First Coast
Explorer
Florida's First Coast
The boats come in at Vilano as the light goes. Something about the Tolomato River at that hour makes you feel the day was worth it regardless of what it contained — and the beach is free.
Vilano Beach sits just north of downtown St. Augustine, across the Vilano Bridge over the Tolomato River, wedged between the Atlantic and the waterway. It has been the uncrowded alternative to St. Augustine Beach for as long as anyone who lives here can remember. The sand is the same. The water is the same Atlantic. The difference is that Vilano has a fraction of the foot traffic, a steeper drop-off near the inlet that draws surfers and skimboarders, and the kind of unhurried quality that makes it easy to spend a full day without ever feeling like you need somewhere else to be.
Henry Flagler understood this. When he brought wealthy northern guests to his luxury hotels in St. Augustine in the 1880s, he ferried them across the Tolomato River to Vilano and delivered them to the beach by horse-drawn trolley. The beach has been worth the trip for 140 years. It still is, and now the bridge does the work the ferries used to do.
"Vilano Beach is beautiful and easy to get to, but what makes it great is the lack of crowds. Even during peak times it has plenty of space. The water is clear, the beach is clean, and the old-timers who live here rarely leave — which is all the endorsement it needs."
The beach's position near the inlet gives it a character that St. Augustine Beach doesn't have. The drop-off is steeper, the surf is heavier, and the current runs strong on an incoming tide — conditions that surfers and skimboarders specifically seek out. The annual Run Drop Slide Pro/Am Skimboard competition is held here each summer, drawing competitors from across the region. Casual swimmers should be aware of the rip currents and enter the water accordingly. There are no lifeguards.
For everyone else — the shell collectors, the sunset watchers, the people who just want a long walk on a quiet beach — Vilano delivers consistently. It is regarded as one of the best spots for shark tooth hunting in Northeast Florida, particularly near the inlet at low tide in the early morning. The fossils concentrate here naturally, and a patient hour of searching at the right time will almost always produce something.
The Vilano Beachfront Park at 2752 Anahma Drive had a significant renovation completed in 2024. The new pavilion — the striking oval-roofed structure you can see from the parking area — is one of the better designed beach facilities on the First Coast. Restrooms, showers, a boardwalk over the dunes, and free parking make this the main access point for most visitors. The park opens daily at 7 AM and stays open until dark.
The beach itself is open 24 hours. If you want to drive your vehicle onto the sand, that is permitted from March 1 through September 30 with a daily beach driving pass of $10 or less, purchased at the access ramp. During sea turtle nesting season — May 1 through October 31 — beach driving hours are restricted to 8 AM through 7:30 PM.
Vilano is one of the few places on the First Coast where you can watch both. The Atlantic faces east for sunrises — and the sunrises at Vilano, particularly in the cooler months, are exceptional. The Tolomato River and the view back toward downtown St. Augustine give you the sunset from the same strip of land. The pier on the river side is the best vantage point for watching the light go down over the city skyline and the Bridge of Lions. It is one of the better free evening activities within range of St. Augustine.
Vilano is the beach St. Augustine visitors should be going to and aren't. The sand is clean, the water is clear, the parking is free, and the crowds are a fraction of what you'll find on St. Augustine Beach. The surf conditions near the inlet are genuinely excellent for experienced surfers and skimboarders. The sunrises are some of the best on the First Coast. The shark tooth hunting is real. And the pier at sunset, with downtown St. Augustine lit up across the Tolomato River, is one of those views that makes you understand why people who live near Vilano never leave.