Day 8 – Fort Matanzas and St. Augustine Beach We slept in a little today because we were really tired and our beds were really comfy. Sleeping teen View from our window. The beach is out yonder. Our Hotel - The St. Augustine Island Inn We finally did wake and decided we would visit Fort Matanzas . This is a smaller fort on the Matanzas River. It was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard the Matanzas inlet, the southern part of the river and the rear entrance to St. Augustine. The fort is run by the parks services and is only accessible via a ferry. It is free to visit the fort but you have to get a ferry pass and they go quickly. There is a visitor’s center with a short movie, models and maps. There is also a nature trail. The area is beautiful. We got our boarding passes and explored the visitor’s center and the grounds. Visitors center Ready to watch the movie The Movie ...