Experience Black History Month in St. Augustine

Throughout 2015, St. Augustine, Fla will celebrate its 450 year history. Strolling the streets of St. Augustine, one's footsteps follow a trail to freedom forged by many different cultures, including African Americans, which makes this a great city to explore during Black History Month. And, with special lodging rates ranging from $63 to $399 per night, experiencing Black History Month on Florida's Historic Coast is an affordable February getaway.

St. Augustine began in 1565 as a Spanish settlement where Europeans and Africans lived alongside the native Timucuan Indians. Later, British, Minorcan and Greeks would become part of the St. Augustine cultural fabric.

During Black History month, St. Augustine's African America heritage will be commemorated through tours, special exhibits and historic reenactments.

On Saturday, February 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fort Mose Historic Sate Park will host the annualFlight to Freedom reenactment. Visitors to the historic site can experience the freedom trail as they encounter a freedom seeker, a Yamasee in search of freedom, a trapper turned bounty hunter, a Franciscan friar and other historic characters as they find their way to Spanish Florida and freedom.

Garcia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, located on the north side of St. Augustine, was founded in 1738 and is one of the original sites on the southern route of the Underground Railroad and the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what would become the United States. The residents of Mose were former slaves from plantations in the Carolinas and Georgia during British rule. By fleeing to Spanish controlled St. Augustine, they found freedom and land of their own at the northern militia outpost for the city. www.floridastateparks.org/park/fortmose

Want to experience and learn more about St. Augustine's African America History?

Each Saturday throughout the year, St. Augustine Black Heritage Tours Inc. offers a free historic walking tour at 4 p.m. Learn about St. Augustine's historic role in black history and events leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Tours depart from the Tour Saint Augustine office, 4 Granada Street and encompass several blocks over the course of an hour. Space is limited and advance reservations are required. 904-825-0087 www.StAugustineBlackHeritageTours.com

Explore the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum "Honoring the Legacy" exhibit that celebrates African Americans in Golf. This exhibition contains rare photographs, audio, video and memorabilia to highlight the long, rich history of African-Americans in golf starting with pioneers from the late 1800s through today's game. The exhibit features a special tribute to the late Charlie Sifford, the first African American to earn a PGA Tour Card, and an original sculpture which celebrates 13 African-American golf legends and represents an historic timeline of African-Americans in golf. For more about this special exhibit visit www.WorldGoflHallofFame.org

A self-guided audio tour produced by The ACCORD Freedom Trail Project consists of 31 historic markers located at various sites significant to the St. Augustine Civil Rights movement. This cell phone audio tour is available by calling 904-335-3002. Learn more at www.accordfreedomtrail.org

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During February, a locally-produced documentary about St. Augustine's African history will air in select markets throughout the country. Journey: 450 Years of The African American Experience is about St. Augustine's little known true story of the first African Americans to reach the new world. This 30-minute program tells the story of the earliest African settlers who arrived in St. Augustine in 1565 not as slaves but as free men working as engineers, farmers, and interpreters helping 16th century Spaniards establish St. Augustine. The story also enlightens audiences about what happened over the next 400 years to the people of Fort Mose, and later the city's Lincolnville neighborhood - and events that would culminate in a violent crescendo that helped push the stalled Civil Rights Bill into law. Check local listings for air times or view the trailer here.

Can't make it to St. Augustine but you're still interested in the city's unique African history? Simply go online to the Civil Rights Library of St. Augustine www.civilrightslibrary.com. The Civil Rights Library of St. Augustine preserves, and makes available to the public, historical material documenting St. Augustine's local race relations during the 1960s. In a collaboration between Flagler College faculty and students, the Andrew Young Foundation, and members of the community, the library features collected oral histories, interviews, documents, and photographs. Begun in 2012, the project continues to collect and interpret these materials.

Black History Month originally began in 1926 as a week-long observance during the second week in February. This week was selected because it is the birthday week of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Douglass, an advocate for the African-American community and friend of Lincoln, had a main role in the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Douglass visited St. Augustine for one day and spoke about the continued struggles of African-Americans. A marker on St. George Street honors his visit to St. Augustine.

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About the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration - St. Augustine is America's first city, established in 1565. It is a city built on discovery, courage and enduring spirit; it is a city built by pioneers, soldiers, artisans and entrepreneurs. Four and a half centuries later, the city and its people continue to symbolize the rich history and cultural diversity that makes St. Augustine unique. In 2014 the City of St. Augustine commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and the area's lengthy African-American history. Welcome to the Nation's Oldest City, and explore our rich history - www.facebook.com/450th, www.twitter.com/StAugustine450 orwww.staugustine-450.com

Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida's Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra and 42 miles of pristine, Atlantic beaches. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the Nation and celebrates its 450th birthday in 2015. To learn more about the city's 450th commemoration visit www.staugustine-450.com For more information on events, activities, holiday getaway and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com, become a fan on Facebook or call 1.800.653.2489.