This Weekend in St. Augustine

Chocolate and Wine Pairing

Join Whetstone Chocolates, St. Augustine’s original chocolate family, every Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. for a 1-1/2 hour chocolate and wine pairing event. Learn the similarities of growing and harvesting grapes and chocolate. Taste four different wines as each is paired with a unique chocolate piece. Experience the difference in flavor profiles with each wind and bite of chocolate. Must be 21 years or older to participate. Adults are $25 per person and includes a sample box of chocolate to take home. Reservations are required and can be made by calling . Pairing event takes place at Whetstone Chocolates, 13 Anastasia Blvd.

Frday, Saturday and Sunday: January 13 – 15

Chocolate Tours

Go on a chocolate tasting tour presented by Whetstone Chocolates, St. Augustine’s original chocolate family. Find out about the history and making of chocolate, the Whetstone story and then walk through the factory. The 4-tiered tasting matches varying flavors of dark, milk and white chocolate. Tours are guided and last 55 minutes. All ages are welcome. Adults are $8.00, children age 5-17 are $5.50, and children 4 and under are free. Tour times Sunday through Friday, 11a.m., 1p.m., 2:15 p.m.; 3:30 p.m.; Saturday tours start at 10 a.m. and run approximately every half hour with the last tour at 4 p.m. Tour starts at Whetstone Chocolate 139 King Street.   Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling .

Saturday and Sunday: January 14,15

Fee Free Days at Castillo de San Marcos

In Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr Weekend, admission to the Castillo de San Marcos is free on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.. Built by the Spanish military between 1672 and 1692, the Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fortification in the U.S. Friday through Saturday visitors can experience living history during Spanish Military cannon firings. The Castillo de San Marcos is located on Avenida Menendez, overlooking Matanzas Bay in historic St. Augustine.  www.NPS.gov/casa

 

Eco-Explorer Excursion

Join St. Augustine Eco-Tours for a one-of-a-kind adventure aboard a stable 6-passenger vessel. Start 2012 with wildlife sightings and great natural history information provided by professional guides. These afternoon trips are perfect catching a little mid-day sun. $35 per passenger. Call  for reservations. www.staugustineecotours.com

 

Nature Movies at GTM Reserve

Every Saturday and Sunday in January the GTM Reserve features the nature movie “Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures”. Peabody and Emmy Award-winning Jean-Michel Cousteau and his acclaimed diving teams as they explore a thrilling array of natural phenomena, investigate little known territories and ecosystems hundreds of feet beneath the ocean’s surface, and come face to face with the friendly and ferocious inhabitants of the deep in this film. The GTM Environmental Education Center (EEC)is located at 505 Guana River Road, Ponte Vedra Beach. There is no cost to see the movie.  Tours of the GTM Environmental Educations Center are available before or after the film and the cost is $2 for adults, $1for children age 10 to 17 and children under 10 are free.  For more information, call .

Saturday: January 14

The Maritime World of Ponce de Leon

Get a close-up look a the daily life of Spanish mariners sailing the Caribbean in the 16^th century when Florida Living History presents The Maritime World of Juan Ponce de Leon.  Developed in partnership with the First Light Maritime Society, the presentation will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum in St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest, continually occupied European settlement and port in the continental United States.  Throughout the day, re-enactors will show how Spanish mariners lived and worked – with special emphasis on Ponce de Leon’s fleet that discovered Florida in 1513.  The navigation tools used to find their way will be demonstrated.  Admission is free.  For more information, go to www.floridalivinghistory.org or call the Lighthouse at.

 

A Day in the Colonial Market

Step back in time and browse the wares of artisans who will be demonstrating and selling colonial crafts at the Colonial Spanish Quarter, 29 St. George Street in St. Augustine. There will also be a petting zoo, lots of food and music and theatre troupes recreating life in an18th century colonial Spanish market. The event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free with a suggested donation of $1 per person. 

Changing of the Guard

Witness twilight time in colonial St. Augustine as soldiers guarding the town are dismissed for the night, and their replacements arrive to take over guarding Government House. The commander of the new watch puts the replacement soldiers through a rigorous drill before they take over their posts. The retiring soldiers are ordered to clear their weapons with the command of “Disparen!” The resounding blast of musket fire assures 18th century St. Augustine that the changing of the guard has taken place and the town is safe for the night. This traditional Spanish military parade travels along St. George Street from City Gates at 5:30 p.m. The changing of the guard takes place at 6 p.m. in front of St. Augustine’s Government House in the Plaza de la Constitucion. The event is free. For more information, call .

 

Limelight Theatre 20th Anniversary Celebration

Enjoy twenty songs from twenty seasons celebrating 20 years of great theatrical performances at Limelight Theatre in St. Augustine. This dazzling performance features cast members and musicians form previous Limelight productions and guest artist appearances form First Coast Opera, St. Augustine Community Chorus and the St. Johns County Center for the Arts. The celebration takes place at Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada Street in St. Augustine. Tickets are $40 each.www.limelight-theatre.org.

Sunday: January 15

EMMA Concert Series:  America’s Dream Chamber

Experience America’s Dream Chamber Artists musical performance that is changing the face of chamber music, bringing about a resurgence of the great chamber music masterworks with renewed and energized freedom and expression, making it approachable and enjoyable to all audiences. The concert takes place at 2 p.m. at the Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada Street in St. Augustine. Tickets are $30 per person. For more information, visit www.EmmaConcerts.com or call .