I don't know if this is supposed to be a free attraction but I purchased a ticket for less than seven dollars on a tourism attraction app and when I went to trade it in at the ticket booth in front of the Old Jail the lady didn't even check the barcode and just told me where to go.
So you walk through the souvenir store and turn to the right and just before you reach the bathrooms is the Saint Augustine History Museum. I would say if you pay more than $10 dollars to view this museum, then you've been had!
It is a very small museum may be less than 500-750 feet in total. There is a lot of history crammed in such a small space and it is clearly defined between the different periods of Florida history. It was like the Cliff Notes version of Florida history. I did like that they briefly talked about the history of the indigenous peoples of the area. Unfortunately, the museum makes it more like Florida was waiting to be "Discovered" when they were already people here.
There were no references to any other sort of people of color though. To sum the museum up, it was basically a small section on indigenous peoples, the fort/military occupation period, Settlers/Pioneers, and then what happened after the railroad was built. This museum is a one-and-done kind of deal and honestly, you can get all this information just by walking around historic St. Augustine for free or downloading a free walking tour. read more