A large coquina house with a white fence extending into the foreground, the house sits on Aviles Street in St. Augustine, Florida

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

Built on America's oldest platted street, this museum interprets life during the 1800s.

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

(904) 829-3575

Historic Downtown
20 Aviles Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084

Currently closed.
Mon - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun: Closed

History Comes Alive at the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum 

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum lies just south of St. Augustine's Plaza de la Constitución on Aviles Street — the oldest platted street in America. With its diverse collection of artifacts, this house museum immerses guests in 1800s St. Augustine. 

The Ximenez-Fatio House is open for tours on Monday through Saturday. The grounds and the store are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and docent-guided tours are available at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. Self-guided tours may start between 10:00 a.m. and  4:15 p.m. The museum also has audio tours, available on guests' cell phones. The new audio tours present the home's 225 year history, with different voices representing those who lived and worked in the home and boarding house. Now, the audio tours offer a true glimpse into the lives of those who stayed in the Ximenez-Fatio House, and places their experiences in a historical context.

Live Camera

History

Built in 1798 during St. Augustine’s Second Spanish Period, this coquina stone house has witnessed more than 225 years of Florida history. Don Andres Ximenez (a merchant from Spain) was its first owner, having built it for his family. Alongside his wife — a Minorcan woman named Juana Pellicer — Ximenez operated a general store and a billiards hall on the ground floor and lived on the second floor. 

The Ximenez -Fatio house and some of the family and guests.
Louisa Fatio (1797 to 1875 — in the bottom left window) owned and operated the boarding house at 20 Hospital (now Aviles) Street from the 1850s to the 1870s.

After Florida became a territory of the United States, the house was owned by a series of women who turned the house into a boarding house hotel. Three of these female managers were widowed while the most prominent, Louisa Fatio, was single her whole life. These enterprising individuals defied odds and adversity — from yellow fever epidemics to Seminole and Civil Wars — by operating successful and popular businesses. 

A historical image of the Ximenez-Fatio House in the 1880s, with white guests in the street and on the balcony, and a young black man at the corner of the house
When the international border between Georgia and Florida dissolved in 1821, many Americans were eager to visit the 'Ancient City'. This fascination with 'Far Florida' continued throughout the 1800s.

In 1939, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Florida (NSCDA-FL) purchased the derelict house. Founded in 1899 as the Florida chapter of a national organization, 'the Dames' are committed to a mission of patriotic service and historic preservation. In the decades that followed, they began restoring and furnishing the house. They hired the best preservationists (including White House historian William Seale, Fulbright scholar Albert Manucy; and today, expert craftsman Christopher Koth) to ensure it was as historically accurate as possible to the Boarding House Period (1830s - 1880s). The NSCDA-FL named their newly opened museum "The Ximenez-Fatio House" — Ximenez for the man who built the house and Fatio for Louisa Fatio, the house's last historic owner. 

A group of affluent white ladies ranging from middle aged to elderly in the courtyard of the Hotel Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine, Florida
These members of the NSCDA-FL purchased the Ximenez-Fatio House in 1939, saving it from neglect and disrepair.

Almost two centuries after being bought by its first female manager, the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is now a National Historic Landmark — one that is still owned and operated by women. Generations of people — locals and visitors to St. Augustine alike — have enjoyed exploring the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum. 

Each room in this house museum is carefully curated to bring the past to life — from Florida's first years as a tourist destination to the realities of urban slavery in the South. As research and archaeological excavations continue, the museum's programs and exhibits are always evolving. 

Specialty Tours 

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum hosts specialty tours throughout the year — from Black History programs to Halloween events. Please contact them via their website or phone for more information. 

Wedding Venue 

With its central location on historic Aviles Street, the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum also makes a lovely wedding venue. Wedding guests will enjoy the convenience of being near all the great restaurants and attractions without compromising privacy or a beautiful setting. Visit their wedding venue profile here.

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

(904) 829-3575

Historic Downtown
20 Aviles Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084

Currently closed.
Mon - Sat: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun: Closed

Admission | Ticket Prices

Audio Tour Prices
Option *NOTE AUDIO OR GUIDED TOUR*Price
Adults - Audio Tour$12.00
Seniors, Students, Teachers, First Responders, and Military - Audio Tour$10.00
Flagler Students, St. Johns County Residents - Audio Tour$5.00
Children 7 - 12 - Audio Tour$6.00
Members and Children 6 and underFree
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Adults - Guided Tour$15.00
Senior, Student, Teachers, First Responders, and Military - Guided Tour$12.00
Flagler Students, St. Johns County Residents, Children 7 - 12 - Guided Tour$8.00
Members and Children under 7Free

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