The Night of Lights in St. Augustine is a tradition for my husband, Bob, and I along with many other St. Augustinians. Every year we look forward to St. Augustine city officials flipping the switch in the Plaza de la Constitucion illuminating the entire city for thousands to enjoy. Millions of tiny white lights fill buildings, parks, gardens, shops, restaurants and more. This year was particularly special because the Bridge of Lions was lit up for the first time in over 5 years!

Bob and I started our evening eating at The Columbia Restaurant, which is a treat in itself! The Original “1905” Salad and the Spanish Bean Soup are our must-haves and what made The Columbia famous in St. Augustine! USA Today calls the Columbia “One of the 10 Great Places to Make a Meal Out of a Salad”. From there, we had to stop in the Tripp Harrison Gallary – one of our favorite local artists. 

When the ceremony was about to begin, we walked over to the end of St. George Street to watch Mayor Joe Boles’ speech. Former School Superintendent Otis Mason and former Mayor Tracy Upchurch led the countdown for the lighting of the tree and then the city. Horse and carriages even dressed the part for the Night of Lights! From there, people seemed to disperse to really enjoy all the city offers during the holidays.

No matter what brings us to historic St. Augustine, we always find our way to the Tini Martini Bar at the Casablanca Inn. Bob and I enjoyed our chocolate and lemon drop martinis with good friends on the gorgeous, crisp November night.

Luckily, if you were not able to come out on November 19th for one of the American Bus Association’s 2011 Top 100 events in North America, you have until January 31st to head downtown and see how beautiful it is for yourself!