St. Augustine Pt 4

Day Four: Frozen in Florida, Haunted Hotels & the Great St. Augustine Escape

October 16, 2026 | St. Augustine, Florida

You know, I've always wanted to travel internationally. Explore new countries, experience different cultures, maybe even visit Russia someday. What I didn't expect was to accomplish that dream while sleeping at a Holiday Inn in St. Augustine, Florida.

But apparently, that's exactly what happened.

If you've been following our adventures, you already know that we traded the luxurious Ritz-Carlton for a Holiday Inn that has become less of a hotel and more of an ongoing investigation. The bathroom door doesn't close, the plumbing has already required a miracle, and there's a mysterious population of guests who seem to materialize after sunset.

But I'll give this place credit for one thing. THE AIR CONDITIONING WORKS!!!

Y'all, I don't know what kind of industrial refrigeration equipment they've installed in this building, but I'm pretty sure it was originally designed to preserve frozen meat for the next century. We went to bed in St. Augustine, Florida, and woke up in St. Petersburg, Russia.

I'm talking COLD. The kind of cold where you start questioning whether you packed enough winter clothing for your Florida vacation. I half expected to open the curtains and see a family of penguins waddling through the parking lot.

And the craziest part? The hotel can apparently cool an entire room to subzero temperatures but can't manage to refrigerate a bottle of water.

Which brings me to our first adventure of the day.

Our plan for Day Four was simple. Wake up, grab some breakfast, explore historic downtown St. Augustine, do a little shopping, and then get dressed for the rehearsal dinner that evening. A beautiful, relaxing day…At least that was the plan.

Jessica opened our mini refrigerator and asked, "Babe, why are our drinks hot?"

Now, that's a reasonable question, considering I had personally placed those drinks in the refrigerator the night before. I was expecting nice, cold Alanis. Instead, apparently, we'd been storing them in a small plastic cabinet with a lightbulb.

Upon further investigation, Jess discovered that the seal on the refrigerator door was broken. Unless you manually hold the seal to the door as you pushed the door shut , it wasn't actually keeping anything cold.

So let me get this straight. The air conditioner is powerful enough to freeze a polar bear, but the refrigerator can't keep a bottle of water cold? At this point, I'm fairly certain the refrigerator has been secretly helping the air conditioner cool the room rather than performing its actual job.

But hey, Jessica reminded me yesterday that we're "just here to sleep." And technically, the beds are comfortable. So I suppose she's still winning that argument.

Next came showers. Well, a shower for me. But based on the screams from the bathroom, for Jessica, it was apparently in an ice-bucket challenge. For whatever reason, the hot water in this hotel has developed a very specific preference for yours truly. When Jessica turns on the shower, it's cold. When I turn it on, it's perfectly hot. I'm not complaining, but I'm starting to think the ghosts in this hotel really like me and have some unresolved issues with my wife.

Eventually, we were dressed and ready to begin our day. We walked out of the hotel and immediately discovered that the mystery from last night had taken another unexpected turn. ALL THE CARS WERE GONE. Every. Single. One.

Remember how we returned last night to find the parking lot completely full? Well, apparently, sometime during the night, Jesus came back and raptured every vehicle in the parking lot except ours. I'm talking an entirely empty parking lot.

Where did everybody go? What time did they leave? And more importantly, how did an entire hotel full of people disappear without us ever seeing another human being?

It's like we're experiencing some kind of reverse vampire situation. Everybody arrives after sunset, disappears before sunrise, and nobody ever seems to be inside the building. I'm starting to think we need to call somebody.

But first, coffee.

Just around the corner from our questionable accommodations was a little place called Bagel Base, and let me tell you, this was exactly what we needed. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, and the coffee? Oh, sweet mercy, that coffee.

You know when you take that first sip and your entire body remembers what it's like to be alive? That's what we're talking about here. One cup turned into two, and somewhere between those delicious doses of caffeine, I could feel my personality returning. I was ready to conquer the world. Or at least a few miles of historic St. Augustine.

