Located across the Tolomato River from Saint Augustine, Vilano Beach is a wonderful place to watch the sunset. We headed over there for dinner and the sunset to end our first evening in Florida, and the sunset did not disappoint.
We ate dinner outside at Vilano Grill 180. The food was good but the real excitement of this restaurant was the roaming neighborhood chickens. They wandered along the streets and sidewalks of the area, clucking and being generally loud. They were highly entertaining to the boys, especially when they surprised us all and flew into the trees and hung out there for the remainder of our meal. Our waiter told us that the feral chickens sleep in the trees to avoid predators.
The sun was starting to dip lower so we quickly finished our dinner, said good-bye to the chickens, and headed down to the fishing pier, where we spotted another type of bird – the Bluebird of Happiness. This statue has an interesting history. It began its life in the early 1970s as an orange bird, advertising Florida orange juice at a citrus shop on the side of the road. It then moved to the front of a local motel where it was repainted blue. Later, the state of Florida used it in its “Happiness is…” advertising campaign in the late 1970s. After a temporary stint in a private home, the bird was moved first to town center and then to its current home on the Vilano Beach Fishing Pier. I have to admit that he did his job – he made us happy.
Beyond the Bluebird of Happiness is another piece of artwork on the pier. A statue of three dolphins leaping through the air creates an archway across the pier. These looked especially cool with the sun setting behind them.
We continued walking to the end of the pier, enjoying the sunset and the atmosphere. Families strolled along the pier and down onto the docks. Fishermen reeled in their catch. Great egrets walked along the walls and pelicans flew by. It was a lovely evening capped by a beautiful Florida orange sunset. A perfect ending to our first day in Florida.
