Amble around Downtown St Augustine and you’ll soon discover that it has some of the oldest colonial buildings in the United States. And where there’s a past there’s usually a paranormal present.
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)
Around the longest constantly inhabited European settlement in the United States there are many pockets of history. St Augustine’s old buildings have many stories to tell, dating back centuries, from the Huguenot Cemetery and Castillo de San Marcos to the Old Jail. And some people say that these places, being sites that have witnessed considerable hardship and pain, have consequently become haunted. Curious? Well now you can explore them for yourself on a guided ghost tour of St Augustine. Here’s a comparison of five of the best tours, taking into account price, previous customer reviews and, of course, ghoulish activity.
St Augustine Haunted Walking Tour
Explore the paranormal mysteries of St Augustine’s historic district on this hour-long walking tour. Your guide will lead you to the most haunted spots, including old churches, a former military hospital, a castle, and the oldest colonial street in the United States. Your guide will weave in chilling stories along the way of pirates and conquistadors and how these stories descended into the deep, dark pits of the supernatural. This tour generally runs once daily throughout the year at 8pm. From $22 per person.
Haunted Old Town St Augustine Trolley Tour
(Photo: Getyourguide.com)
The hauntings of St Augustine are not limited to the historic district, though. There are paranormal goings on littered all around the city and a walking tour simply cannot reach all of them. In fact, if you like the idea of a seated ghost tour, then this trolley trip really is the best option for you. You’ll visit cemeteries, the Old Jail and numerous haunted buildings, all the while learning about their gruesome pasts from your dedicated ghost host. Daily tours with up to nine daily departure times. From $25 per person.
St Augustine Ghost Walking Tour
Back on foot, there’s a longer, 90-minute walking tour that seeks out every ghoul, ghost, phantom and poltergeist in the downtown area of St Augustine. This is not only a tour that points out the haunted spots and the reasons for their ghosts, but also the history of sightings in each area. You’ll visit two cemeteries and Castillo de San Marcos along the way, plus a visit to St Augustine’s Love Tree. This tour, which has been going since 1998, runs on most days of the year. From $25 per person.
Secrets of St Augustine Ghost Tour
(Photo: Viator.com)
The key to unlocking the history of St Augustine in the most ghoulish fashion imaginable is through a master storyteller. Your guide on this tour is just that, a craftsman of storytelling, so that the history and paranormal blend into fascinating yarns that are both informative and chilling. Visit the old city gates, St George Inn, the Castillo de San Marcos and more along the way. This extremely popular 90-minute tour runs on most days of the year, with group sizes limited to 15 total, to preserve a good tour atmosphere. From $25 per person.
Paranormal Encounter in St Augustine
Broadly speaking, there are two types of ghost tour available. By far the most common is the walking or trolley tour, where you’ll learn all about the city’s history and its resident ghoul population. The rarer type of tour, such as this Paranormal Encounter tour of St Augustine, actively seeks these ghosts out. For two hours you’ll visit the most notoriously haunted spots of the historic district, including the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, and St Augustine Old Cemetery, using a paranormal investigator’s tools (provided), including infrared cameras and emf meters in the hope of spotting one for yourself. From $45 per person.