Right next door was the cutest little bookstore, and if there's one thing you need to know about Jessica and me, it's that we have a serious weakness for locally owned bookstores. We can't help ourselves.

Some couples seek out bars or fancy restaurants when they travel. We find ourselves wandering through bookshelves, discovering little hidden treasures, and convincing ourselves that we absolutely need another book despite the fact that we have plenty waiting to be read at home.

There's just something special about a little mom and pop bookstore. The atmosphere, the stories, the personality. We love it. And after our morning of hot drinks, cold showers, and disappearing cars, this was exactly the kind of peaceful start we needed.

Next, we headed into historic downtown St. Augustine. Now, I had already done a little research and found something I knew Jessica would absolutely love. A Christmas store.

Yes, we're in Florida. Yes, it's October. Yes, Halloween is right around the corner. But listen, when you find a Christmas store while traveling with your wife, you don't ask questions. You go inside.

One of the things we love doing when we travel is finding ornaments for our Christmas tree. It's such a simple tradition, but every year when we decorate, those ornaments take us right back to the places we've visited and the memories we've made. And this year, we'll have something special to remind us of St. Augustine. Although, considering how this trip has gone so far, maybe we should've been looking for a little porcelain plunger ornament.

Anyway, after a little shopping, Jessica looked over at me and said something I wasn't expecting. "Hey, what do you think about going to Ripley's Believe It or Not?"

Now, I honestly thought she was joking. But you need to understand something about me. I LOVE a good museum, especially one filled with strange artifacts, weird stories, and things that make you question whether humanity has completely lost its mind. So I wasn't about to turn down that invitation. And to my absolute delight, she wasn't joking! We were going to Ripley's!

We decided to begin our Ripley's adventure with a trolley tour through historic St. Augustine. And honestly, it was a fantastic decision. We laughed, enjoyed the sights, and even learned a few things along the way.

For example, our guide told us that the property where Ripley's Believe It or Not is located is supposedly haunted because of a double homicide that occurred back in 1944. Now, considering the hotel we're currently staying in, I wasn't particularly interested in hearing more ghost stories. I feel like we're already living in one.

We also learned that Magnolia Avenue is said to be one of the most photographed streets in Florida, which makes perfect sense when you see those beautiful oak trees stretching overhead.

And we learned one more fascinating fact about historic St. Augustine. Apparently, concrete pillars are merely suggestions to trolley drivers. Oh yes. At some point during our lovely historical tour, our trolley driver managed to absolutely drill a concrete pillar. And I'm not talking about a gentle little bump. I mean boom the whole trolley shakes kind of hit. That thing fell into the street! And what did our fearless conductor do? Kept driving. Just kept right on going like nothing had happened.

I don't know whether that's a regular occurrence in St. Augustine or whether our driver was simply having a particularly difficult morning, but I suddenly became significantly less interested in the historical commentary. I'm over here trying to learn about Spanish colonial architecture while our driver is actively modifying the architecture.

At that point, Jessica and I decided we'd probably gotten enough history for one day. Let's go shopping. But first, we still had a museum to explore.

We headed into the museum excited to see all the strange and fascinating things Ripley's had to offer. And boy, did we encounter something unbelievable…Approximately fifty elementary school students.

Y'all. FIFTY!!!

Now, I love children. I really do. But apparently, someone had decided to combine fifty overexcited elementary school kids, an indoor museum, and absolutely no concern for the eardrums of innocent bystanders.

The screaming, the running, the complete disregard for personal space. It was like someone opened the doors of a zoo and told the monkeys there were no rules for the day. At one point, one of these little angels decided to push me.

Now, I'm a grown man. I'm a pastor. I have children. I understand patience, kindness, grace, and all those wonderful fruits of the Spirit. But I also have an inner ten year old who was beginning to rise up and suggest some alternative conflict-resolution strategies. I'm not proud of it. But I'm also not going to pretend that my imagination wasn't entertaining some very immature possibilities.

