Costco - St. Augustine

First of all, this place and especially the freshly paved parking lot are brand spanking new. Add to this the fairly massive parking lot that awaits you, if you are looking for an EZ on- and off- location to rest for a bit, stretch your legs, get in some bulk shopping all while fueling up at arguably the lowest gas prices you will find up and down the busy I95 interstate highway you find yourself on, then CostCo here in front of World Golf Village would be a good spot for you to consider. In addition to this low cost big box retail operator offering super cheap gas – almost the same price as Buc-ee’s, but without the long lines – there’s a very decent gas station here with 6 lanes and 18 individual pumps. 

Apart from fueling up, obviously, if you want to do some loading up, this CostCo has everything you might be looking to stock up on for your trek, including really great seafood, meats, cheeses, pre-pared meals as well as beer & wine in addition to even offering up camping supplies like coolers, batteries, paddleboards, tents and at times even kayaks and canoes. Add to this the fairly decent restroom facilities you’ll discover (no showers though) and the very good CostCo food court, of which I do recommend the pizza as well as hot dogs, each for a smidge over a $1 apiece, how can you go wrong?! 

What I like most about this CostCo apart from its newness is the very convenient EZ on- and off-again access to I95. Additionally, with great lighting and given its location, you will feel very safe and secure here in this parking location. Whether you are just looking to fuel up or grab a piece of flat, freshly paved concrete to call home for the night, you will find yourself very well set up at this particular CostCo. And while, yes, just like any other CostCo, this place can fill up and get pretty busy, most of the weekdays, you will find this place to be very manageable with space and availability on the back periphery of the store. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are looking to overnight it here, you’ll want to target the southern-most perimeter of CostCo, as far back in the parking lot as you can drive and to the west of the fueling station where the traffic will be less, there’s a good bit of treeline on the perimeter giving you some shade and decent privacy. For now, there is nothing behind this section of CostCo, but that’s about to change with the new Bass Pro Shop that is about to be built there. There is also some space just in front of the gas station, so you might also want to check out the NE corner of the parking lot, although there will be non-stop traffic going by at all hours of the day and night, but it shouldn’t be too loud; (2) Should you grow tired of feeding yourself from the confines of your onboard mini-fridge, then you can saddle up here at CostCo for their pepperoni or cheese pizza, baked chicken, 1lb hot dog or soft served ice cream. If not, Buc-ee’s just across the street has a bounty of smoked brisket, spiced sausages, fried chicken sandwiches, fudge, freshly pop popcorn and a soda fountain. A bit east of here you’ll find Wendy’s, Fancy Q Sushi Bar & Grill, Anejo Cocina Mexicano, Subway or St. Marys Seafood. Over in World Golf Village, just heading north past Buc-ee’s, you can find King Wok, Café Cairano, Pirate Pizza or check out Bill Murray’s dive bar and restaurant, Murray Bros. Caddyshack. You could also drive further west to find a Panera, Starbuck’s and a Whatsaburger, plus just past this, they are building a brand new Mellow Mushroom, which is amazing if you don’t know it; (3) Providing you would like to get out and enjoy the outdoors a bit in this area and have a kayak or canoe with you, try out Trout Creek Memorial Park and Marina just due west of here that has a superb launch into the mighty St. Johns River; and (4) If you want some very decent hiking or biking in, then head south on I95 a spell to Matanzas SP, Faver-Dykes SP or Princess Place Preserve. 

While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot: 

Convenience: 5 

Safety & Security: 5 

Quality: 5 

Peace & Quiet: 4 

Amenities: 4 

Overall, I scored this location a 5.

Happy Overnighting!