Fort Matanzas Centennial Celebration
A look at how visiting this monument in 1924 differs from visiting today.
The National Parks Service has created special tours to celebrate October 15, 1914—when President Calvin Coolidge created the Fort Matanzas National Monument. On select days in September, October, and November 2024, historians will portray tourists from 1924, relating what it was like to visit the monument back "in their day." These special guides will join the tours on Saturdays, September 21 and October 5; Tuesday, October 15; and Sundays, October 20 and November 3, 2024.
Built in 1742 to defend the city of St. Augustine from British attack, Fort Matanzas has stood in the Matanzas Inlet for more than 250 years. A remnant of Florida's Spanish past, today it is maintained by the National Park Service, which provides a very short boat ride to the island, where visitors can take self-guided tours of the fort.
During the Centennial Celebration, the historian-tourists will answer questions on every fort tour on the designated days. The boat ride to the island and the tours are free. There is a limited capacity for passengers on each trip and boarding passes are required. They can be claimed on the day of your visit, on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservations can be made in advance by any means. The monument office opens at 9:00 a.m.
Seven tours leave for the island each day: 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 a.m. as well as 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m.
Admission: Free
When: Hourly on the half-hour, from 9:30 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. on September 21, October 5, October 15, October 20, and November 3, 2024.
Where: Fort Matanzas National Monument, 8635 A1A South, St. Augustine, Florida 32080
