ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – It's an event that is expected to draw thousands to the nation's oldest city: The 450th anniversary celebration in St Augustine is less than a month away but, there are more hotel rooms still available than were expected.
Many hotels in the area still have rooms available for two of the main nights: Sept. 4-5.
Organizers of the celebration say despite the lower hotel numbers than were anticipated at this point, they still expect a huge turnout. The multi-day celebration will cover much of the downtown area drawing visitors from all over the region.
"We want to be careful about measuring the success of this event for the success of the overall impact, based on the number of rooms that are sold. We want that to happen. And I think as we get closer to the event, we are going to see an uptick," said Dana Ste. Claire, director of the 450th Commission.
She said that many of the visitors the city normally attracts are people who arrive in the morning and leave at night, with this event being no different.
While many of the hotels expected to have more rooms booked by now, many are still sticking with the rates and requirements that they planned on using. The availability of rooms will now be a part of bringing in more visitors as it gets closer.
"This event belongs to all of us. Saint Augustine belongs to everybody and that's the kind of message that we want people to understand. There's an opportunity to come down," said Richard Goldman, president Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau.
For people that will be driving, the parking plan has been outlined. The parking garage on West Castillo Drive will be used, as will Francis Field next to it. That will provide enough room for about 400 extra cars. The plan was tested this year on the 4th of July.
"This was the first year that we actually use the field. We did that knowing that the 450th was coming up and we did that beautifully," sadi Mark Samson, of the St. Augustine Police Department.
If you plan to go to the celebration, News4Jax is here to help Download our free "Explorers Guide to St. Augustine" app on your smartphone. You will find everything from an events calendar to the nearest parking lot in your area, where to eat and where to stay. Just search "St. Augustine 450" in your app store.