Mission Nombre de Dios

In the heart of St. Augustine, but blissfully located just outside of the tourist-trodden historic district, is this beautiful old mission. So old in fact the site is considered to be the spot where the first Catholic mass in North America took place. On the grounds is a tiny, ivy-covered chapel where visitors can go in to pray or light a candle. Moss-covered headstones dotted around the oak- and cedar-canopied cemetery are fascinating, and there are lots of benches just to sit for a quiet moment with views of the bay beyond.