Jessica could apparently see the transformation happening right before her eyes. She knows that look. That's the look that says her husband is approximately thirty seconds away from responding to a child with the same emotional maturity as the child.

So she wisely decided it was time for us to leave.

And just like that, our visit to Ripley's Believe It or Not came to an early conclusion. The most unbelievable thing in that entire museum wasn't an exhibit. It was the fact that we left without me being placed in timeout.

With our museum adventure behind us, we turned our attention to the countless shops lining the historic streets of St. Augustine. And when I say countless, I mean COUNTLESS. During our trolley tour, the guide had mentioned that it could take someone forty eight hours to explore all the shops in the area. We thought she was exaggerating…She was not.

Store after store after store. Little boutiques, souvenir shops, locally made goods, tourist treasures, and enough St. Augustine memorabilia to convince you that the entire city was attempting to sell you a piece of itself. It was incredible.

We wandered, explored, laughed, and enjoyed getting lost in all the little shops. One of my favorite things about traveling with Jessica is that we don't have to be doing anything particularly extravagant to have a great time. Sometimes just walking through a new town, holding hands, and discovering things together is more than enough.

Of course, there was one thing I knew we absolutely needed before leaving downtown. Ice cream.

Now, I don't want to oversell this next part, but I genuinely believe that the ice cream we had at Mayday deserves its own chapter in our marriage story.

Because y'all. THAT ICE CREAM.

It was a warm Florida day, we'd been walking and shopping for hours, and there was nothing that sounded better than a delicious scoop of cold ice cream. And Mayday delivered.

I'm honestly struggling to find words that adequately describe how wonderful it was. Imagine, if you will, that someone took an angel straight out of heaven, somehow transformed it into the most delicious vanilla ice cream imaginable, and handed it to you in a cone. That's roughly what we're talking about.

I don't know what kind of crack they're putting in that ice cream. I don't know who authorized this level of deliciousness. But somebody deserves an award.

It was cold, creamy, refreshing, and absolutely perfect. And after being subjected to the Arctic temperatures of our hotel earlier that morning, it was nice to experience something cold that we actually wanted to be cold.

With our shopping complete and our heavenly dessert enjoyed, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Which meant returning to the scene of the crime.

We arrived back at our beautiful, luxurious, three quarter-star... I'm sorry, I can't even finish that sentence. We arrived back at the Holiday Inn.

And wouldn't you know it? The parking lot was still empty. Not a single sign of the mysterious nighttime guests. At this point, I was beginning to wonder whether we'd accidentally checked into some sort of supernatural timeshare. But we had a dinner to attend, so there wasn't much time to investigate.

Jessica jumped into the shower first. And once again, no hot water.

Now, I need you to understand that this is becoming a pattern. This poor woman just wants a nice, relaxing shower before getting dressed for a beautiful evening with family. Instead, she's apparently bathing in melted glacier water.

She finishes her quick shower, and I step in…Perfectly hot water. Every. Single. Time. Like to the point I am laughing in the shower but dont want to tell her how great the water is because she would be ticked. I'm telling you, these hotel ghosts have chosen sides, and apparently I'm their favorite. Jessica was less than impressed.

But somehow, despite the supernatural plumbing situation, we both managed to get dressed and ready for the evening. And just like that, we were off to enjoy another beautiful night in St. Augustine.

On our way to dinner, we came across something that Jessica and I absolutely love. A lighthouse!

There's just something about lighthouses that we find fascinating. The history, the architecture, the beautiful coastal scenery. Whenever we get the chance to see one, we're going to stop.

Naturally, we pulled over to take some pictures like the good little tourists we are. But here's where Jessica and I have slightly different approaches to sightseeing. Jessica believes in following the rules. I believe in getting the perfect photograph. And sometimes those two philosophies find themselves in direct conflict.

