America’s oldest city is known for its rich heritage, beautiful shoreline and historical attractions. St. Augustine, Florida, also claims to be one of the most haunted destinations in the United States. Locals say the historic buildings and cobblestone streets are filled with spirits who once lived in the city hundreds of years ago. To help you find the top paranormal experiences, U.S. News collected both traveler sentiment and expert input to curate this list of the best St. Augustine ghost tours.
GhoSt Augustine – The Original Haunted Pub Tour
Price: From $26.90
Duration: 2.5 hours
Do you need a little liquid courage to face the spirits that haunt St. Augustine’s streets? Consider this pub crawl from GhoSt Augustine. Along the way, you’ll stop in some of the city’s most haunted bars, enjoying a libation or two as your guide regales you with stories of the city’s most notorious ghost stories. Travelers praise tour guides, who they say make the experience informative and fun. Reviewers also report learning a lot about St. Augustine history and say the walking pace is manageable.
GhoSt Augustine generally hosts pub crawls nightly beginning at 7 p.m.; the last tour departs at 9:45 p.m. Private tours are also available. Note that the cost of any drinks purchased is not included in the ticket price. If you’d prefer a more traditional walking tour, consider the company’s Dead Walk, which allows participants to use paranormal detection equipment.
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St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum – Dark of the Moon Ghost Tour
Price: Adults from $29.95; kids from $24.95
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours
Explore the St. Augustine Lighthouse at night and learn about its role in the city’s dark history on this tour. You’ll hear stories from an expert guide and find out why the lighthouse and its buildings are some of the most haunted in St. Augustine. Visitors say this tour includes great storytelling, plenty of fun and a fair amount of history.
This tour operates on Fridays through Sunday at 8:30 p.m. Regular daytime tours of the lighthouse and its buildings are also offered for those not interested in the paranormal.
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Historic Tours of America – Ghost and Gravestones Tour of St. Augustine
Price: From $35
Duration: 1.5 hours
Hop on a trolley for a tour of St. Augustine’s cemeteries and abandoned buildings to hear all about their creepy past from your guide, or “ghost host.” Among the sites you’ll visit is the Old Jail, which is purportedly one of the most haunted buildings in the area since many criminals spent their final days here, some with gruesome deaths. Along the way, you’ll pass by the City Gate and Tolomato Cemetery before your last stop of the tour, Potter’s Wax Museum. Most reviewers give this tour a thumbs-up, describing it as fun and spooky thanks to the engaging guides. Others say they learned a lot about St. Augustine’s history.
Keep in mind that the tour may not be suitable for children 12 and younger, according to the company. Discounted tickets are available if purchased online in advance. Departures are available nightly between 7 and 10 p.m.
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A Ghostly Encounter
Price: Adults from $25; kids from $15
Duration: 1.5 hours
Learn all about St. Augustine’s haunted history with this unscripted walking tour. You’ll spend time exploring graveyards and darkened alleyways with an expert guide before stopping at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. This tour is capped at 15 people and earns mostly excellent reviews, with many participants calling it amazing and a must-do activity thanks to the engaging guides. Others say 90 minutes is the perfect amount of time for this activity.
Tours run at multiple times nightly between 7 and 9:40 p.m. The company also operates a tour that allows participants to use paranormal investigative equipment, in addition to a self-guided excursion.
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Afterlife Tours – Beyond the Grave Tour
Price: From $25
Duration: 1.5 hours
Visit some of St. Augustine’s most haunted spots and hear tales of pirates, murders and the yellow fever epidemic on this tour. You’ll stop at the usual graveyards, but also a spooky bed-and-breakfast and buildings and streets around town where paranormal activity has been recorded. Travelers give this tour almost entirely excellent reviews, with some calling it awesome and genuinely scary. Others praise the guides for their attention to St. Augustine history.
Tours depart nightly at 8 p.m. Looking for even more thrills? Consider the company’s Shadows of the Supernatural Tour.
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