Fort Mose Historic State Park

About this adventure

A 40-acre waterfront historic site north of downtown St. Augustine marking Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what became the United States. Nothing of the original earth-and-wood fort survives, but families can tour a recreation of the fort, visit the interactive museum that tells the settlement's story, and walk the self-guided Flight to Freedom Trail, a woodland path with interpretive panels set in 1738 that follows how men, women and children risked their lives for freedom. An observation boardwalk over the marsh is good for spotting great blue herons, bald eagles and white ibis; there are picnic areas and a kayak launch.