America’s favorite holiday tradition for over 35 years!
It just wouldn’t be the holidays without Mannheim Steamroller, known primarily for its Fresh Aire series of albums, which blend classical music with elements of new age and rock, and for its modern recordings of Christmas music.
**Please note: The date changed from Nov 15 to Nov 14. All participants were informed during sign-up.
Activity Level: 2
***PLEASE NOTE - Two buses are scheduled for Friday's performance. One bus will collect SCC members at the Community Hall office, while the other will first stop in Kings Point to pick up Kings Point members before coming to the Community Hall to collect any remaining SCC members who couldn't board the first bus.
This measure aims to prevent overcrowding at the Community Hall, as a club event is also scheduled that evening and parking will be limited.
This Year’s 21st Anniversary Scenario - Scottish vs. English. Step into the year 1333, where thundering hooves and clashing steel echo across the Scottish borders! This season, the Sarasota Medieval Fair brings history to life with the legendary Battle of Halidon Hill. Amidst royal rivalries and fierce ambitions, two powerful kings command their forces in a dramatic showdown, one seeking to defend his homeland, the other determined to claim a throne. But worry not, this isn’t your dusty old history class. Our battlefield becomes a living chessboard, where bold champions move to the command of their kings in a grand human combat match.Strategy, spectacle, and swordplay await, all in good fun and with a few surprises for the whole family. Whose tactics will triumph? Whose bravery will shine? The outcome lies in the game... so choose your side, cheer your champions.
So many fun things to do! Plenty of old historic oak trees with lots of shade and seating. Come enjoy the day with us.
The history so presented is a play on actual accounts of the stories and legends of the characters involved during this time period.
The festival is an outdoor event, held in a natural park-like setting. Wheelchairs and motorized wheelchairs are welcome. Guests are welcome to wear medieval costumes! No outside food or beverages may be brought into the festival.
ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE
PLEASE NOTE ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE WILL NOTBE A NORTH PICK UP - WE WILL DEPART FROM THE COMMUNITY HALL - 1910 S PEBBLE BEACH BLVD.
The Park at St. Armands Circle will be illuminated by an incredible display of holiday lights, including the city’s magnificent 60-foot Christmas tree. Enjoy holiday entertainment, special store promotions and gracious hospitality provided by our many shops and restaurants. Visit the Live Nativity Scene at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.
We do recommend making your dinner (OYO) Reservations in advance. List of restaurants and phone #’s in office & on website.
Nights of Lights festival turns the city of St. Augustine into a dazzling holiday display! Selected by National Geographic as one of the ten BEST HOLIDAY LIGHTING DISPLAYS IN THE WORLD!
DAY ONE
• As we travel to St. Augustine, we will make appropriate stops along the way including a lunch stop (OYO).
• Upon arrival in St Augustine, we will visit The Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. A large Spanish stone fortress built to protect and defend Spain's claims in the New World. It is a National Monument, more than 327 years old, and is the oldest structure in St. Augustine. Experience a little piece of history at the Castillo de San Marcos. Reenactors in period dress, and living historians, perform weapons demonstrations and fire the cannons at the Castillo. See what it was like for the Spanish colonial settlers who used to live there. Under times of siege or other emergencies, all people in the settlement were ordered inside the fort for protection, and the cannons were aimed and fired if needed. This will be a self-guided tour, park rangers and living historians give you a detailed history of the fort and its previous residents. Look for the marks and drawings that British and Spanish soldiers left on the soft coquina walls.
• We will check in to Hampton Inn St. Augustine Hotel - Hilton
• Dinner this evening will be at Hurricane Patty’s (Included)
• Narrated Trolley Tour of The Lights of St Augustine. Get into the holiday spirit on a trolley tour of St. Augustine’s annual Nights of Lights Festival. Hop on the trolley, sit back, and enjoy the dazzling illuminated views, from more than 3 million lights, along the city’s Historic District. Dinner on own St. George Street after our Narrated Trolley Tour of The Lights of St Augustine.
DAY TWO
• Enjoy a hot breakfast at our hotel then spend the remainder of your day aboard the Trolley Tour at your own pace with on/off privileges. Visit the world-famous spring that Ponce de Leon deemed the Fountain of Youth. Explore the site of the first Mass in America at the Mission of Nombre de Dios. Experience early St. Augustine as you tour old St. Augustine Village, featuring houses from the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Old Town Trolley Tours makes stops at the Old Jail, St. Augustine History Museum, (Free admission with Trolley ticket), Potter’s Wax Museum, the Spanish Military Hospital. Visit the San Sebastian Winery; Explore Flagler College, built by Henry Morrison Flagler, and industrialist, railroad pioneer and oil magnate, who originally used the building as a hotel then known as Ponce de Leon hotel.
• Explore over 500 years of history and over 100 points of interest. You will receive a detailed map of the trolley route and the attractions found at each stop. The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum offers an exciting and educational museum that features over 800 authentic artifacts celebrating the history of piracy, both factual and fictional, from the 1600’s through present day
• The 21 stops make it convenient for guests to disembark for shopping, dining, visiting attractions and exploring the historic city on their own. End your Trolly Tour at St. George Street with many restaurants and unique shops for some shopping and a bite to eat before heading for home.
Double - $315pp Single $395pp Sign up deadline – Nov 1, 2025. MUST HAVE 35 PEOPLE FOR TRIP TO GO NON-REFUNDABLE (UNLESS CANCELED BY TRAVEL CLUB)