The fort is a star-shaped structure made with coquina (ancient shells bonded together to form a sedimentary rock similar to limestone) with four flared, pointed bastions near the Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine. The distinguished shapes of the fort invite photographers to seek creative angles for compositions. (The fort's Wikipedia entry gives a blueprint drawing that shows the shape from above.) Accenting the design are several cylindrical watchtowers.
I encountered bad luck when I stopped at the fort to take pictures the first night we were in St. Augustine. Because of the lateness of hour, I just missed getting admission to tour the inside grounds. So I resolved to concentrate on getting as many good shots as I could have the structure's exterior, and it is a very large fort to walk around.
I encountered bad luck when I stopped at the fort to take pictures the first night we were in St. Augustine. Because of the lateness of hour, I just missed getting admission to tour the inside grounds. So I resolved to concentrate on getting as many good shots as I could have the structure's exterior, and it is a very large fort to walk around.
According to the fort’s website, admission to the fort costs $15. You can buy an annual pass for $45 if you expect to visit the site frequently.
Castillo de San Marcos is open to the public seven days a week except Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) and Christmas Day. First admission is at 9 a.m. and last admission is at 5 p.m. The Castillo closes and visitors must exit at 5:15 p.m. The park grounds are closed from midnight to 6 a.m.
Visitation is lowest from mid-September through mid-November. Visitation is highest around holidays (especially Christmas to New Year's); during spring, summer, and winter breaks from school; and on weekends. A busy Saturday averages 3,500 visitors. School group visitation is high in October-November and February-May.
The photo above gives you a look at two of the bastions and watchtowers and how main structure's dramatic angles distinguishes this fort. The photo below is a view from a different bastion, but I present it here because a photographer was using it as a backdrop to do portraits for a wedding client. The first photo below is a long-range shot; the second below, a closeup of the couple. The following day, while passing the fort again, I would come upon a bride and groom and their full wedding party getting out of a mini-bus and walking up toward the fort, presumably also for pictures.
The photos above and below are slightly different angles from the same two bastions and watchtowers.
A canon atop one wall (above) and a closeup of one of the watchtowers (below).
Above: A super closeup of the top of a watchtower, where two pigeons camped out for a view of the area.
Above: A view of some trees lining the outer wall near a canon.
Above: Two people walked behind me as I took this photo, and one of them told the other that the dark, vertical marks against this section of the wall's exterior represented the "cumulative residue" of multiple firing squad executions. I have no idea if that is correct, but ... it's one possible explanation, I guess.
Above: A wooden staircase leading up to a move elevated tier in the fort construction.
Above: This young man sat alone in this spot for as long as I was doing my picture-taking in that area of the fort.
Above: A shot that gives you an idea of the fort and watchtower's proximity to Matanzas Bay.
Above and below: Closeup section shots of the fort's coquina stone facade.
A mid-range perspective (above) of a patterned block along the shore of Matanzas Bay. A slightly different perspective of the same block appears below.
Above and below: Two perspectives of the same tilting tree, the one above with the fort in the background, the one below looking out toward the bay.
Above: A visitor prepares his bicycle's gear bags for departure.
Above and below: A couple of photos of the main entrance, illustrating the fort's popularity among tourists.
Above and next three below: Scenes from shore and watercraft in Matanzas Bay. In the background of the second photo below, you can see the St. Augustine Lighthouse.
To view a larger and sharper version of any image here, just click on the photo. To see a full gallery of images from my visit to Castillo de San Marcos, click on the link in this sentence.
Coming up next: St. Augustine Beach and Lighthouse
Previously in FLORIDA:
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