Fort Matanzas

Fort Matanzas is located in Saint Augustine, Florida, first built by the Spanish in 1740, and situated on land near the Matanzas Inlet. This is the southern entrance of the Matanzas River and is also used as a back entrance to the main city.

Its imposing structure runs fifty feet in length along the walls and has a thirty foot tower. Built on marshy type terrain, it was stabilized by pilings of pine and constructed out of a shell-stone material called coquina. Armed with four 6-pounder guns and a large 18 pound gun, it guarded the inlet that was, during its heyday, just about ½ a mile in the distance.

Granted monument status in 1924, the fort can only be reached via guided touring boats, staffed by a knowledgeable boat captain or an interpretive type of guide. Once on the barrier island, visitors can find well established hiking trails for scenic walks about the park. For a little added excitement, a re-enactor is at the fort most days of the week. Visitors can also drop into the visitor centre and, upon request, view a brief ,but informative eight-minute video that provides a little more of the fort's history and the area's natural history.

Visitors can sit on benches where from the fort there is a relaxing and wonderful view. Access to Fort Matanzas can only be done via ferry.