Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Overview

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, managed by the National Park Service, preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, the fort interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections. The Castillo stands at the northern edge of downtown St. Augustine. Castillo de San Marcos is one of two National Park Service sites in St. Augustine; the other is Fort Matanzas National Monument.

The Fort

Visitors enter the Castillo by crossing a dry moat over a drawbridge, historically the only way into the fort. Its walls are built of coquina stone, and the gun deck displays iron and bronze cannon and mortars from the period. In the water battery on the east side of the fort, a furnace was used to heat cannonballs red-hot to be fired at wooden vessels. Because the fort is three centuries old, the National Park Service continues to assess and remove barriers to accessibility while preserving the historic structure.

Visiting the Castillo

The Castillo is open seven days a week, except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Cannon firing demonstrations are scheduled five times a day every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Visitation is lowest from mid-September through mid-November and highest around holidays, during school breaks, and on weekends, when a busy Saturday averages 3,500 visitors. During thunderstorms, the gun deck closes to visitors, while the lower interior rooms remain open.

Accessibility

The fort's lower level, including the fort rooms, theater, bookstore, and restrooms, is wheelchair accessible, while the gun deck can be reached only by stairs; a virtual tour of the gun deck is available online. The Castillo holds the Certified Autism Center designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) and publishes sensory guides for the main level, the second level, and cannon firing demonstrations.