Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

What Ximenez-Fatio House Museum does

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is a private non-profit historic house museum located at 20 Aviles Street in St. Augustine, Florida, housed in a three-story coquina structure built in 1798 by Don Andres Ximenez — one of only 31 original coquina buildings remaining in the city. The museum is owned and operated by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Florida (NSCDA-FL), which purchased the property in 1939 and opened it to the public in 1946. Its core product is interpretive tours covering over 227 years of Second Spanish Period Florida history, including the lesser-known story of women entrepreneurs — Juana Pellicer, Eliza Whitehurst, Sarah Petty Anderson, and Louisa Fatio — who owned or operated businesses on the site across five ownership eras.

The museum generates revenue through six streams: tour admissions ($6–$15 per visitor), premium specialty experiences including $95 paranormal investigations and seasonal Mortality and Mourning candlelight tours, a Fig Tree Gift Shop selling locally made crafts, a five-tier annual membership program ($50–$500), private courtyard and garden venue rentals for weddings and events (channeled through partner Endless Possibilities Event Planning), and donations amplified by foundation match programs such as the Jessie Ball duPont Foundation's November–December 2025 campaign. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the TicketSpice-powered website and walk-in sales, supplemented by group bookings handled in-house and listings on TripAdvisor, The Knot, and WeddingWire. Interpretive programming includes the I Lived Here, As Well Black History tour series and ASL/tactile accessibility tours, while revenue diversification is incremental rather than transformational within the institution's small 1–10 employee footprint.

Name

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

Legal name

Ximenez-Fatio House Museum

Website

https://ximenezfatiohouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1798

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum is a 1798 historic house museum in St. Augustine, Florida, owned by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Florida, offering interpretive tours, paranormal investigations, weddings, memberships, and a gift shop to tourists, students, and local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic House Museum / Cultural Heritage Attraction

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJACAC

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Attractions & Landmarks (Observation Decks, Monuments, Scenic Sites)

SECONDARYTHAJAAAC

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Guided Tours (City, Cultural & Historical)

SECONDARYCRALAJAG

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Retail

Keywords

• Historic house museum
• Cultural heritage tours
• Wedding venue rental
• Museum admissions
• Nonprofit historic preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tour Admissions: Revenue from selling tickets for guided tours ($15/adult), audio tours ($12/adult), and discounted rates for seniors, students, children, and local residents. Special pricing events like $2.50 America250 audio tours are offered.
2. Annual Memberships: Recurring membership program with five tiers ranging from $50 to $500 annually. Members receive benefits including unlimited admission, gift shop discounts, and early access to events.
3. Gift Shop Sales: The Fig Tree Gift Shop sells locally made items including pottery, jewelry, and crafts. Open Monday-Saturday 10AM-5PM, with delayed opening to 11AM on Wednesdays.
4. Donations and Contributions: The museum accepts charitable donations for preservation and restoration projects. Donors are recognized in the online Book of Gratitude. The Jessie Ball duPont Foundation Match Program ran Nov 1 - Dec 31, 2025.
5. Wedding and Event Venue Rental: Private courtyard and garden rentals for weddings, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, and family reunions. inquiries directed to wedding planning partner Endless Possibilities Event Planning.
6. Specialty Tours and Programs: Premium experiences including professional paranormal investigations ($95), overnight paranormal investigations, and seasonal specialty tours like Mortality and Mourning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum preserves and interprets a 1798 three-story coquina structure in St. Augustine, Florida, offering guided and self-guided historical tours, seasonal specialty experiences, and paranormal investigations to general tourists and student groups. The museum also generates revenue through an on-site retail gift shop (Fig Tree Gift Shop), a five-tier annual membership program, wedding and private event venue rentals in its historic courtyard, and charitable donations supporting preservation of the coquina structure.

Product overview

The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum operates as a historic house museum offering a portfolio of visitor experiences centered on its 1798 coquina structure. The core product is guided and self-guided museum tours covering 227+ years of St. Augustine history. The museum provides specialized tour products including interpretive Black History tours (I Lived Here, As Well), seasonal experiences (Mortality and Mourning), paranormal investigations, and accessibility services (ASL and Tactile Tours). Supporting offerings include a retail gift shop (Fig Tree Gift Shop), annual membership tiers, group educational tours, and wedding/event venue rental. The museum also hosts public events including book festivals, concerts, lectures, and art walks throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fig Tree Gift Shop: On-site gift shop located in the museum complex selling locally made gifts, pottery, jewelry, and unique items from St. Augustine craftsmen and makers.

