St. Augustine Fountain of Youth may be Florida's oldest attraction

A statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon is on display at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Long before Florida became the country's 27th state, the Timucua people and Spanish explorers inhabited St. Augustine, specifically the site of what's likely the Sunshine State's oldest attraction.

The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park contains centuries of history on its 15 acres and sign-ins from visitors dating back to 1868. It's a place where "legend meets history," as one historian wrote, and modern-day visitors can drink from the same spring that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon likely did.

It'd be wrong to classify the St. Augustine stop as merely a theme park, an attraction or a historical site. It's more of an "edutainment" experience with interactive history and an archaeological site where significant artifacts have been unearthed over the years.

The Timucua village of Seloy is a model of how Native Americans would have lived at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Besides, who wouldn't want a chance at eternal youth with a simple drink of water?

"Everyone, in the back of their mind, hopes for a magic bullet. They hope for the thing that gives eternal youth — whether it's a sip of water from a spring or a blessing from someone," said John Fraser, owner and general manager of the park.

A two-story globe is the centerpiece of the Discovery Globe show at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Florida themed souvenirs are for sale at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

John Fraser is the owner and general manager at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

The Timucua village of Seloy is a model of how Native Americans would have lived at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

This spring is displayed as the fabled "Fountain of Youth" at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

Various artifacts uncovered at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park are on display in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

A statue of Saturiwa, the main chief or "Cacique" of the Timucua people, is on display at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

A replica of the Mission Church of Nombre de Dios, the first Franciscan mission in what is now the United States, stands at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)

A canon firing demonstration takes place several times daily at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)