You see, I'd spotted what I believed was the perfect angle for a picture of the lighthouse. The only problem was that getting there required a little bit of what I like to call “creative navigation”. Jessica calls it trespassing. Tomato, tomahto.

So off I went, making my way toward the ideal photo opportunity while my beautiful, law-abiding wife watched in what I can only describe as absolute horror. She was practically having a panic attack. Not because I was dangling off the side of the lighthouse or anything like that, but because, in her mind, her husband was about to be arrested for unauthorized sightseeing.

And listen, I understand her concern. But have you ever seen a REALLY good photo angle? Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. For the record, Jessica remained firmly committed to obeying the rules, which is probably why she's the responsible adult in this marriage.

After our little lighthouse adventure, we headed to Blackfly for the rehearsal dinner with family and friends. And let me tell you, this restaurant was fantastic. The atmosphere was wonderful, the company was even better, and the food was absolutely superb.

I ordered a New York strip steak with mashed potatoes, and it was cooked to perfection. The kind of meal where you take that first bite and immediately know you've made the right decision. Jessica ordered filet with fried rice.

Now, I'm not entirely sure who decided that filet mignon and fried rice were meant to be together, but apparently someone in that kitchen saw the vision and went for it. And according to Jessica, it was delicious. So who am I to question culinary genius?

But the food didn't stop there. Because Aunt Cindy, Uncle Gary's wife, came through with an incredible assortment of desserts. And you know me. I'm not one to be rude. If someone takes the time to bring desserts to a family gathering, I feel a moral obligation to show my appreciation. Preferably by eating several of them.

One of the desserts was a cookie made by someone who had appeared on one of those famous cake and cookie television shows. And let me tell you something, that man earned his television appearance. The cookies were fantastic. I think I had three. Maybe more. We listen and we don’t judge.

At this point, I'm beginning to think the only thing I've exercised consistently on this trip is my ability to lift food from a plate to my mouth. But honestly, as incredible as the food was, the highlight of the evening was about to happen right behind our booth.

Now, if you've never met Jessica's brother Jason, let me introduce you to one of the funniest human beings I've ever encountered. This man is naturally hilarious. And on this particular evening, he was in rare form.

At one point during dinner, one of the cousins' little girls began playing peekaboo over the back of the booth behind us. You know how little kids do. They pop their heads up, smile, and then disappear, expecting you to act surprised every single time. Well, Jason was happy to participate.

She'd pop up, and he'd make a funny face. She'd duck down. She'd pop up again, and he'd make another face. Down she'd go. Back up. New face. This continued for a while, and it was absolutely hilarious watching him entertain this little girl. But eventually, Jason ran into a problem. He was running out of faces.

Now, most normal adults would simply recycle one of the old expressions or move on to something else. Not Jason. No, sir. This man decided it was time to take peekaboo to an entirely new level.

He grabbed a napkin and wrapped it around his head. Then he grabbed another napkin and wrapped it around his face. And THEN, for reasons known only to Jason, he picked up two dinner knives…Y'all.

This man had somehow transformed himself from a loving uncle playing peekaboo into what looked like a low-budget al Qaeda operative who had escaped from the kitchen.

I'm talking full napkin disguise, knives in hand, staring over the booth waiting for this poor child to pop her head up again.

I have absolutely no idea what was going through his mind, but the visual alone was enough to send us into hysterics. And I couldn't help but think about how this must have looked to anyone else walking through the restaurant.

Imagine enjoying a nice, peaceful dinner with your family, glancing across the room, and seeing a grown man wearing a makeshift napkin mask while holding two knives and playing peekaboo.

Welcome to our family dinner.

Seriously, I don't know how Jason comes up with this stuff, but I am so grateful he does. Because moments like that are what make family gatherings unforgettable.