Products and services

• Everyday Life Tour Classic museum tour providing a broad overview of 227+ years of history at the Ximenez-Fatio House, covering the Spanish Colonial period through the 19th-century boarding house era, aimed at general tourists and history enthusiasts.
• Self-Guided Audio Tour Self-paced digital audio tour allowing visitors to explore the museum independently at their own convenience, available until 3:45 PM daily.
• Mortality and Mourning Tour Seasonal candlelight tour exploring death and spiritualism practices from St. Augustine's Second Spanish Colonial Era through its Victorian Era, offered during September-October.
• Professional Paranormal Investigations Immersive 4-hour paranormal investigation experience led by professional investigators from A Night Among Ghosts using EMF meters, REM pods, and audio recording devices; priced at $95 per person.
• I Lived Here, As Well Interpretive Black History tour series featuring costumed actors portraying characters from St. Augustine's past, focusing on enslaved and freed people who lived and worked at the property.
• ASL & Tactile Tours Accessibility-focused tours including American Sign Language guided tours for hearing-impaired visitors and tactile tours that allow visually impaired visitors to touch artifacts and replicas.
• Student & Adult Group Tours Customizable group tours for K-12 students, college students, and adult lifelong learners, with programming tailored to group interests, curriculum focus, and time availability.
• Fig Tree Gift Shop On-site retail shop offering locally made items from local potters, craftsmen, and jewelers, featuring unique St. Augustine-themed gifts and souvenirs; open Monday-Saturday 10AM-5PM (11AM on Wednesdays).
• Annual Membership Program Five-tier annual membership program (Louisa's Locals $50, Remembering Rosa $75, Enterprising Eliza $125, First Lady Juana $250, Sarah's Supporters $500) offering complimentary admission, gift shop discounts, and early access to events.
• Wedding & Event Venue Rental Historic venue rental of the 1798 Spanish-era courtyard and gardens for weddings, baby showers, rehearsal dinners, and family reunions, with inquiries handled through wedding planning partner Endless Possibilities Event Planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) - Maria Jefferson ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Partner organization for the Reading of the Declaration of Independence event on July 8, 2026, part of a nationwide simultaneous reading.
• Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) - St. Augustine ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2026Partner organization for the Reading of the Declaration of Independence event on July 8, 2026, collaborating with DAR on this patriotic event.
• TripAdvisorcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024TripAdvisor serves as a key marketing partner, featuring the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum on their platform. The museum has received the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award, which helps drive tourist traffic and bookings.
• The KnotcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Wedding venue partnership with The Knot, a leading wedding planning marketplace. The museum is listed on The Knot marketplace to attract couples seeking unique historic wedding venues.
• WeddingWirecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Wedding venue listing on WeddingWire marketplace, another major wedding planning platform helping connect the museum with potential couples.
• Casa De Solana Bed & BreakfastminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Preferred local partner accommodation located directly across from the museum. Recommended to visitors seeking nearby lodging in St. Augustine.
• Victorian InnminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Preferred partner hotel within walking distance of the museum, recommended for wedding guests and visitors.
• A Night Among GhostscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Professional paranormal investigation company that conducts regular paranormal investigations at the museum. They bring specialized equipment including EMF meters, REM pods, and audio recording devices.
• Endless Possibilities Event PlanningcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2024Official wedding planning partner handling inquiries and coordination for wedding and event venue rentals at the museum. Contact: Justine Lane at [email protected].
• National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Florida (NSCDA-FL)flagshipOthers · 1 January 1939The NSCDA-FL purchased the property in 1939 at the height of the Great Depression and has operated it as a museum since 1946. The organization is a lineage society organized in 1898 dedicated to historic preservation, patriotic service, and educational projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Castillo de San Marcos National Monument:

Direct peers

• Flagler Museum (Whitehall): Historic Gilded Age house museum in Palm Beach, FL, offering guided tours of a single signature historic residence with specialty programming, weddings, and memberships. Directly comparable to Ximenez-Fatio in scale, business model, and Florida historic house museum positioning.
• Henry B. Plant Museum: University-operated historic house museum housed in the former Tampa Bay Hotel (1891), offering guided tours and educational programming. Comparable as a Florida-based historic house museum with similar scope, visitor experience model, and educational programming focus.
• Edison & Ford Winter Estates: Historic house museum in Fort Myers, FL, featuring winter homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, with guided tours, museum programming, and gardens. Directly comparable as a Florida-based historic home museum with multi-building campus and similar tour/admission/membership revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Colonial Williamsburg: Large-scale living history museum interpreting 18th-century colonial Virginia, operating historic buildings, costumed interpretation, and educational programming. Directly comparable to Ximenez-Fatio as a heritage interpretation business model, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Lightner Museum: Museum housed in the former Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine, showcasing Gilded Age decorative arts collections. Comparable as a fellow St. Augustine cultural institution housed in a historic structure and serving the same tourist demographic.
• St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum: Historic lighthouse site in St. Augustine offering tower climbs, museum exhibits, and maritime heritage programming. Comparable as a fellow St. Augustine heritage attraction competing for the same tourist base, though focused on maritime rather than colonial-era residential history.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/XFHouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/XFHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ximenez-fatio-house
• Instagraminstagram.com/theximenezfatiohouse
• TikToktiktok.com/@ximenezfatiohousemuseum

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ximenez-Fatio House Museum