St. Augustine’s Old School Museum

You knew, when I said “St. Augustine’s Old School Museum” in the title of this blog, that we’re talking about an old school building- not old school as in Naughty by Nature’s “Hip Hop Hurray Heeeyyy, hoooo, heeeyyy, hoooo, hip hop hurray, hoooo, haaaaay, hoooo…” or something even more Old School like… well, I don’t know like what because I’m not that old.  {Help me out, Karl?!}

Anyways, this post is about the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse Museum in St. Augustine - a St. Augustine attraction for decades and a nice place to prop up your feet for a bit in the midst of busy tours.

We’re grateful to be able to visit for free.  Several local attractions allow St. Johns County Residents free admission, including the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse Museum.  My kids like to pop in and buzz through these parts of the attraction:

We always have to push the button and listen to the teacher.  Usually two or three times.  At least it’s not six times, one for each kid!  My children have never commented on the stiff movement of the automated teacher or why sometimes the button needs to be pushed 4 times before it works.  They genuinely love the old school facets of this Old School House! {you knew I was going to work that in, didn’t you?!}

Then someone always comments on the kid in the dark time-out room under the stairs.  I usually make some quip about bringing back the good old days in our homeschool & they usually give me the “ohhh, MOM!” bit.

Sometimes predictability is a good thing.  These fond memories of being together as a family are being etched into our lives.

My favorite time of year to walk around the Old Schoolhouse gardens is Christmas.  St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights make the entire city radiant and this property also shines with a little extra Christmas cheer.  Year round, though, I like to find an empty bench and prop my feet up while the kiddos freely explore the old well and statues placed around the enclosed gardens.

Before we leave, we always must ring the bell.  I say “before we leave” because otherwise it’d be tolling the entire time we’re visiting… and that makes for a Mamma headache.  So we save it for the end.

Protip: Save the bell ringing for the end of your visit to the Oldest Schoolhouse Museum!

The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse Museum is a small attraction.  But it’s a genuine step back in time if you’ll slow down long enough to read the signs, listen to the old school teacher and, hearing the laughter of children on St. George Street outside, imagine all the sweet blessings that have passed through these doors.

Stop & smile at the next kid you see on the street.  He may not smile back but you’ll have made an impression just like the schoolhouse has on my family.

The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse
14 St. George Street
1-888-653-7245

Colonial Quarter St. Augustine!

If you’ve been downtown anytime over the past year, you’ve seen- and heard- Colonial Quarter construction.  Loud thuds, whining saws and the occasional gunshot from the other side of the wall caught the ear of many tourists.  Andrew, 6, would beg to peek through cracks in gates so he could see what was happening.  Then, last week, we had a chance to step over the ropes and through those gates that loomed in his 6 year old mind for a sneak peek of St. Augustine’s new Colonial Quarter. 

Walk with me through a few highlights of St. Augustine’s Colonial Quarter!

Blacksmith at St. Augustine Colonial Quarter Museum

Blacksmith Josh easily engages visitors of all ages.

Josh the blacksmith showed us how a colonial smith shaped tools.  He also taught us that they would barter to repair or be paid in gold to craft new iron items.

Bellows add oxygen which increases the heat in the forge.

The children enjoyed how hands-on Colonial Quarter Museum is.

I remain fascinated by the graceful twists on the utilitarian hook.

As a mom of littles, I was very grateful to find benches liberally placed around the property!  We always had somewhere to perch when the big kids needed more time to explore.

There are plenty of benches to rest on throughout the Colonial Quarter.

A peek into the Colonial Quarter Print Shop:

Quill Pen in Historic St. Augustine

I can’t wait to see what they do with this printing press!!!

Historic moveable type printing press!

Flags over St. Augustine

Flags over St. Augustine is a great visual of which countries controlled St. Augustine over the past 500 years.

This walkway takes visitors into the boatbuilding area and introduces tourists to St. Augustine’s rich heritage.

Colonial St. Augustine’s Gun Smith

A gunsmith explains the mechanics of a flint-lock musket.

Jacob took the time to thoroughly explain the technology behind 1500s weaponry.  He is currently repairing & restoring damaged pistols from the time period.

Preparen! Apunten! Fuego!

Hands On History at the Colonial Quarter of St. Augustine:

A Spanish soldier prepares his match-lock gun for firing.

The boys enjoyed feeling the balance and length of a wooden 16th century musket first hand!  Unlike Nerf guns, they learned to treat these as practice weapons, not toys!

Young soldiers learn the rules of the regiment- always control your weapon, never point the gun at people, and turn your head away during "fire!"

The Leather Shop

Visitors stamp royal crests into leather – it’s not as easy as it looks!!  My “Rampant Lions” always looked like they had vertigo…

Hands-on traditional crafts allow visitors to experience Colonial St. Augustine!

St. Augustine’s Best View: The Watch Tower

Okay, the St. Augustine Lighthouse may have a better view… I’d have to go back again to decide!

The view of the Castillo de San Marcos and the inlet is amazing from the watchtower!

Hope this quick glimpse piques your interest in St. Augustine’s Colonial Quarter!!  Grand opening is March 16, 2013, though you can go in now during their “soft opening” period.  I loved spending time in the Spanish Quarter before it closed… I’m proud that the Colonial Quarter took the foundations laid years ago and elevated the Colonial Quarter to a fuller experience that also teaches St. Augustine’s history!