After dinner, the party continued back at Uncle Gary and Aunt Cindy's house. And honestly, this has become one of my favorite parts of the entire trip.

Everyone broke off into little groups, conversations were happening everywhere, and laughter filled the house. Stories were being told, memories were being shared, and we were simply enjoying being together.

There's something so special about that. No elaborate entertainment. No expensive attraction. No schedule to follow. Just family, conversation, and the kind of laughter that makes your face hurt.

Of course, at some point, the conversation turned to our hotel accommodations. And when the family heard about the experiences we'd been having, they were absolutely beside themselves. The broken bathroom door. The plumbing situation. The refrigerator. The cold showers. The mysterious parking lot. Apparently, our hotel had become the entertainment for the evening.

Everyone kept telling us we should just cancel the rest of our reservation and stay somewhere else. And honestly, they had a point. But Jessica and I had already survived one night. What's two more?

Besides, at this point, I was emotionally invested in solving the mystery of the disappearing hotel guests. I wasn't about to give up now.

Eventually, after another wonderful evening of family, food, and laughter, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the Holiday Inn.

Now remember, when we left earlier that evening, the parking lot was empty. Completely empty. So imagine my surprise when we pulled back into the hotel and discovered...THE PARKING LOT WAS FULL AGAIN. Y'ALL. WHAT. IS. HAPPENING?

Every night, this place looks like it's hosting a sold out convention. Every morning, it looks like the hotel has been evacuated. And through all of this, we STILL haven't seen anyone!

No crowds in the lobby. No guests hanging around. No people coming or going. Just an endless cycle of mysterious vehicles appearing after dark and vanishing before sunrise. I'm telling you, this is not normal.

I've stayed in a lot of hotels in my life, and I have never experienced anything quite like this. It's like someone opens a magical wormhole every evening, deposits fifty cars into the parking lot, and then retrieves them before breakfast.

Or maybe the hotel is haunted. I am starting to believe in ghosts. At this point, that's honestly starting to seem like the most reasonable explanation.

Think about it. The bathroom door won't close, the refrigerator doesn't refrigerate, the shower only gives hot water to one specific guest, the air conditioner is attempting to recreate a Russian winter, and now there are mysterious cars appearing and disappearing with absolutely no evidence of human life.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we're experiencing the haunting of the Holiday Inn in St. Augustine.

And the craziest part? We still have another night here.

And that about closes up day 4!

We started the morning in what felt like a Russian winter, discovered that our refrigerator had forgotten its only job, and watched an entire parking lot of cars mysteriously disappear.

We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Bagel Base, wandered through a wonderful little bookstore, did some Christmas shopping, survived a trolley driver with a personal vendetta against concrete pillars, and escaped a museum full of children before my inner ten-year-old got me into trouble.

We walked through shops, experienced heavenly ice cream at Mayday, and stopped to admire a beautiful lighthouse while Jessica contemplated whether she'd soon be visiting her husband in jail.

Then we enjoyed an incredible dinner at Blackfly, witnessed Jason transform into a terrorist, and spent another unforgettable evening laughing with family at Uncle Gary and Aunt Cindy's house.

And somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, I found myself thinking about how much I love this life we're building.

I love exploring new places with Jessica. I love discovering little restaurants and bookstores. I love making memories with her family. And I especially love having someone beside me who makes even the most ridiculous situations feel like an adventure worth remembering.

Because here's the thing. We could've stayed at another luxury hotel. We could've had perfect showers, cold drinks, and a parking lot full of completely normal people. But then what would we have to write about?

Sometimes the best memories aren't the ones you planned. They're the ones you survive together. And as we climbed into our surprisingly comfortable beds that night, I had just one final thought. If those mysterious hotel guests actually ARE ghosts, I sure hope they don't mind that we've been making fun of their accommodations for the past two days. Because we still have one more night.

And I'd really prefer not to wake up seeing our furniture rearranged.

Until our next adventure,

Pete & Jess ❤️