Vilano Beach

Vilano's story as a seaside escape reaches back to the late 1800s, when St. Augustine boomed as Henry Flagler's winter resort and his grand Hotel Ponce de Leon drew wealthy travelers south. The barrier island across the inlet became a favorite outing, and the Usina family, for whom the local Aunt Kate's restaurant is named, hosted hotel guests here for oyster roasts and sea bathing under palmetto shelters, reaching the beach by boat before any bridge existed.

That mix of old-Florida hospitality and salt-marsh wildness set the tone early. The island was a place people came to fish, feast on shellfish, and cool off in the Atlantic, and it has stayed a fishing and beachgoing destination ever since, popular for surf casting and pier angling since the early 20th century.

During the Florida land boom of the 1920s, developers platted the island as Vilano Beach and set out to make it a first-class resort. The centerpiece was the Vilano Beach Casino, built in 1926 and 1927 as the cornerstone of the scheme, backed by a New York philanthropist. It was a grand oceanfront pavilion on a broad piece of ground, with a saltwater swimming pool, fine dining, and a ballroom that hosted big-name bands from New York, vaudeville acts, and themed parties. A log bridge over the North River finally let people drive out to it, and Coastal Highway A1A was laid down in 1928.

The dream did not last. The land boom collapsed and the Great Depression drained the money, and then the sea took the rest. Storms in the late 1930s battered the pavilion, and by decade's end the great casino had been washed into the Atlantic, leaving almost nothing behind. A historical marker in town now tells the story of the vanished resort, a reminder that this quiet beach once had grand ambitions.

The Vilano of today is a much humbler and more likeable place. Its best-known landmark is the fishing pier, first built in the 1950s and rebuilt since, with a cheerful mid-century look and a signature dolphin archway at its entrance. It is open all hours and free to walk, a favorite spot to fish, watch the surf, and take in the light. The town center around it has been given a friendly, retro update, with a covered pier pavilion used for markets and festivals.

Small touches give the place its character. A nature boardwalk winds through the wetlands near the river, its railings set with mosaic art of local birds and fish. In the town center stands the Blue Bird of Happiness, a big folk-art sculpture that once advertised a citrus stand in the 1970s and now declares that happiness is Vilano Beach. It is exactly the kind of unpretentious, slightly kitschy charm that the polished parts of the coast have lost.

Vilano Beach lies just over the bridge from downtown St. Augustine, an easy few-minute drive north across the inlet, so it pairs perfectly with a day in the historic city. Come for the beach and stay for the sunset, when the sun drops behind the towers and rooftops of old St. Augustine across the water and turns the whole inlet gold.

Bring what you need for an ocean beach: sun protection, water, and care in the surf, since currents near the inlet can be strong and much of the sand is unguarded. Parking is limited on busy weekends, so arrive early. Whether you come to fish the pier, walk the boardwalk, or just watch the light change over the oldest city in the country, Vilano rewards an unhurried visit.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.