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Back to Crescent Beach

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Crescent Beach

Give Crescent Beach 1–2 nights if you want a quiet beach base 15 min south of St. Augustine; skip it if you want a walkable town centre.

Crescent Beach is a small unincorporated beach community on Anastasia Island in St. Johns County, on Florida's First Coast. It sits between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, with St. Augustine about 15 minutes north and Fort Matanzas and Matanzas Inlet about 10 minutes south. There is no town centre: you come for the sand, the condos and the seafood, not for sightseeing. Most visitors use it as a quieter, cheaper base for St. Augustine.

New YorkAberdeenAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsAdaAdamsAdamsAddisonAdrianAftonAgoura HillsAkronCrescent Beach500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United States
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Avoid
Jun–Oct (hurricane season, hot and humid)
Stay
1–2 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend
Budget $90–150 excl. bed · Mid $150–260 excl. bed · High $260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911 · St. Johns County Sheriff (non-emergency) 904-824-8304 · Fort Matanzas National Monument 904-471-0116
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping
Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water
Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets
Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Coffee$3–6
Seafood platter or fried shrimp basket$18–32
Beer at a bar$6–9
Groceries for a self-catering day, per person$15–25
Fort Matanzas National Monument admission and ferryFree
Beach parkingFree at most FL-A1A access points

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

JAX · Jacksonville International
About 1 h 15 min by car via I-95 and FL-A1A; the usual arrival airport.
DAB · Daytona Beach International
About 1 h 15 min south via I-95 and FL-A1A; smaller, fewer routes.
MCO · Orlando International
About 2 h 15 min by car; use it for cheaper or more frequent flights.

Typical fares

JAX airport → Crescent Beach by car
about 1 h 15 min, roughly $60–90 by rideshare (check)
Crescent Beach → St. Augustine historic district
about 15 min by car; no direct bus (check)
Rental car, per day
$45–120 depending on season and size (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

A car is effectively required: FL-A1A is the only through road, there is no grid of side streets, and the nearest grocery and pharmacy are a drive away. Parking at the beach access points is free but fills on summer weekends and holidays. St. Augustine is about 15 min north on FL-A1A; Fort Matanzas about 10 min south. Rideshare exists but waits can be long outside the centre.

See and do

Known for

  • Beach access off FL-A1A
  • Fort Matanzas National Monument
  • Matanzas Inlet
  • Seafood restaurants on A1A

Day trips

WhereHowTime
St. AugustineDrive north on FL-A1A, about 15 minAbout 20 min
Fort Matanzas National MonumentDrive south on FL-A1A to the visitor centre, then the free ferryAbout 20 min plus ferry wait
JacksonvilleI-95 north, about 45 minAbout 1 h
Palm Coast and Hammock BeachFL-A1A south then Palm Coast Pkwy, about 30 minAbout 40 min
Amelia IslandI-95 north to Fernandina Beach, about 1 h 15 minAbout 1.5 h

Sleep

FL-A1A beachfront (Cubbedge Rd area)
Condo and suite rentals with direct beach access; the main cluster of nightly rentals.
FL-A1A at the Intracoastal side
Cottages and small resorts facing the waterway, with boat launches; quieter, no surf noise.
South toward Fort Matanzas
Fewer rentals, closer to the inlet and the national monument; you need a car for everything.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
Where is the beach access?Where is the beach access?
Is there a lifeguard today?Is there a lifeguard today?
How far is St. Augustine?How far is St. Augustine?
Can I pay by card?Can I pay by card?
Is the ferry running?Is the ferry running?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
  • Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
  • Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
  • Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
  • Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

  • Hurricane season runs Jun–Oct: storms can close the beach, causeways and bridges with little notice.
  • Swim near lifeguarded access only; rip currents are common on this stretch of coast.
  • Addresses say "St. Augustine" even though the town is outside the city limits — check the ZIP and street number before booking.
  • Summer heat and humidity are severe midday; plan beach time for morning and late afternoon.
  • Some condos are owner-occupied and not rented nightly: confirm a nightly rental before you plan around it.

A low-crime beach community; the real risks are rip currents, summer heat and storms between June and October. Check the surf forecast and flags before you swim, and keep a storm plan in hurricane season.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Crescent Beach yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Beach access off FL-A1A
  • Fort Matanzas National Monument
  • Matanzas Inlet
  • Seafood restaurants on A1A

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Crescent Beach

To this address, please

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

No consulates here; nearest consulates-general are in Miami and Atlanta, embassies in Washington, DC.

Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/crescent-beach). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.