Welcome! The Castillo de San Marcos is a very popular destination for school field trips. In fact, approximately ten percent of our total visitation, or sixty thousand people, visit the Castillo every year as part of a school visit. There are several things you need to consider before deciding to bring your class to the fort.

Sorry, we do not provide Ranger led educational tours.

There are three ways to visit the fort as a school group. Each has it's own distinct advantage. Please review this information carefully.

Public visit with no reservation

• Adults pay entrance fee 
• No set time of visit 
• No set length of visit
• No group size limit although at least one adult chaperone for every ten students is required
• This is the most flexible option but the most expensive for groups with a large number of adults

Commercially guided visit with reservation

• Entrance fee waived
• $20.00 reservation fee
• Set time of visit
• One hour visit length
• Guide service costs (You must contract with a company or guide who has been certified by us to conduct educational tours inside the Castillo. We will be glad to provide you with a list of those qualified.) 
• Fifty person limit per reservation
• Twenty-four reservations available per day
• This option provides the highest quality tour plus some flexibility but can be expensive for schools on a very limited budget

Self-guided visit with reservation

• Entrance fee waived
• $20.00 reservation fee
• Set time of visit
• One hour visit length
• Fifty person limit per reservation
• One reservation available per hour daily except Thursday and Friday when no reservations may be made for self-guided groups
• This is the least expensive option but also the least flexible with very limited time slots available

Other considerations:

• Only schools which are requesting a waiver of the entrance fee need a reservation.
• Reservations times are 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 a.m. and 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.
• Many schools book their reservations one year in advance so plan ahead to help ensure you get the date and time you would prefer.
• It is busiest in March, April and May - particularly on Thursdays and Fridays. For a more relaxed, enjoyable and informative visit, plan on attending in the fall and/or early in the week.
• Staff members perform cannon firing demonstrations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You may want to schedule your trip to coincide with one of those demonstrations. Check our Schedule of Events for exact times.
• Schools may picnic on the grounds but there are no tables or seating and a limited number of trash receptacles. Please bring trash bags with you or ask for them at the ticket booth.
• There is no bus parking at the Castillo. Please use our lot for drop off and pick up only. The city provides free bus parking on the corner of West Castillo Drive and Riberia Street.

For more information or to make a reservation please call us at 904-829-3099 or e-mail us.