Museums

Tour of St. Augustine Old Jail Museum

Name: Tour of St. Augustine Old Jail Museum
Start: 2024-12-29T09:00:00
End: 2024-12-29T16:30:00
Location: Old Jail Museum

St. Augustine Old Jail Museum exterior with historical architecture and barred windows.

St. Augustine Old Jail Museum exterior with historical architecture.

Discover the intriguing world of the prison system with a behind-the-scenes (or bars!) tour of the St. Augustine Old Jail Museum.

Highlights

Situated in the oldest city in the U.S.A, explore this infamous jail of St. Augustine - part of the National Registry of Historic Places.
Educate yourself about the jail’s remarkable history on a guided tour of the premises.
Observe the men's and women’s cells, the cell blocks, gallows, and the kitchen.
Explore the maximum security area, which also houses the death row cell.
Get introduced to the legend of Sheriff Joseph Perry, the warden of the prison.

Inclusions

Admission to the St. Augustine Old Jail
Guided tour in English

Exclusions

Transport to attraction
Transfers
Personal expenses

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Ticket validity

These tickets are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Your Experience

The historic St. Augustine Old Jail in Florida invites visitors to do some jail time, albeit not in the traditional sense! The famous tourist attraction offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of prison inmates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated as a county jail for 62 years starting from 1891 until 1953 and held 72 prisoners at a given time.

The former prison looks like a quaint Victorian house from the outside. It was intentionally built this way so as not to spook the local residents of St. Augustine. Actors moonlighting as local guides (dressed in jailer outfits, no less) will lead you to the different cell blocks, maximum security area, and gallows, as well as the overhead sheriff’s living quarters. Listen to harrowing stories about the jail’s reputation for carrying out capital punishment. A total of eight prisoners were executed on the gallows. The knowledgeable guides will also regale you with tales about the renowned Sheriff Perry. He ruled with a heavy hand and was revered as well as feared in equal measure.

If all this sounds too grim for your liking, fret not. The tour is designed to inform and enthrall visitors with the penal system while also offering many moments of levity. The St. Augustine Old Jail is not your average tourist attraction but it's guaranteed to make a big impression.

Know Before You Go

Important Information

Masks are strongly recommended indoors except for vaccinated guests.
Some portions of the Old Jail are not wheelchair accessible.
The guided tour is only in English.
Free parking is available at the attraction site.

Operating Hours

Tours run every 15 minutes. Reservation times are on a first-come, first-serve basis and each tour has limited capacity.

Daily: 9am - 4:30pm (the last tour departs at 4:30pm).
On 24 Dec: the last tour is at 3pm.
Closed: 25 Dec.

My tickets

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.
Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.
Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your visit to avoid any delays.