Experts' Choice Award Fort Matanzas National Monument
What the experts agree on
This 1740s Spanish fort built from coquina sits dramatically isolated along the Matanzas River, offering atmospheric views of salt marshes and a tangible sense of colonial frontier life just 15 miles from town.
“Although it's only 15 miles from town, the fort feels eerily remote, and it takes little imagination to picture the demanding lives of the soldiers sent here to protect the young colony.”
– Fodor's
Afar Magazine "This 1742 Spanish fort sits along the Matanzas River and 100 acres of salt marsh." Full review
Where "Built in the 1740s, the fort once protected the islands from pirates and British vessels." Full review
Atlas Obscura "An 18th-century Spanish watchtower made entirely of seashell and concrete. " Full review
Lonely Planet "You'll need to take a ferry to reach the Fort Matanzas National Monument, a stone fort that the Spanish erected on a small island in 1742 to protect St Augustine from British attacks. The..."
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