Ximenez-Fatio House Museum Virtual Tour and Activities
Click on the picture to explore a virtual tour of the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum.
After viewing use the exercises below with your students to enhance their learning experience!
Coloring Book Fun!
Click the picture to check out our Ximenez-Fatio House Museum coloring book for the little ones!
Boarding House Venn Diagram and Advertising Brochure Activity
After viewing our virtual tours, and reviewing our 10 Reasons to Visit Today and in the 1800’s, students can see up close how different life was in the early 1800’s. Click the picture to the left to learn more.
Postcard Writing Activity
This activity allows students to write a post card as if he or she is vacationing at the boarding house in the 1800’s. Click the picture to get started!
Flower Pressing at the Ximenez-Fatio House
The Ximenez-Fatio House has one of the most beautiful and largest tropical gardens in St. Augustine.
Learn how to preserve flowers from your very own garden in this flower pressing tutorial!
Jigsaw Puzzle Fun!
Click on the pictures below to see if you can solve
these digital jigsaw puzzles!
Puzzle instructions: Click on any picture and you will be brought to the JigsawPlanet puzzle page. To play, use your mouse to arrange the puzzle pieces to fit together. Looking for a challenge? Change the number of pieces in the puzzle by hovering your mouse over the “Play As” drop down in the upper right hand corner of the page and select the number of desired pieces. Good Luck!
Kitchen Hearth
Its difficult to imagine cooking multiple meals a day in a hearth like this when we have our modern conveniences at hand! But, our boarding house, Miss Fatio’s in particular, was known for its delicious food and service. For a house this size the fire would have been tended 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Green Oranges
Did you know oranges start out green?! These baby oranges start their lives a vibrant green and over many months slowly ripen into the beautiful and fragrant orange color we have on our trees in the summer and winter.
Sunflowers
A sunny sunflower and a busy bee to brighten your day!
Outside Kitchen
Our 1798 detached kitchen is one of the last remaining in the south. Kitchens were built detached from houses to prevent the spread of fire and to help keep the larger house as cool as possible in the warm summer months. All of the meals for the house were cooked in the open hearth and pies, pastries and breads were cooked in the adjacent beehive oven.
Guest Luggage
After unpacking, guests luggage would have been stored in the space on the 3rd floor of the house until they were ready to travel home. Whereas our suitcases today are lightweight and have wheels, luggage of yesteryear was heavy wooden trunks and bags.
1885 St. Augustine Map
St. Augustine looked very different in 1885 than it does today! Some things haven’t changed much though. We still have sailboats in our harbor and the Castillo still stands on the northside of the city. Can you see the Ximenez-Fatio House on the map??
Chess Game
The age old game of chess was just as popular then as it is today. Visitors to the boarding house would have played a lively game of chess in the guest parlor over after dinner cigars and drinks.
Spinet Piano
Friends and special guests at Miss Fatio’s would have enjoyed music in the parlor from instruments such as this Spinet Piano. Our piano dates from the early 1800’s and is unique in that the foot pedal can be adjusted from the right to left side according to the players preference!
Sunlit Palms
We get a lot of attention for our beautiful Seville Orange and other fruit trees on our property, but we have many other amazing plants as well. These palms are enjoying a nice sunny North Florida winter day!
Loo Game
Lanterloo or simply, Loo, was a very popular card game in the 18th and 19th centuries. Visitors to Miss Fatio’s were said to have played the game in the evenings after dinner in the guest parlor. Visitors to the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum will see a Loo table and game set ready for the next tournament!
China Tea Set
Boarders at Miss Fatio’s were welcomed with a soothing cup of tea or coffee to warm up with on chilly nights in front of her many fireplaces.
Embroidery
The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum has many fine examples of 18th and 19th century embroidery on display. Ladies started to learn embroidery and sewing from a young age. Techniques were passed down from generation to generation and practiced many hours at home.
Hat Bath
This hat bath would have been the ultimate luxury in its day! After many days or weeks of traveling to St. Augustine a nice hot bath would have been a welcome sight upon checking in to our boarding house!
The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum
The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum was built in 1798 by Andres Ximenez for his family. This historic landmark is one of St. Augustine’s finest examples of Spanish Colonial architecture.
Antique Rocking Horse
Did you have a rocking horse as a child? This classic toy was as popular in 1860 as it is today. This horse has a mane made from real horse hair and is hand painted!
Necessary Chair
A “necessary chair” was a absolute necessity in the Victorian Era! Most homes did not have indoor plumbing and chamber pots were difficult to use, especially for those who were ill. This wooden chair was modified and a chamber pot was installed to make it more comfortable for the user.
Pleating Iron
Staying up to date with the most current fashions was very important to our wealthy clientele. This pleating iron would have been used in our wash house to perfect the pleats in our guests clothing. Miss Fatio’s surely hosted the most fashionable tourists in St. Augustine!
Heston the Cat
Meet Heston, our courtyard cat! Heston is well fed and taken care of and in return he takes care of our house. Before commercial exterminators were the norm, cats would have helped homeowners keep their houses and outbuildings pest free. Not only is he a good mouser, he is also very handsome!