St Augustine Amphitheatre

Just saw a concert last week at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.  I'd been to the amphitheatre many times for the excellent Old City Farmers Market that takes place every Saturday morning in the parking lot, but this was my first time attending an event at the venue.  I went with a few friends and we brought a grill and a cooler full of beer so we could tailgate in the parking lot before the show.  We arrived at 5:30 for a 7:00 show and were pretty much the only people in the parking lot at the time.  It started to liven up a bit as the show neared, but there wasn't much of a tailgating scene until right before 7:00pm.  Even then, it wasn't as crowded or crazy as some other pre-concert parking lot extravaganzas I've participated in, so I wouldn't worry about trying to come really early for a show as you're pretty much guaranteed parking in the amphitheatre's lot.  One note: the porta john near our car was filthy and absolutely disgusting.  Plus it was out of TP.  So, bring your own, or even better, hold it until you get inside, where the bathrooms are clean and paper-equipped!

The venue is perfect for concerts - big, but not huge, with a good view of the stage from every seat.  Our tickets were for seats on the outer perimeter of the bleacher section.  Since the venue was only about 2/3 full, we moved to a more central location about halfway through the concert; the view was awesome from those seats.  It rained towards the end, but the amphitheatre is covered so we didn't get soaked.  You might feel a sprinkle or two if it rains and you're seated on the outer edges, though.

Concessions are very basic, so I was glad we grilled up our own massive burgers before the show.  I'd recommend you do the same, or have dinner at one of the many restaurants nearby.  They do sell beer but I didn't purchase any so I'm not sure how much it cost.  The amphitheatre also shows family-friendly movies and hosts a Winter Wonderland around Christmas - complete with an ice-skating rink and SNOW!  In Florida!  Any venue that can pull that off MUST be awesome!