One of the most popular stops on any St. Augustine tour is Magnolia Avenue, a residential street tucked away in the northeastern corner of the city. While there are a couple of attractions and businesses on Magnolia Ave, the street is most well-known for its distinctive oak tree canopy, making it one of the most beautiful roads in the US. Although it’s hidden away in a residential corner of St. Augustine, Magnolia Ave is only a few minutes away from the city center and can easily be reached on foot.
Both sides of Magnolia Avenue are lined with 100-year-old oak trees, carefully arranged so their branches form a canopy above the road itself. Drawn to the nutrients in the trees’ bark, Spanish moss hangs from the branches, giving the street an almost otherworldly vibe. The canopy also helps protect residents from the oppressive heat of the Florida sun, covering the street with comfortable shade.
While Magnolia Ave is a quiet, residential street, we do recommend stopping at the Cuban Coffee cafe to enjoy a drink outside under the shade. Along the eastern side of the street is the Fountain of Youth, an archaeological park that features artifacts and reconstructed buildings dating back to the area’s early Spanish settlers as well as its native people. The name “Fountain of Youth” is a reference to the local legend that St. Augustine was the original landing place of famed explorer Ponce de León, who landed in Florida in 1513 while looking for the mythical Fountain of Youth. While de León never did achieve immortality, he has gone down in history as the first European to explore the Florida peninsula. Ponce de León was the one who gave the peninsula its name, dubbing it “la Florida,” or “the flowery place” – a moniker certainly appropriate for Magnolia Avenue.
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