Old Jail Museum

We never did catch our guides name we however caught that he was from Capetown South Africa! He did an awesome job was very patient and answered all of our questions! This tour was so much fun and the tour guide makes all the difference hope he is a valued employee!

Very cool tour. The tour guides act which is cool. Ours was very interesting. There’s so many facts and info about the place. It’s a lot like the Moundsville Penitentiary back home but this one is smaller.

We had a blast. Very informative and the staff was exceptional and stay in charter the entire time. Jenny our tour guide /​inmate was super funny and made our tour the highlight of our visit to St. Augustine. I would recommend this tour as part of your trip.

My hubby and I didn’t go inside but we walked the area and took pictures. There’s an old birdcage-​type jail and a few wooden shackles (I’m not sure what they’re called) on the outside so you can be ‘arrested’. Very fun and great for photo ops!

Our tour guide Danny was very informative and made it really fun. if you want to know about the history what went down in the old jail back in the ancient days pass by …

Interesting and entertaining. A must see at least once! Staff friendly and interactive, great place for pictures and excellent for families!

In 2001 I had to visit my dead beat dad. I was at the st augistine prison fort. I was amazed by how old it was. It looked so original. The cells were amazing journey in time.
When I think about the trip Florida was great. I hope to go back

Meh… the jail was ok. Good way to kill some time. I liked that the guide left us to explore on our own after the tour was over.

Our tour guide at the Old Jail, Ungrie, was fantastic. He looked and played the part of a prison inmate taking us on a tour so well that hours later I was still trying to convince the kids in the group that he was only an actor. They still think I’m wrong.
So ask for Ungrie if you can.
This tour was surprisingly fun. The whole area screams tourist trap when you arrive, but the jail is a bit of interesting history and the tour is a lot of fun. The tour took us about 45 minutes.
I really recommend this one.

It’s a little hokey but still interesting and worth the tour! It has an interesting history, and you can go into the actual cells. They also have handguns that were used in crimes. It all gives an interesting behind the scenes look into jails and incarceration.

St Augustine is a highly walkable city if you are in reasonable health, but parking for those not staying in one of the hotels located in the historic district can be tough. It is for this reason we decided to purchase a tour with Old Town Trolley. Parking at their main pick-​up on San Marco Avenue is free and there stops included ALL the places we wanted to see while visiting this 450 year old city!
Also included with your ticket is admittance to St. Augustine History Museum (meh) and discounted tickets to the Old St. Johns County Jail Museum. Now, I was totally against this, but I was overruled by the head hen in our house and those two offspring chicklets of mine. Oh I puffed out my chest and tried to insert my rooster masculinity in protest, but she bought the tickets anyway. LOL
THE EXPERIENCE
Tours are given roughly every 20 minutes and begin at the front entrance. Here someone will be dressed in period clothing as either the prison staff or the prisoner themselves. You are officially being «taken into custody» during the tour and will need to pick up a pardon of release form upon exiting.
During the tour you get to see all parts of this old jail built in 1891 by Henry Flagler, one of the richest men of his time and responsible for a great deal of the growth of the city. Flagler was building all kinds of things including luxury hotels for the super-​rich and did not want the local government to build a jail «in town». So adamant was he that he gave the city $ 10,000 to build it a mile outside of town. He also demanded it not look like a jail, which is why it has a porch and regular windows on the half of the building facing the town.
The tour takes you through the lower jail where the kitchen, maximum security cells (for those condemned to die) and women’s cells are located. Just past the kitchen you will visit the prison offices and living quarters for the sheriff. Next you will walk through the upper jail which was for general population and looks a lot like a warehouse with a double deck metal cage in the center. Displays of weapons used in crimes of the day are on display as well as old photos.
Outside are the hanging gallows for more serious crimes and various other forms of punishment designed for public humiliation such as cages, stocks and pillories. There is also a railroad car designed to house prisoners who were used as free labor on the rail system. Lots of fun photo opportunities here.
NOTE: This jail was built by the same company responsible for building Alcatraz.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The tour itself is just okay, but it was more interesting than I thought it would be.

I was a little skeptical to go on this Old Jail Museum tour, but my fiancée was very excited and completely for, so why not? (We also looked up some reviews, and saw that it wasn’t a pretty bad tour, so again, why not?)
I believe it was about $ 10 a person and you buy the tickets from a middle kiosk (right in front of the pink building — which is the jail, haha). The ticket kiosk has information on everything and the people inside are very friendly and had answers for all the questions we had.
After we purchased our tickets, we asked where to go and he pointed us to this stand against the pink building. After waiting (the tours are about every 20−30min I believe) we were called up by the «jail trustees», aka the tour guides dressed as prisoners. We showed our tickets and the tour began. Our tour guide was Bucky and he was very enthusiastic about the tour (BE INTERACTIVE WITH THEM, OR IT’S AWKWARD FOR EVERYONE AND IT WON’T BE FUN!). Apparently I was put in jail because I was partying at the Ponce de Leon and hanging from the chandeliers by my ankles or something, totes a party animal, haha.
We were led around the building to look at some things they used on the prisoners, then led inside to look at the Sheriff’s home/​jail. It was pretty interesting and there’s a lot of information that I learned that I didn’t know. There’s great photographs inside and some neat artifacts inside as well. At the end you’re allowed to walk around the upstairs and look around, good time to take some pictures if you hadn’t been already.
Some people are saying that this tour may have not been worth the price, but I believe it is because we came to view the city for it’s history and help them keep the museum running, so I think $ 10 is a fair price to pay. I know I had a blast!

