History, Culture & the Outdoors

Newest Reviews
7.00 Milwaukee, WI History Museums ratingStar
Harley-Davidson Museum
7.80 Green Bay, WI Walking Tours ratingStar
Lambeau Field Stadium Tours & ...
7.33 Grand Rapi.., MI History Museums ratingStar
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Mu...
8.00 Dearborn, MI History Museums ratingStar
The Henry Ford
6.33 Dickerson, MD Hiking ratingStar
Sugarloaf Mountain

Forts
9.17 Atlantic B.., NC Forts ratingStar
Fort Macon State Park
A fort where 150 stood against 4,000 8.83 Richmond H.., GA Forts ratingStar
Fort McAllister Historic Park
8.67 Dover, TN Forts ratingStar
Fort Donelson National Battl...
8.67 Richmond, VA Forts ratingStar
Drewry's Bluff - Richmond Na...
8.33 Pensacola .., FL Forts ratingStar
Fort Pickens

Featured Review
Ximenez-Fatio House Museum
This Spanish cross from the 1600s was excavated on the grounds and is on display at the museum. 6.50 Florida ratingStar
Ximenez-Fatio House Museum guyonthego

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is a historic house and a small related museum that is representative of the property when it was used as a boarding house in the mid-1800s. The house is shown via a walking tour that incorporates rooms on both the first and second floor as well as a kitchen in a separate building. The modest museum has a half dozen historical panels and a short introduction video. There also were a few historical artifacts.

The house dates from 1798 when it was owned by Andres Ximenez and used as both a residence and a general store. In 1830 Margaret Cook purchased the property and converted it into a boarding house. Additional rooms were added for guests and living quarters for slaves. Over the years the house was owned by several additional owners, but no additional major renovations were made. When a historical society purchased the property in 1939 it had fallen into disrepair. The house was restored to a 1800s appearance and an onsite museum opened shortly thereafter. Several archeological excavations also have taken place here.

The tour was provided by a pleasant and informative older lady. There were only a handful of participants so it was easy to see everything and to be able to ask questions. The tour covers major rooms such as a dining room, several bedrooms, and a parlor area. The house temperature also was comfortable on a cool January day. A primary tour emphasis was the extensive period furniture with a secondary discussion of the women who owned and ran the boarding house. It was moderately interesting overall but will have less appeal for kids. As St. Augustine is chockfull of historical sites and attractions, it’s unlikely you will have time to visit everything that might be of interest. The Ximenez-Fatio House ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack of historical sites here. It provides a reasonably interesting perspective of how a 19th century boarding house looked and operated, and it can be seen well in an hour.
Go to full review
New Write-ups
September 2021
Flag Icon
Flag Icon
Flag Icon
Flag Icon

Flag Icon
Flag Icon
Flag Icon
Flag Icon