'll be smelling fruity and fabulous until your next trip to St. Augustine!

Crafts + Handmade

Specialty craft items can get pretty pricey, so it's great that St. Augustine has crafters for everyone's budgets. If your budget is limited, there's still no end to the fun things you'll discover at Coconut Barrel—a market showcasing more than 200 artisans in South St. Augustine. The Nature's Legacy on St. George Street features upcycled and recycled items which are always fun and unique. If you want to save some money by DIYing it, visit Ancient City Craftworks where you can make your own custom item out of reclaimed and salvaged wood.

If you have a wall that is screaming for some fun—think manatees and mermaids—pick up a nautical hand-carved wood sculpture at Grover's Gallery. When you have a little extra money to spend, visit Dan Holiday Leather or Joel Bagnal Goldsmith (pictured above). Located right next to each other on Aviles Street, these guys are the real deal. Dan has been making hand crafted leather sandals since 1959 and Joel has been crafting jewelry for more than 40 years. You might even get to watch them working.

Food + Drink

Food

Want to stick a taste of St. Augustine in your suitcase? You can! Honey fans will love Honey Truck Company (pictured above) as they make honey from St. Augustine's bees. Stubbees Honey + Apothecary makes a southern special, bourbon-infused honey, that will be the most unique item in your cabinet. If you like the hot stuff, we got you covered as Northeast Florida is home to the datil pepper. While this pepper scares me, and I go out of my way to avoid it, my brother seeks it out and stocks up on Minorcan Datil Pepper Products when he visits. I'll stick to Whetstone Chocolates, specifically a dark chocolate de Leon shell bag—delicious! If you're the kind of person that can't visit the South without taking home key lime products, visit the Key Lime Shop and live your best shopping life!

Want to take home St. Augustine's best ice cream or the town's own pops? You can! Mayday Ice Cream and The Hyppo will ship for you! Once I learned this, I started sending my parents ice cream and pop packs! Both of these local favorites are run by the same family, and, if you visit the midtown Mayday, you also get a great selection of Hyppo pops in one location! Both the ice cream and the pops have all sorts of strange flavors, so taste as much as you're able to before sending a batch home.

Drink

If you're driving, take home a six-pack from Ancient City Brewing or a growler from Dog Rose Brewing Co. Sailbird Distilling Company has a unique shopping experience—thanks to their barrel-aging service, you can fill a new five-gallon barrel with your preferred spirit and age it at the facility for up to two years. That means pick your spirit today, and pick it up on a future visit! The San Sebastian Winery gift shop offers their wine (of course), and, their ready-made gift baskets. You can also order a made-to-order basket if you want something even more special. The St. Augustine Distillery shop is open daily and has everything you need for the perfect St. Augustine cocktail to serve to your friends at home.

Stoves(!)

Yup, I did say stoves! Urban Asado creates free-standing grills, masonry outdoor kitchen grills, home chef grills, and restaurant and food truck grills. I'm not kidding. Each unit is built in St. Augustine, with an eye on Argentinian style, function, and food. Want to taste what comes out of an urban asado? Visit owner Nick Carrera's restaurant, Asado Life, for live-fire Argentinian inspired fare. You'll need a reservation as the river-side spot only cooks up enough meat for the diners on their list.

And Don't Forget...

If you want to check out a lot of different kinds of items in one spot, visit the Wednesday Pier Farmers Market or the St. Augustine Amphitheatre Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. The Amp also hosts night markets four times a year. The Vilano Beach Artisan Market on third Saturdays, and West King Wednesdays on third Wednesdays, showcase a lot of unique, locally made items you can take home to remind you of the fun times you had in St. Augustine!