History fuels St. Augustine ghost hunts
After dark, the nation’s oldest city offers a host of grave, ghoulish delights for those who enjoy spine-tingling chills.
Hair standing up on the back of the neck? Check.
Chill running down spine? Check.
No one standing behind you? Double check.
St. Augustine visitors traditionally pack the pedestrian-friendly streets of downtown during the day, soaking up historic landmarks amid art galleries, restaurants and shops galore. But while there’s plenty to do in the daylight, the nation’s oldest city has a sleepy reputation after the sun goes down.
But don’t be fooled. For those who know where to look, some entertaining doors remain open way past bedtime. At the top of St. Augustine’s after-dark to-do list: ghost hunting.
There are ghost tours with pirates in costume as guides. Others include a chauffeur-driven hearse to haunted sites and a Ripley’s Believe It or Not ghost train adventure. There’s even a haunted pub crawl for those who like to mix spirits with spirits.
GhoSt Augustine (ghostaugustine.com) offers a variety of tours, using the city’s historic quarter as its stomping ground. Among the offerings is the Ghost Walk ($16), a guided tour with stories of the purported hauntings and macabre history of the city. There’s even a more intense, hands-on option for those who want to use the tools of the paranormal trade and gain access to buildings seen on television shows such as Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters.” Paranormal Investigations ($25 for adults, $35 for semi-private tour) arm visitors with devices such as electromagnetic field (EMF) meters and something called a spirit box, which scans radio frequencies in an attempt to capture voices of the dearly departed.
The pricier semi-private version has no more than 12 people and lasts a little over two hours. It includes a stop in a Victorian-era antiques and collectibles store, where visitors are allowed to