ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — What was just an idea will soon become a reality for Kathy and Shawn Hiester, owners of the St. Augustine Aquarium coming this spring, right along State Road 16.
"My husband and I are leveraging everything we have to put into this dream," said Kathy Hiester. "It (the location) has robust tourism traffic, the Prime Outlets are there -- they do 3.5 million visitors a year -- and it's the prime road into St. Augustine, so we're excited about the location," said Hiester.
In April, the couple sought out a location on Riberia Street in Lincolnville, but the city turned it down.
With $750 million in tourism being poured into St. Johns County, the Hiesters knew they wanted to stay close.
Now, they'll be able to turn the wooded area into an attraction.
"We'll also have a zip line and adventure course, so it will be quite the interactive experience," said Kathy.
Visitors will also be able to plunge into the study of marine life with a snorkel, or get inside a cage surrounded by sharks, who will be swimming around a little piece of history. Inside the tank will be a replica of an American ship that went aground in the 1700s.
"We're going to do a re-created version of that shipwreck in the center of the main tank," said Shawn.
A $5 million dream the Hiesters say will be worth every penny.
WJAX
