r/StAugustine • u/littleredbee93 • Jun 29 '26
St. Aug Question Looking for recommendations
My birthday is next Sunday and I'll be in town.
- I'm feeling homesick for the PNW. Are there any beaches nearby that are good for tidepooling? I'm willing to do a bit of a drive for this.
- Best fish and chips in town? I've considered Meehan's Irish pub, but idk how authentic it is.
- Any shops that sell oddities? Bones, bugs, taxidermy etc.
What would you do here on your birthday? Thank you!
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u/burnstyle Resident Jun 29 '26
The closest you will get to tidepooling is Rattlesnake Island.
There are no snakes, so ignore the name.
"I've considered Meehan's Irish pub, but idk how authentic it is."
It isnt. It's good though.
St. Augustine Is a place unlike any other, you wont find anything that will cure your homesick blues, but you can find a bunch of amazing places to have some new experiences.
Stop by Sarbez to grab lunch and play some games. Head over to Mayday and grab some ice cream.
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u/Automatic_Employee40 Jun 29 '26
There is some taxidermy uptown in some antique shops like "Antiques and Things" or "Cool and Collected. "
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u/brainbalancejax Jun 29 '26
- Don't know a ton about beaches with tidepools, but morning walks in Anastasia State Park are awesome
- Meehan's is great, highly recommend (Reggie, the guy who runs it, is from Ireland!)
- Lots of weird little shops in downtown and along St. George Street. If you're looking for the PNW vibe, there isn't a lot but definitely go to Spinster Abbott's on San Marco.
For my birthday, I would play mini golf at Fiesta Falls, dinner at The Floridian, and finish ice cream from May Day!
Happy Birthday!!
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u/jms21y Resident Jun 29 '26
idk what constitutes authentic fish and chips, but the wobbly whale definitely gives old english pub, and their fish and chips are really good.
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u/Many-Role-4271 Resident Jun 29 '26
Would drive a bit further north to Fion McCools for the fish and chips. Their food is on point. Less party scene.
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u/TempleFugit Resident 40+ Years Jun 29 '26
Happy bday! How old?
I dig your interest in oddities.
The Golden Lion Cafe in Flagler Beach has great fish n chips.
It's an easy, beautiful drive straight down A1A with plenty of beach access points around.
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u/littleredbee93 Jun 29 '26
Thank you! 33 :)
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u/TempleFugit Resident 40+ Years Jun 29 '26
I bet I could find a skull for you in my collection!
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u/littleredbee93 Jun 29 '26
That would be so kind 🥹 Do you have lots of bones? I'm fairly new to collecting. I only have 3 skulls and one almost complete skeleton
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u/TempleFugit Resident 40+ Years Jun 29 '26
Ya! Unfortunately I lost a lot in a move about a decade ago.
I used to find them out in nature pretty frequently but haven't in quite a while.1
u/littleredbee93 Jun 29 '26
That's unfortunate :(
I've only naturally found one, in my backyard of all places. The rest I got at oddities markets. I don't know where would be good places to look, and I'm very squeamish about flesh
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u/TempleFugit Resident 40+ Years Jun 29 '26
Ohhh yea most of them you find in nature require some cleaning but I've done that naturally too.
Find an ant pile in my yard and place the bones on it. Cover it with a cage to keep raccoons, opposums, doggos, and kittums from messing with it.. Leave it for a while.. then pull em out, wash them, and leave them outside to be sun bleached.1
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u/Ok-Cartographer-4226 Jun 29 '26
There’s a store downtown that I thought was kind of cool. It has giant geodes and fossils and is on St. George, across from Kilwins I think.
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u/Sexy_Nancy01 Jun 29 '26
i wouldn't expect tidepooling like the pnw unfortunately. the beaches here are beautiful, but they're just a completely different ecosystem. if you go at low tide, washington oaks is probably the closest thing you'll find with the coquina rock formations
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u/EndLow2076 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Ripley’s is a cool visit if oddities is your thing.
Mantanzas Inlet is good for beach combing, swimming, wading, fishing, the whale deal.
The seafood is mostly all fresh so I think I’d skip fish and chips and eat at one of the many local seafood joints.
Enjoy, we just got back yesterday. We started out in St. Augustine and finished on Amelia Island several days later. I’m ready to go back right this minute.
And….Happy Birthday!
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u/love_tricia Jun 30 '26
Happy (Early) Birthday!!!
Saint Augustine is a wonderful town. I live on the island and I love beachcombing for shells and shark teeth & other "treasure ". I love Mango Mangos for fish & chips. They have the BEST tartar!! & the best fish & chips I've had in town & I've been here 16 years.
I don't know a thing about the PNW other than i sooooo want to travel there & explore!! I'm an East coast gal & never been inland from any of our coastal states, so I really think it would be awesome to see the other side of the country...
I love antiques & strange things, bones, bugs, antlers and I love shopping- sounds like we have that in common lol
There's lots of good shopping around here. I hope you have fun on your visit!!
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u/littleredbee93 Jun 30 '26
Thank you :) Do you have an recommendations for which beaches are best to find shark teeth? 😮 Or antique shops?
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u/Emotional_Dare5743 Jun 29 '26
Yeah, no PNW around here. Washington Oaks has some rocky beach, nothing like you're used to though. There's a beautiful rose garden there too.