On Thursday June 15, Florida Road Trip travels to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Veteran television journalist and host Allison Godlove will take viewers on a journey through time, touring a city with roots dating back to 1565. Viewers will learn about St. Augustine’s ties to Catholicism, Spain and its Spanish settlers, as well as its rich culture of theatre and art.
“St. Augustine is a city that’s filled to the brim with art, history and culture,” said Heather Bailey, Executive Producer of Florida Road Trip and St. Augustine native. “Each season we get the exciting opportunity to tell the stories of some of the most interesting cities in Florida. From pilgrims to pirates, this episode is nothing short of a historic adventure.”
Viewers will learn about Henry Flagler and the impact he made on the city, including the railway he purchased, and the three historic hotels he owned (Hotel Ponce de Leon, The Alcazar and The Casa Monica). Additionally, Florida Road Trip will explore a timeline of how Hotel Ponce de Leon eventually became present-day Flagler College, a comprehensive liberal arts college.
As Godlove explores the historic downtown, you never know who she might bump into along the trip. It could be a pirate or colonial townsman or maybe even both! Today, it’s closed to cars, but it’s still filled with shops, restaurants and galleries. Lastly, a trip to St. Augustine wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center where African American history and art come to life.
Florida Road Trip: St. Augustine, airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on WUCF TV, on wucf.org and on the PBS Video app. WUCF Passport members will also get early access, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. to next week’s episode, Florida Road Trip: Sarasota.
Learn more about the show at floridaroadtrip.org.
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Funding Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About WUCF TV
WUCF TV is the sole-service PBS member station for the nearly 4 million Central Floridians across nine counties. WUCF is Central Florida’s storyteller, encouraging curiosity and learning through compelling content and community engagement. WUCF produces award-winning local content like “Florida Road Trip,” which explores Florida through history, people and culture. WUCF also serves Florida’s youngest citizens, offering hours of PBS Kids content on-air, online and in the classroom, leading the state in usage for PBS LearningMedia. Throughout its ten-year history, WUCF has engaged with over 1.5 million people across Central Florida at in-person events, and over 30 million people online through virtual events and streaming content. The station is community-supported public broadcasting from the University of Central Florida. Learn more at http://wucf.org/.