By Patrick Connolly Tribune News Service
Long before Florida became the country’s 27th state, the Timucua people and Spanish explorers inhabited St. Augustine, specifically the site of what’s likely the Sunshine State’s oldest attraction.
The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park contains centuries of history on its 15 acres and sign-ins from visitors dating back to 1868. It’s a place where “legend meets history,” as one historian wrote, and modern-day visitors can drink from the same spring that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon likely did.
It’d be wrong to classify the St. Augustine stop as merely a theme park, an attraction or a historical site. It’s more of an “edutainment” experience with interactive history and an archaeological site where significant artifacts have been unearthed over the years.