Find Hotels Near Oldest House Museum Complex St Augustine

The Oldest House Museum Complex in Saint Augustine, Florida, is a fascinating place to explore the rich history of the nation's oldest city. This museum complex consists of two buildings - the Gonzalez-Alvarez house and the neighboring 'Gonzalez-Alvarez Kitchen.' Built circa 1723, this unique structure was home to generations of early settlers with African, British and Spanish heritage. It is believed to be the oldest surviving house from Spanish colonial America and has been declared a National Historic Landmark. The complex serves as an archaeological site for researchers studying colonial life in North America over 300 years ago.

Today, visitors can take guided tours of the Oldest House Museum Complex. Tour participants will get to see artifacts recovered during archaeological digs at the site, such as Spanish Colonial coins and pottery fragments. The tour also guides visitors through each room in the house, where they can learn about its former inhabitants' lifestyle and how it has changed over time. Additionally, tourists can learn about regional history by exploring artifacts that tell stories about early explorers, Native Americans and African-Americans who lived in St Augustine during this era.

The adjacent kitchen building is one of only a few structures that remain from original colonial homes built in St Augustine between 1650 and 1800. Visitors will find displays that illustrate how people living at that time cooked on open fires using cast iron pans or clay vessels over hot coals. They will also get an up close look at some 18th century cooking equipment such as tin kettles which were used to prepare food for large gatherings like fiestas or weddings.

This complex provides a unique opportunity for visitors to gain insight into what life was like for those who lived in St Augustine before 1800s when Florida became part of the United States. It is a great way for students to gain knowledge about our nation's past while touring one of the most well preserved historical sites in all of North America. For those interested in learning more about Spanish culture at this time period there are many educational programs offered onsite throughout each year including interactive workshops and lectures led by local scholars and experts on Colonial American history.