St. Augustine Summer Recommendations

st augustine summer
St augustine summer – cedar house inn

Have you been reading about the Trip Advisor #1 Bed & Breakfast in the USA and ready to make plans to stay at Cedar House Inn? Great! I’d love to have a look at the beautiful city of St. Augustine through your eyes.

Our repeat guests have always been my best resource for ideas on fantastic things to do when in town.  Suggestions abound for locations within walking distance where you can enjoy a delicious and innovative meal, visit one of our distinctive art galleries or historic attractions, and partake in a once in a lifetime experience like zip lining over alligators!

The “Guest Favorites” links listed below represent why so many visitors continue to make their way to the beautiful City of St Augustine again and again. Some are well known, and some are hidden gems, but all have been endorsed by Cedar House visitors and will make for the perfect additions to your “To Do” list this summer.

Guest favorites for food & drink: Collage Restaurant — Preserved Restaurant — The Bunnery Cafe — The Ice Plant Restaurant — The Floridian — Prohibition Kitchen — Café Alcazar — Gaufre’s & Goods

Guest Favorites for Places To See/Things To Do: Summer Concerts in The Plaza — Alligator Farm Zoological Park — The St Augustine Distillery — Castillo de San Marcos — Old Town Trolley Tours — Eco Tours — The Lightner Museum — Anastasia State Park — Concerts at St. Augustine Amphitheater

Have you found a hidden gem in St. Augustine that you’d recommend to St. Augustine visitors? I’d love to hear about it. Drop an email: info@cedarhouseinn.com.

Come see me soon!

Cyndi.

Cedar House Garden: It’s a Spring Thing

With Spring in full bloom and the addition of the fresh herb and vegetable garden at the inn,  it’s time to get creative!  In the next few weeks we will experience a micro harvest of pepper varietals, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and greens. That bounty will inspire new breakfast dishes for my favorite guests…

This week we introduced a new “Farmhouse Strata” featuring homemade parsley/basil pesto straight out of the garden, topped with heirloom cherry tomatoes, smoked paprika, Dijon béchamel, and a prosciutto crisp!  We will post the recipe, but better yet come visit and I’ll make it for you!

Cedar House Garden of Eatin vegetable beds
Cedar House Garden of Eatin vegetable beds

Travel to St. Augustine soon! [video]

 

Traveling to St. Augustine may not be at the top of your dream vacation destinations, but it should probably be higher up on that list.

It’s a really easy getaway and if you’re a fan of history, architecture, beaches, food & genuinely nice people, you’ll really enjoy yourself. Please visit our reservations page to start your planning and make sure you’re enjoying the very best accommodations while you’re here.

We have plenty of other suggestions for things to see & do while you’re here. Click here to see more!

Garden Sanctuary Thrives Year Round

Cedar House Inn Garden
Our St Augustine Garden Sanctuary Thrives Year Round

Unlike much of the country, we don’t need to put our gardens “to bed for the winter.” In st. Augustine, it’s a great time to tend to our flowers and we take full advantage of shorter days, less intense sunlight and fewer insects and diseases around to attack plants. This allows cool weather seedlings and transplants the luxury of growing slow and strong to maturity. Our beautiful city offers a unique year-round climate that provides most flora (plant life) with what they need, warm sunshine and life giving rainfall.

When you arrive at Cedar House Inn, our plants offer a welcoming respite, a resting place… reminding you of the complexity and continuity of life. They bring comfort with childhood memories of time spent with nature. Our herb garden provides life giving edibles we share as a part of your hand crafted breakfast.

The wonderful colors and patterns that transform with the seasons provide an ever changing masterpiece to be enjoyed from the front porch of The Inn. However, as with the uninvited visitor Hurricane Matthew, the seasons can also provide challenges for plant life to which some may succumb.  Fear not; they are often replaced by an even stronger survivor, Keeping Calm and Carrying On!

We invite you to join us in 2017. You might spend your days and/or nights exploring this amazing ancient city and all its wonders & history and, at the end of your travels, commandeer a rocking chair on our front porch with a cup of coffee or a sip of port and commune with nature’s glory. You might also decide that the focus of your day should be devoted to the relaxing respite of that very same rocking chair skip the tourism part. You’re always welcome to enjoy the Cedar House Inn at the pace that suits you.

Cedar House Inn Garden
Cedar House Inn Garden

A New Wedding Tradition at Cedar House

Cedar House Wedlock
Cedar House Wedlock on our garden bench

Richard and Tonya, joined by their family and friends, recently celebrated a joyous wedding day at the inn. To fortify their commitment, they locked their life together forever, placing a commemorative padlock on the sweetheart bench in our garden.

To acknowledge Richard and Tonya’s love (along with the other 500+ weddings that have taken place at the inn) each returning Cedar House couple and new Bride and Grooms To Be will receive a beautiful brass “WedLock” to seal the deal with our compliments when celebrating at Cedar House!

Come be a part of our new tradition and enjoy the Romance and History of St Augustine!

With love,

Cyndi

Keeping fit in St. Augustine

Anastasia Fitness St Augustine
Anastasia Fitness St Augustine

Just in case exploring the Ancient City doesn’t help you achieve your target heart-rate, we have neighbors that will welcome you to work up a sweat. Anastasia Fitness is an outstanding member of the St. Augustine business community and they’re just great people.  They don’t call their facility a gym, rather a health club that uses fitness, relationships and camaraderie to connect you to our community and inspire you to succeed in every aspect of your life.

 

Heart Broken But Spirit Strong!

St Augustine
Castillo de San Marcos Sunset St Augustine

I am currently without power, internet, and cable, but I wanted to offer a post-Matthew update because I received so many notes of concern & support the last few days.
Cedar House Inn is a tough old broad! She lost one A/C unit, a shutter, and needs some debris clean-up but survived the storm surge and wind without a scratch. Something to be said for the contractors of 1893!

What was reported on the news was accurate and pretty scary, with water our worst enemy. Residents and visitors did, by in large, heed the mandatory evacuation. As a result, loss of life was not a factor. And while there was damage, what doesn’t seem to be as thoroughly reported is the astounding bounce back that is occurring in St Augustine, almost overnight. There is work to be done sure, but our beloved city, that has stood the test of time for over 450 years, will continue to do so despite our unwelcomed guest Matthew and any others that dare darken our door!

My friends and colleagues in town are reporting that many restaurants are planning to open mid-week, attractions have similar plans, with others businesses right behind. Today the sun is shining, the sky perfectly blue, and the locals very grateful that St Augustine will be open for business very, very soon.

On a personal note, I can’t begin to describe how overwhelmed I am with the outpouring of prayers and support from my precious guests, friends, and Cedar House family. I wish that I could respond to each of you but until then please know that I love you all and I promise that it is because of you I will muscle through…Hurry Back, I could use a hug!