Combine Fitness + Fun With Tasting Tours

I am a person who loves experiences, but especially those that include a wee bit of cardio. When our friend asked us to join him in a Tasting Tour for his wife’s birthday, I was more than on board. First, we would spend three hours with some of our favorite people in the world. Second, we would get some culinary adventures in our home city under power of our own feet. Sold.

What Is A Tasting Tour?

Tasting Tours is a St. Augustine company that creates incredible food and drink tours in and around our city. Guests can choose from several options, including a Corks & Forks Tour (strolling), Wine & Dine Tour (rolling) or Brunch Tour (rolling). There are also dessert tours and holiday-themed tours with characters like Beetlejuice or the Grinch, as well. Prices range from $85 to about $155 (not including gratuity), which makes for a nice date night experience. But let’s get back to fitness.

The Corks & Forks Strolling Tour

We opted for the strolling tour with The Tasting Tours, which offered three hours of strolling the city of St. Augustine, stopping in four different locations for food and drinks. Our tour guide, Bonny, was absolutely amazing, and she led us along streets we don’t often frequent as locals in our pursuit of delicious samples. We did have to sign a waiver for this tour, which immediately puts it in the category of “physical activity.” Each and every step counted towards my daily goal, and I encouraged the other members of the group to do the same.

Let’s Get Started!

We met at the Governor’s House on the main plaza in town. I was a little nervous because everything had been so hot and humid, and it had rained on our way into town, but the weather was wonderful. We met our tour guide and two other members of our group (a third group was running late and would meet us en route).

Bonny was immediately fun and engaging, and got us going with a stroll through the center of the city. She pointed out some quick historical highlights on our way to our first stop. Let’s rack up those, steps!

Stop #1: Casa Maya

Our first stop involved a little jaunt down St. George Street, and then over to the Casa Maya. For added fitness, we had to climb a flight of stairs to our table, where a delightful spread was waiting. Obviously, since it was about 1:30, we were all a bit hungry for lunch, and cocktails looked good, too! We enjoyed white sangria, chips and salsa, and a variety of pork and beef tacos in a lovely upstairs setting. It was just enough to sustain us through our next stop!

Stop #2: The Roosevelt Room

Another place I’ve never visited, The Roosevelt Room is a brunch and event space on St. George Street. Our group of 13 followed Bonny to the destination and I’d love to point out that we had to ascend another flight of stairs. This space is absolutely gorgeous and the four of us agreed to brunch here soon. In the meantime, we had flutes of champagne waiting, with either orange or pomegranate juice, as well as plates of shrimp and grits (with greens) and bagel plates with fresh sliced bagel chips, smoked salmon with capers, Boursin cheese and pickled onions. Cheers!

Stop #3: Casa Vino

I have a few favorite wine stops in St. Augustine, and this one absolutely makes the cut. First of all, the area is gorgeous: a covered outdoor bar with a beautiful garden seating area. There is a tent and a stage for live music and protection from the elements. Lovely. We got to try four tastes of different wines, and then we could select one for a full pour. I’m not usually a sauvignon blanc girl, but the one served was crisp and light, and much better for a hot day than the rose and two reds we sampled. Of course, a little charcuterie board was also offered for snacks, and we loved the drunken goat cheese, fig jam, and marcona almonds.

Final Stop: Bourbon & Boards

All good things must come to an end, so our final stop was at Bourbon & Boards. We’ve visited their sister location Ancient City Brunch Bar in the past, but now the two are combined, which is just perfect. This was our dessert stop, with a lovely dessert wine. We had goat cheese cheesecake and strawberry brownie cake, and it was the perfect end to our day.

Final Thoughts

I am always down for an adventure, and this was a great one! We got some walking, and some great food. It was a wonderful time making new friends and spending time with the ones we already know. And of course, you know I loved that we could throw in a walk on top of everything else.

Have you ever taken a walking food tour? Do you like activities that incorporate a little bit of fitness?

Next week’s topic —> Tell us how your running journey began.

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