Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida covers more than 2600 acres, including the largest spring on the St. Johns River. Designated as a Manatee Refuge, it is the winter home to a population of West Indian Manatees.
In November 2008, I got to see these amazing creatures swimming around. There was even an alligator.
The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine was a Spanish fort, built in 1672, to defend against English attacks. During the American Revolution, it was a British stronghold.
St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, sent by King Phillip II to colonize the new territory. It is the oldest, continuously occupied European settlement in the United States.
During the Revolutionary War, British loyalists sought refuge in St. Augustine. In the 1880s, Henry Flagler began to develop the area as a winter resort and playground. In 1888, Flagler built the Alcazar Hotel, which houses the Lightner Museum.
The Lightner Museum, located in historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida features relics of America’s Gilded Age. Costumes, furnishings, mechanical musical instruments and other artifacts provide visitors a glimpse into 19th century daily life.
The thirtieth day of the AYCJ journey last year was spent in Chicago, Illinois. Knowing I only had a few hours left, I started out early to get every last minute. There are so many interesting things to see and do. This fountain was fascinating to watch as it changed.
Rocket Garden at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is full of rockets that took the United States into space and to the moon.
The twenty-ninth day of the AYCJ journey last year was spent in Chicago, Illinois. I met up with a couple of other jetters in Chicago, and we went up to the top of the Hancock building for drinks. As the sun set, the city looked amazing.
The twenty-eighth day of the AYCJ journey last year in Raleigh, North Carolina. I stopped in at Replacements, Ltd. and learned how they collect and organize all types of glassware and silverware, not to mention other stuff.
The twenty-seventh day of the AYCJ journey last year was spent in Ashville, North Carolina. I visited the Biltmore Estate which was huge.
