Courtyard of Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida
The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument museum is housed in the various rooms surrounding the courtyard. Rooms contain exhibits on the history of the different occupations (Spanish, British, and American), construction of the fort, artillery, life in the fort, religion at the fort, and preservation of the fort. Exhibits are comprised of both information panels and actual artifacts. No room is packed with exhibits, and some are actually quite sparse. Remember that there are additional museum exhibits near the bookstore, which you pass when first entering the fort. Depending on your level of interest in history, you can quickly step into the various museum rooms and glance at the exhibits, or you can read every word of every information panel. To see and read everything should take no more than 45 minutes.
Sleeping quarters exhibit at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Typical soldier dormitory at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Exhibit room at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
Cannon on display at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
If you are interested in how cannons and muskets are fired and are not visiting on the weekends when the historic weapons demonstrations are held, check out the 25-minute park film. While it includes information about the history of Castillo de San Marcos, most of its run time is dedicated to the firing of cannon and muskets. The film is shown continuously at the park theater located in one of the rooms surrounding the courtyard; the room is well marked with a “Theater” sign outside. The doors are not closed at the start of the film, so you can come and go at any point.
Park movie theater at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
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Last updated on March 25, 2021
