A 1,600-acre state park on Anastasia Island, across the Bridge of Lions from the old city, with four miles of undeveloped Atlantic beach that rank among the finest in northeast Florida. The park has a good campground, canoe and kayak rentals on the salt-marsh lagoon, and an ancient coquina quarry where much of the stone used to build the Castillo de San Marcos was cut. You can still see where Spanish workers pried the compressed-shell limestone from the earth in rough blocks.
The beach draws far fewer crowds than the developed stretches further north on the island. The intact dune system gives it a wilder feel than most of coastal Florida. Dolphins appear regularly offshore, and the lagoon side is excellent for birding — wading birds and herons work the tidal flats, and in spring and autumn migrating shorebirds pack the mud. Camping is a good option here if you want to base yourself near the ocean. The park is a ten-minute drive from the old city.