St. Johns Tutors

About St. Johns

About halfway between Jacksonville and St. Augustine, St. Johns, Florida is a suburb which includes the communities of Fruit Cove, Switzerland and Julington Creek. Much as they would do on a larger scale in California two hundred years later, the Spanish built a series of missions in Florida in the late 1500’s, including San Juan del Puerto (St. John of the Harbor) which would later give its name to the nearby town of St. Johns. The missions served two purposes. First, the Spanish hoped to dissuade other European nations from colonizing Florida. Second, missionaries wanted to convert Native Americans to Christianity. While the Spanish did control Florida for many years they traded it for control of Havana, Cuba in 1763. After the American Revolutionary War, they again gained control of northeast Florida until they eventually gave it up to the United States in 1821. As for the Native Americans, they would ultimately be expelled from Florida in the first half of the 19th century. In 1769 Swiss merchant Francis Philip Fatio purchased interest in a plantation near the St. Johns River. Two years later he moved to Florida to become the manager of New Castle Plantation (now the Arlington neighborhood of Jacksonville) which specialized in growing indigo. For a time, indigo, a plant used to produce colored dye, was one of the most important crops in North America. Fatio served as an officer with the British Army during the revolution but after the war he returned to Florida where he established another plantation which would be named New Switzerland (later just Switzerland), a little further south from New Castle on the St. Johns. Fatio died in 1811 and his family was driven from their plantation by insurgent American groups looking to bring Florida into the United States. Today, St. Johns is mostly a residential area just a few miles down Interstate 95 from Jacksonville.

A St. Johns tutor will keep you ahead of the academic curve so you can take time away from the books to enjoy the exciting things to do in Jacksonville and the rest of northeast Florida. 54-acre Alpine Groves Park is right along the banks of the St. Johns River. It offers the usual park amenities such as picnic tables, playgrounds and an outdoor pavilion. Because of its location on the river it also has a fishing pier and areas to launch kayaks and canoes. The park is home to three historic buildings from the 1800’s including the Bennet House, a remnant from the 19th century citrus growing boom. The park also features paved walking trails as well as ample opportunities to view local wildlife.

For an exhilarating adventure, Sea Serpent Airboat Tours takes passengers on a high-speed trip on the St. Johns River which turns into a leisurely trek into the backwoods and swamps of Six Mile Creek. With 850 horsepower, Sea Serpent boats can produce top speeds on the open water of the St. Johns. Tour guides chronicle the history of the river including legends of Spanish galleons, buried treasure and marauding pirates. The tour is also a great way to view the abundance of wildlife in the area such as alligators, turtles, osprey, hawks and owls.

With more than 450 years of history, St. Augustine, just a few miles southeast from St. Johns, is a popular tourist destination in northeast Florida. One of the main historical sites is Castillo de San Marcos, a 315-year old masonry fort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There are a variety of things to do at the Castillo including a visit to the large courtyard interior and gun deck with outstanding views of the city.