First time visiting St Augustine and my son and I had a great time. We will plan to do it again. I chose to book a VRBO listing and stayed at Beacher's Lodge private beach and activities nearby. We visited around 4th of July so the town was definitely decorated in full patriotic style. Plan some activities ahead but get out and just explore. We enjoyed visiting the lighthouse, taking a dolphin cruise, touring historic sites, relaxing at the beach and dining out. The history here is interesting there's a lot more than what the tour guides share so research for yourself. It's considered the oldest city and historically served as sanctuary as part of the Underground Railroad. Overall the people treated us very well, we shopped small businesses and explored locally. It was a touristy area. There are local events any time of day or night, people were out late. Seemed peaceful overall and had its pockets of diversity with travelers from all over visiting.