Ripley’s Believe It or Not – St. Augustine, Florida

We visited Ripley’s St. Augustine Florida, for Payton’s 10th birthday. I’m still in disbelief how our baby is now in the double digits! Every year for her birthday, we take a trip; and last year she turned 9 in New York City. We had planned to be on a road trip to Illinois this year, however it was delayed due to work (and life!); so I decided to surprise Payton with a day trip to St. Augustine instead.

Disclaimer: We were hosted by Ripley’s Believe it or Not, St. Augustine; however, as always, all opinions are my own.

About a year ago, Payton was reading the Guinness Book of World Records, she discovered Robert Wadlow, the worlds tallest man. For some reason, she instantly became fascinated with him and has since learned everything there is to know about him as well. Turns out, Robert Wadlow is from Alton, Il and there is a life size statue of him there that she has been wanting to stand beside. Last year she informed us that for her birthday she would really like to stand by his statue and visit the museum. [EDIT, see what happened when we finally reached Alton, Illinois, albeit a month later than scheduled]

Robert Wadlow at Ripley’s

Ripley’s Believe It or Not in St. Augustine, FL has an exhibit on Robert Wadlow, including a life size statue. It meant I could still make Payton’s birthday wish come true on her actual birthday!

We woke her early on the morning of her birthday and gave her a book on Robert Wadlow (the only one she didn’t have – provided by the Alton, IL Visitors Center). We arrived at Ripley’s Believe it or Not just before noon. She was excited as it was a museum she had never visited.

Not knowing exactly where the exhibit was located, I continued to keep my eyes open for what was ahead. I had Payton close her eyes as I led her into the room. When she saw the exhibition, she squealed like only a 10 year old girl can squeal and I could not stop smiling. The next 30 minutes were spent in this room and she had her picture taken next to his statue almost exactly like she had dreamed!

“I never heard his voice until today”. She listened intently as the audio presentation played various clips of Robert speaking at different events. Even though she knew every fact presented here, she listened in pure childlike amazement!

Payton

Other Exhibitions at Ripley’s

Ripley’s really is a great museum for kids who have a thirst for knowledge and trivia. Need to brush up on your Trivial Pursuit general knowledge, then Ripley’s is for you. From a violin made entirely of matchsticks, to how to be a contortionist!

Space

There is a great area where you can learn how the human body copes in outer space; and what happens when astronauts spend lengthy periods of time there. Speaking of space, check out the amazing keyboard art below. This piece of art contains 5,981 keyboard keys and took 190 hours to complete. There are several NASA related words hidden throughout this piece as well!

Why not take a private historical tour of St Augustine while you’re there?

Gift Shop

We always try to pick up a souvenir from attractions we visit. It helps to preserve those memories, and often helps with homeschooling!

Ripley’s Bayfront Mini-Golf

You can get a combination ticket that includes both Ripley’s Odditorium and the nearby mini-golf. This course provides 18-holes of mini-putt suitable for everyone. It is nice and fresh by the bay too.

Payton has played a couple of times before at different locations, but it is not something we do often. We came to the second hole. It was an L shape. I told her to hit the triangle in the corner so the ball would go the other direction. She did and her ball disappeared around the corner. I suggested that she wait for me to hit mine before going to hit hit hers again. When we walked around the corner, her ball was missing! We searched and searched and then found it in the hole! A hole in ONE! She was so excited!

Red Train

After 18 holes, we decided to jump on the Red Train, a hop on hop off sightseeing trolley type train. There are multiple stops around the area and one happens to be at the miniature golf location for extra convenience. The trains arrive about every 10-15 minutes and you are free to ride as often as you like throughout the day.

Looking for fun ideas for kids along the East Coast? Try Clubhouse Fun Zone in Statesboro!

Ripley’s St. Augustine Florida

Even though we were only in St. Augustine for a day trip, we enjoyed what Ripley’s had to offer. It was a great day out that helped cushion the blow of having to delay our Illinois trip. On our next visit we will hopefully have more time available to experience all of the sights. As a homeschool family, we would need at least a couple of days to explore all that the Oldest City has to offer. Next time you’re in the area, visit Ripley’s, St. Augustine Florida with your kids!

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