Very interesting. It was worth the mile walk from the town center. The guides tell you what you need to know and there are a few placards on the walls you can read if you’d like to learn more. Takes about an hour or so to see everything.

Here is the best advice I can give you, and that no one else has bothered to mention to you: GET THERE EARLY! My friend and I got there at 10:30 and already, the parking lot was packed! They open before 9, so be one of the first people there, or spend a good 30 minutes or more circling the lot to find a place to park. You’re welcome.
The old jail is probably nothing like what you’d expect a jail to look like — it’s pretty, it’s pink, and looks inviting. There are trees hanging with Spanish moss even. In fact, according to our tour guide, Henry Flagler was forced to build the jail in that aesthetically pleasing Romanesque Revival fashion, and once he did, snowbirds and other tourists confused it with a hotel, asking to be checked in upon arrival to the city!
The jail was functional until 1953, and now, it is used solely as an attraction. It contains two stories, and housed both male and female prisoners. The sheriff lived on site, and had his own dwelling on the second floor, with his office in the first floor. Prisoners had to cook and operate the kitchen, among other chores, such as day labor, and bringing in food. A total of 8 men were hung from the gallows during its history. Some of the prisoners on the first floor were privileged enough to have a window in their cell — or so you’d think — until you see for yourself what their view was: the operating gallows. Not much of a relaxing view, is it?
Men and women were housed in this jail and the conditions were so poor that they’d only be allowed one bath a month, and they’d all bathe in each other’s water. You can imagine how unsanitary that’d get, especially if that person was hygienically challenged! This is probably why disease was so rampant. Segregation was also practiced here. On the tour, you’re able to see the firearms and weapons that were confiscated on site from the prisoners, and walk into the cells themselves, to experience a few minutes inside a jail cell. The solitary confinement area is quite dark, cramped, and creepy. Supposedly, the jail is said to be haunted, so keep an eye out for a ghost, whether in your pictures, or grazing past your shoulder.

Interesting I guess but I think it was too much for my kids. The hanging and killing info was a bit much.
Our guide was a bit stiff and you could not always here him or understand him. Wish we had a different guide.
Anyway, the feel of the jail was oppressive and sad but interesting also.

Old Jail Museum is one of the few sights I actually paid money to get a tour in St. Augustine. Unlike other sights in St. Augustine, this place has a free parking, since it is a bit outside of downtown.
We took the last tour of the day at 4:30pm. It was just me, my husband and 4 other people. The tour lasted about 20 min. I kinda felt like $ 10 is bit too expensive but nonetheless, this place was unique.

This is a fun, educational tour for both children and adults. Reasonably priced in comparison to some other attractions/​museums.

Deputy Jim was a great tour guide. He answered all questions and gave great info.
The tour lasted about 45 minutes. He takes you around the outside and inside the jail, and explains the lives of the prisoners and the sheriff. He stays in character the entire time. It’s pretty cool.
You find out at the end what this jail has in common with Alcatraz.
This tour is great for families or just adults. It’ll keep you interested the entire time! And it’s just steps away from the other attractions of the old town, and down the street from the Fountain of Youth.

Great tour for all ages. Fun, interesting, and short enough to hold everyone’s interest. The animatronic sheriff at the end was silly but I’m sure he’s a hit with the younger crowd.
The tour guide was very knowledgeable — I learned a bunch of historical facts about St. Augustine. He also stayed «in character» which made it fun. What I liked best was that it was fun and light-​hearted but not too childish.
I would have loved to see this place at night — it seems like a prime spot for a ghost tour. We heard rumors about there being an overnight at the Old Jail but couldn’t find anything definite.

Was looking forward to visiting this historic sight for some time and was so pleased!
Sure, the actor was cheesey but she gave us some cool facts about the jail.
Once her presentation was done though we got to go off by oursleves.
The place is really cool, you can really feel the heaviness of the place just standing quietly in a cell.
The Cells were tiny and cramped, the bars are solid iron, the walls and ceiling are cement.
They have the one and only picture of a hanging, which is very eerie and though the tour was a quick one it is one I’ll always remember.
A sure Must Do in St Augustine.