Last weekend, my family and I took a daytrip to St. Augustine, Florida, as the weather cooled and the sun shined. We had been nervous to see the city following the hurricane, as we heard news about flooding a few weeks ago that took over many of the historic streets. Once we arrived, however, it soon became clear the storm left no traces, and the flooding had vanished.

My family has always loved history, so we try to venture to some old sites in the city each time we visit … which isn’t hard to do when in the oldest city in America. Our first stop was to Mission Nombre de Dios. Founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez, the mission is the oldest extant mission in the continental United States. The oldest shrine in the region, the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, can also be found on the mission grounds.

Free to enter, the grounds feature a small museum with artifacts and information about the history of the mission; a great, 208-foot-tall cross outside the museum; an old cemetery; and, of course, the national shrine. Within the museum, you can see the actual wooden coffin where Pedro Menéndez was buried. This coffin hails from Aviles, Spain, and while he remains buried in Spain, his coffin now lies in this small museum for all to see.

After this visit, we headed to the iconic St. George Street. About halfway down the street lies Avero House, an 18th-century building once the site of a Minorcan Chapel. The building now houses the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, dedicated to the first colony of Greek people in America in 1768. Also free to enter, the shrine features St. Photios Chapel, a small space with ornate designs, Byzantine iconography and relics of 19 saints of the Early Church. Stepping into the chapel also surrounds you with the singing voices of religious songs. The shrine also includes a room delving into the history of the Greek people in St. Augustine over the years.

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At the bottom of St. George Street, at the intersection of another street, lies Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. A U.S. National Historic Landmark, the church was built in the late 18th century, with Spanish mission and Neoclassical styles as the dominant architecture. Within, sky-high ceilings, ornate wooden beams, arched stained-glass windows and sleek floors stop all in their tracks upon first entering. The church features a separate space for more intimate prayers; and along the main corridor, designated spaces for different saints allow visitors to pay their respects. This cathedral fills with people each Christmas Eve and Day.

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— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor