Join Us in Florida for the
Pirates, Presidents, Conquistadors and More Tour!

efore Florida found peace, prosperity, and Pluto the dog in the 20th Century, the natives of the peninsula and the panhandle witnessed exploration, invasion, and international intrigue for three centuries. A state whose economy is based on tourism and fruit trees and has the third largest population in the United States today, also has a contentious history that Providence made a crucial part of the stories of three empires. And it all began with a Spanish explorer whom later historians claimed was searching for a fabled fountain of youth.

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Pirates, Presidents, Conquistadors and More Tour

Christopher Columbus had returned to Spain full of stories of the fabled Indies that he found sailing westward from Europe. More lands of the New World opened to the explorers of the Old in the following decades—Honduras, Brazil, Panama and, in 1513, La Florida, so named for Easter, the day of the first landing on the eastern coast. The explorer who set foot somewhere near what would become St. Augustine, was Juan Ponce de Leon. He sailed around the southern tip and along part of the western border of Florida. He thought the land was just another Caribbean island and it was shown as such on maps for many years to come.

Spain was the mightiest European nation, one with a large and expensive standing army, bent on recapturing the Protestant countries for the greater glory of the Roman Catholic Church as well as spreading Spanish language and culture around the world. In God’s providence, Spain turned south in their New World explorations, systematically conquering and destroying the South American civilizations of the Aztecs, Mayas, Incas and others, all the while looting the vast treasures of gold, silver, and slaves. Ponce de Leon had helped drive the Moors from Spain and travelled west to Hispaniola in 1502 with the new governor to bring order to the new Spanish outpost. He crushed the Tainos tribe and was rewarded with a large estate and Indian slaves.

Ponce de Leon conducted the first official exploration of Puerto Rico in search of gold, and with the success of the expedition, became the governor of the island. From there he launched an exploration along the Florida coast, touching down near the modern city of St. Augustine, where we begin our history tour. In later years historians claimed that the conquistador had heard of legendary waters the consumption of which would bring long life and perhaps immortality. Whether the account is true or not, Ponce de Leon certainly had seen a lot of death and massacre in his day and with his success at finding gold, a discovery that would extend his life would be icing on the cake if it actually turned out to be true.

When we tour the grove where Ponce de Leon landed, the myth of the “fountain” is presented somewhat tongue in cheek, but the reality is that men do want to live forever. A small Catholic chapel sits in the center of the historic site, a reminder that the battle cry of the explorers and conquistadors of “God, Gold, and Glory” included the Gospel according to Catholic Christianity. Conversion of the natives from paganism to Christ always accompanied the rough men seeking wealth and glory. Ponce de Leon, by the way, was mortally wounded by the natives in another part of Florida, leaving the eternal fountain undiscovered. Let us hope he found the One whose waters of life really do provide salvation forever.

Join us in Florida February 11-13 as we explore the “Fountain of Youth”, along with the magnificent Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine and Huguenot Fort Caroline in Jacksonville. We will also tour the premier pirate museum in the country and attend the reenactment of the Civil War battle of Olustee. Register today to secure your spot!