Fort Matanzas

Most visitors meet Fort Matanzas almost by accident. They drive south on A1A, see the signs, pull in and discover that St. Augustine had another Spanish fort guarding another stretch of water.

The small coquina watchtower was built to protect the southern approach to St. Augustine, but the trip is as much about the setting as the fort. Marsh, river, barrier island and maritime forest surround it, making this one of the best places around St. Augustine to understand how closely the city’s military history was tied to the landscape.