Louie was amazing. He interacted well with all of us. Told us a lot of great things about th history.





Located on San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine’s Uptown District, the Old Jail Museum offers an educational and intriguing look into what it would have been like to be a prisoner in the Nation’s Oldest City. Take a guided tour led by the “jailers” for a compelling look at the cells where imprisoned men and women once lived, the maximum security area reserved for the most nefarious criminals and a collection of weapons.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 4.
For nearly 60 years – until 1953 – the Old Jail served as the St. Johns County facility for petty thieves and hardened criminals. There were even eight recorded executions, two of which were accused murderers. Sim Jackson, who was hanged in 1908 after murdering his wife with a straight razor, is among the group. Today, visitors learn about the infamous Sheriff Perry, who served from 1889 until 1897 and again from 1901 until 1919. His stature as a “big, bold man” at 6’6” and weighing 300 pounds was intimidating even for the most hardcore of inmates. Though popular in the community, Perry was feared amongst cell inhabitants – both male and female – for his reputation of renting out prisoners to local farmers through a leasing system. Visitors can also take a look at the cell blocks, gallows and sheriff’s quarters. See where the sheriff, his wife and children lived, right upstairs from the prisoners, and how they used their own kitchen to prepare meals for the inmates. A tour through this attraction will show visitors what life was like as an inmate and how the Old Jail helped shape St. Augustine’s history.
Experience is offered by Historic Tours of America
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 200 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Old Jail Museum Tour in St. Augustine lasts about 30 min. The itinerary has 2 stops.
Prices start at $19 per person for this St Augustine experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day.
Children aged 6–12 pay from $10, adults from $19.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The experience is available in EN.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Children 5 yrs. and younger are free
Wheelchair accessible Museum is wheelchair accessible on lower floor only.
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.8 out of 5 across 741 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Historic Tours Of America.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Louie was amazing. He interacted well with all of us. Told us a lot of great things about th history.
Hi guys. We visited the Jail tour in July from Scotland. Our guide Cornelius was amazing as was the tour,please pass this on . Thanks ,Darrin
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! We truly appreciate your feedback and are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your time with us. Your kind words inspire us to continue providing the best experience possible.
We did the old jail tour, and it was one of the highlights of the trip. Learning about the quality of life for prisoners and the fact that the prison was operational until the 50's was very eye-opening and sobering. Our Guide, Patrick (I think that was his name), was very informative and knowledgeable. Even if you are not taking the Trolley tour, I recommend the Old Jail tour.
Amazing tour of an old jail. So much to learn. Your guide was amazing and clearly enjoys her job. Lizzie was phenomenal and a wealth of knowledge. Lizzie made our visit so fun and enjoyable. She’s just an all around amazing person. Thank you Lizzie from OKC and Sunset Grill.
The old jail is interesting. The jail tour includes a tour guide that is in character as one of the prisoners of the past. They walk you through the building and its history telling you about life was like behind bars at the facility. Not an easy life for those convicted of a crime as justice was a bit different back in the day. Make sure you get a discount coupon from the trolley or local tour booklets. We spent about an hour here.
It was a lovely experience for a child to visit as well as adults. The guide was very knowledgable … worth a visit for sure
We're so happy to hear that you had such a great time! Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Come and visit us again!
The "Jail" tour was better than expected. It was like attending a live interactive theatrical experience. The tour guide (I think her name was Lydia) was extremely knowledgeable and played the part beautifully. I did leave a bit sad to think that people were treated so poorly even if they were guilty of societal infractions. Better to do this tour at the beginning of the day so you have time to recover.
It is important to recognize that with any tour, every individual is given a set of bullet points. They cannot deviate from it. Alongside is a collection of additional facts that they can share as they desire. In this fashion, everyone gets the same quality experience, but one that is unique to the individual. Having taken the old jail tour several times, each one has been enjoyable, even if the information isn't exact. The very first time we took the tour was with Patrick. Clearly passionate about what he does, and the information he shares. This time, we had prisoner trusty Peaches. The danger of having an exceptional experience is it sets the bar for everything to come. Peaches very quickly, established himself as someone equally as passionate and knowledgeable about the facility and material. The information provided is educational, sometimes there's an entertaining or humorous aspect, but other points weigh heavily on the gravity of the space and things that happened. One of the first things pointed out to us, is to imagine that there are no windows and no AC. Imagine what the space feels like in June, July, or August. Since the tour begins outside, it's easy to imagine how brutal the environment and temperature is inside. A fascinating building with great amounts of information, you are likely in good hands with anyone who leads the tour. Pro tip - ask questions, and take photos, especially with your tour guide, and whatever you do, make sure to grab a survey postcard. You can thank them with tips, and you CAN THANK them with feedback. If they deserve it, give it to them.
Our guide was Peaches and he was a lot of great. It’s a small building and short tour so the guide makes or breaks the experience. We were grateful that Peaches made it fun.
We had an amazing time touring the Old Jail in St. Augustine! Our guide, Louis (Lewis), the “trustee inmate,” absolutely made the experience. He was incredibly knowledgeable, super informative, and one of the funniest, most entertaining tour guides we’ve ever had. His storytelling, sense of humor, and interaction with the group brought the history to life. Without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of our trip to St. Augustine. We couldn’t stop laughing while still learning so much about the jail’s fascinating history. I highly recommend this tour to all of our family and friends. If you get the chance, make sure you see Louis—he’s definitely a character! 😂 We can’t say enough good things about the experience. Employees like Louis are a huge asset and deserve to be recognized and taken care of. Thank you for making our visit so memorable!
We love reading about our guests' experiences and sharing them with our CAST. They take great pride in what they do and it seems like it’s paying off! We hope to see you again soon.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Old Jail Museum Tour in St. Augustine | 30 min | 4.8 (741) | $19 | |
Old Jail After Dark Paranormal Experience | 2h 30min | 5.0 (28) | $106 | View |
Medieval Torture Museum with Ghost Hunting and Tiny Art Gallery | 1–2 hours | 4.9 (2,412) | $25 | View |
St. Augustine Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour | 1h 30min | 4.5 (4,138) | $41 | View |
St. Augustine Ghost Tour: A Ghostly Encounter | 1h 30min | 4.7 (2,484) | $30 | View |
Dolphin, Manatee and SeaTurtle SUP Adventure Tour of St Augustine | 2 hours | 4.8 (1,623) | $55 | View |
Take a Scenic Boat Ride in St. Augustine | 1h 15min | 4.5 (1,567) | $26 | View |