Scenic A1A Byway Self Guided Driving Audio Tour
- 2–3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Embark on an unforgettable journey along Florida's A1A Scenic Highway with this self-guided driving tour. You’ll start in Jacksonville Beach and end at Fort Matanzas, just south of Saint Augustine. Along the way, get ready for expansive white sand beaches, historic architecture, and so much more. As you drive, you’ll hear fascinating audio stories about flora, fauna, and Florida’s history, from its days as the Winter Film Capital to a devastating fire that nearly destroyed Saint Augustine. This driving tour of A1A is the best way to make the most of your scenic drive! After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, as many times as you want. This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
Inclusions
What's included
- Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
- Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
- Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
- Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
- Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
- Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
- One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
- Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
- Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
- Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.
What's not
- No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.
Itinerary
It’s dotted with beautiful beaches. The first one we can visit isn’t far: Mickler’s Landing, coming up soon on the left. There’s surfing, seashells, and shark teeth! Note: The tour is over 44 miles long, with more than 38 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Why is a former jail so pretty? Well, financier Henry Flagler didn’t want any ugly buildings in St. Augustine. So the old jail was built to look like a Victorian manor!
The Spanish Governor decided to do something about it. He ordered the construction of the fort, which began in 1672. It took a whopping 23 years to build!
It’s dotted with beautiful beaches. The first one we can visit isn’t far: Mickler’s Landing, coming up soon on the left. There’s surfing, seashells, and shark teeth!
Whew, that’s quite a mouthful! Let’s just call it the Guana Reserve, like the locals do. Scientists come from all over the world to study the animals and plants in this expansive estuary.
The ocean flowed into other parts of the Timucua lives. They understood the moon to be a symbol of water. Since water was associated with life, the Timucua saw the moon as the goddess of all mothers. And because water held such an important place in Timucuan society, that meant mothers did too! Family lines were traced matrilineally through mothers rather than fathers.
We’re approaching the city of St. Augustine. Founded in 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States. Yes, even older than Jamestown! But, arr me mateys, did ya know that St. Augustine was once where pirates hunted for gold?
When you see the big stone house on the right, look for the parking lot just beyond and turn in if you’d like to visit.
We’re cruising through the community of Vilano Beach, home to a very peculiar landmark. Here, we’ll find the Bluebird of Happiness!
Unsurprisingly, locals say the Old Jail is haunted. Guests often feel a cold, clammy hand rest on their shoulders. Some have smelled the foul stench of sewage even though none was found on site. Creepy!
When engineers and stone masons arrived from Spain, they didn’t know how to build a fort out of the rocks found on this coast. The coquina stones were porous and the Spanish didn’t know how well they’d hold up against a cannonball. So just to be safe, they built the walls almost 20 feet thick!
Former St. Augustine mayor Andrew Anderson donated the lions, who are named Fiel and Firme, or Faithful and Firm. They’re an homage to the city’s founder, Pedro Menendez de Aviles. His coat of arms bore two lions!
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.7
- 59
- 44
- 30
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 13 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Begin from 7JQ5+67R, Jacksonville Beach, FL, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Drive with Action
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
- Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
- At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
- Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
- Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
- More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
How it compares in Jacksonville
- Its from-price is 84% below the median of the 137 experiences we list in Jacksonville.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 31 of 137.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Jacksonville
Jacksonville, in north-east Florida, is a sprawling river city on the St Johns, with Atlantic beaches, parks, museums and a historic riverside.
Jacksonville straddles the St Johns River near the Atlantic, a river that flows north, and the consolidated city is the largest in the contiguous United States by area. Downtown's Riverwalk follows the riverbank, and neighbourhoods such as Riverside and Avondale have tree-lined streets, shops and early twentieth-century houses. The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens sits on the riverbank.
Special offers in Jacksonville
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
