Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park

This review is in response to the park's review of my wife's one star rating.

The following is the park's response to my wife's review: "We wish you had added the information that you DID stay at the Park and tour for close to 2 hours...with the guests you had used as a reason to request a refund. We refunded your child's ticket after you told us he was only 5 ( the age groups for admission prices are clearly shown on multiple signs at the ticket area). We will validate tickets for return visits in certain situations; based on details you failed to provide in this review, your situation did not merit a refund."

We traveled almost two hours to specifically visit St. Augustine and the Fountain of Youth from Orlando. We were visiting for the week from Texas for a Disney vacation and decided to take a day to go the beach and the Fountain of Youth.

I paid for three adult tickets, one senior ticket and one child ticket. Once we realized that the park required lots of walking, we requested a refund for my mother in law because she has health issues and could not fully participate in the park. Once we found out about all the walking, she was going to either hang out at the entrance of the park or sit in the car until we finished.

I was told that the park COULD NOT issue refunds, even after I explained the situation with my mother in law. They flat out refused, not saying that they WOULD NOT refund the ticket, but that they COULD NOT.

After I mistakenly paid for my son's ticket and later realized that he should have gotten in free, I told the ticket booth workers to leave his paid ticket for the next family that had a kid so they did not have to pay.

The ticket booth workers then refunded my son's ticket on the spot. Once I brought the fact to their attention that they obviously COULD refund my mother in law's ticket, they still refused.

My mother in law attempted to participate in the park, making it to the planetarium, watching the performance and then she was unable to participate further and instead went and sat back at the entrance. Hardly what I would call "touring the park for close to two hours".

The sad thing is, we still intended to enjoy the park for the tickets we purchased, my mother in law was the only one who was not going to participate. So, yes, you best believe we "DID stay at the Park and tour for close to 2 hours..."

The other sad thing is, the park would have been thoroughly enjoyable had I not been irritated over the ticket issue. I am a huge history buff and generally enjoy things like that.

I had even intended to spend money on souvenirs and trinkets to take back to family and friends in Texas, but based on principle alone, I refused.

Also, we searched high and low for anything on the park's nonexistent refund policy and did not see anything.