St Augustine: Riding with the Ghosts Golf Cart Tour

Ghost stories are better with wheels. This 75-minute ride takes you beyond St. Augustine’s busiest lanes to old cemeteries, churches, hotels, and other places tied to the city’s darker tales. I like the small group of up to 10 people, which gives the guide room to talk with the passengers, and I like the comfortable electric cart, especially if you would rather not spend the evening walking on cobblestones.

The guides are the main attraction. Bob, also called Robert in several bookings, earned praise for his humor, clear voice, patience, and storytelling. The complimentary photos are a nice extra. The main drawback is that the tour may feel too gentle for serious ghost hunters, since you ride past many sites and do not enter a haunted building such as the old jail.

Quick points before you book

• The route reaches several major haunted landmarks: You may see the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, Alcazar Hotel, Castillo de San Marcos, Huguenot Cemetery, and Tolomato Cemetery.
• The electric cart saves your feet: You ride through narrow, cobbled streets instead of walking from one spooky site to another.
• You get out at several locations: This is not only a drive-by tour, though the exact amount of time at each stop can vary.
• Storytelling matters here: Guides such as Bob and Robert have been praised for humor, good voices, local history, and friendly interaction.
• It is a compact experience: Seventy-five minutes gives you a useful introduction, but some passengers wished the tour lasted longer.
• The ride is not fully step-free: You must be able to step in and out of the vehicle, with three passengers seated per row.

Why a golf cart works well in St. Augustine

St. Augustine rewards walking, but its old center can be tiring. Cobblestone streets, narrow lanes, warm Florida evenings, and a long list of historic places can make a walking ghost tour feel like a workout with interruptions for ghost stories. This electric cart offers a practical alternative.

You sit close to the guide and move between sites without losing much time to long walks. That matters on a 75-minute tour. Instead of spending half the evening crossing town, you can cover a wider section of the historic center and hear stories connected to more places.

The cart is also useful for families and mixed-ability groups. One parent specifically appreciated that the guide paused when a child needed a restroom break. That kind of flexibility can make a short evening tour much easier with young children.

You should still expect to step in and out of the vehicle. Three people sit per row, so personal space is limited, and your group may not control every seat. If you are traveling with friends or family, arrive ready to board together and ask the guide to keep your party seated together.

Starting at Constitution Plaza by the Slave Market

The regular meeting point is on the east side of Constitution Plaza, near the Slave Market, at 150 Charlotte Street. This is an easy place to locate in the historic center, but plazas can get busy and confusing at night. Give yourself a few minutes to find the correct side of the square rather than arriving at the last second.

There is an important seasonal change. From November 15 through January 11, pickup moves to 2 Artillery Lane, beside the Trinity Episcopal Church Thrift Store. Check your confirmation and the date carefully, because going to the normal location during this period could leave you waiting in the wrong place.

The tour returns to 150 Charlotte Street. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, so you need to arrange your own way to and from the meeting point.

One practical issue deserves attention: the cart may not arrive exactly when you expect for a later departure. One group had to wait in the plaza after dark and found the mosquitoes unpleasant. I would arrive promptly, but I would also avoid cutting the timing too close, especially if you are joining the last ride of the evening.

The former Ponce de Leon Hotel and Alcazar Hotel

The former Ponce de Leon Hotel is one of the route’s grandest landmarks. Built as a luxury hotel, it gives the ghost stories a strong setting: impressive architecture, old hotel corridors, and decades of stories connected to people who stayed, worked, and died there.

The tour does not promise entry into every building. From the cart, you get the outside setting and the guide’s account of the place. That can be enough if you enjoy local history mixed with atmosphere, but it will feel less intense than an investigation inside a dark building.

The Alcazar Hotel adds another historic layer. Its connection to St. Augustine’s hotel district helps explain how the city grew as a destination for wealthy visitors and winter guests. The guide can place the ghost tales in that larger story instead of presenting each haunting as an isolated scare.

This is where the tour’s balance becomes clear. You are getting history, architecture, and folklore together. The stories may be spooky, but the guide’s humor keeps the mood approachable. Several bookings praised the guides for being funny and lively, which is useful if your group includes people who like ghost stories but do not want a relentlessly frightening night.

Castillo de San Marcos and the old city streets

The Castillo de San Marcos gives the ride one of its strongest visual settings. The massive fort is a reminder that St. Augustine’s past includes military conflict, changing empires, and generations of people living around the old defensive walls.

Seeing the fort as part of a nighttime route changes the experience. You are not taking a daytime history lesson inside the monument. Instead, you hear about the darker side of the city while passing one of its most recognizable structures. The cart lets you reach the area without a long walk from the central plaza.

The surrounding streets are part of the appeal. Narrow lanes and cobblestones create the right mood for stories about old buildings and restless spirits. I would not expect theatrical effects at every corner. The atmosphere comes from the real streets, the age of the buildings, and the guide’s delivery.

That distinction matters when deciding if this is right for you. If you want actors jumping out, special effects, or access to restricted interiors, this may feel restrained. If you prefer a guide who explains the setting and lets the old city provide the suspense, the format works better.

Huguenot and Tolomato Cemeteries

Cemeteries are central to the route, and Huguenot Cemetery and Tolomato Cemetery provide the sort of setting that makes a ghost tour feel tied to St. Augustine rather than copied from any other city.

The names and locations connect the stories to the city’s religious and colonial past. You get a stronger sense of how old St. Augustine is when the guide points out burial grounds among the streets and buildings of the modern town.

The tour includes stops where you disembark, so you will not remain seated for the full 75 minutes. That gives you a chance to take photos and look around while the guide continues the story. Still, the exact time spent at each site is not specified, and the tour is short. Think of the cemetery visits as focused story stops, not long periods for quiet exploration.

Bring comfortable shoes even though this is a ride. You will not be walking between every landmark, but you may stand or move around at the stopping points. At night, pay attention to the guide’s instructions and stay with the group.

How the storytelling shapes the experience

The strongest part of this tour is not the vehicle. It is the person in the front seat.

Bob received especially warm praise for being informative, friendly, patient, funny, and interactive. He was also praised for his speaking voice and his ability to keep a group engaged at the stops. Robert was described as a strong storyteller who knew the city’s past and could make a Halloween evening feel even more atmospheric.

Those details tell you what to value. A ghost tour can visit excellent locations and still fall flat if the guide reads a script without responding to the group. Here, the guide’s personality appears to matter a great deal. You may get questions, jokes, explanations, and small adjustments for children or group needs.

The English-language format is straightforward. The tour is not presented as a silent ride or a self-guided audio experience. You depend on the live guide to connect each landmark with its story, so sit where you can hear clearly.

The tone also seems flexible. Some people wanted a scarier experience and hoped to enter a building such as the jail. Others praised the tour as a fun, informative outing for children. That range suggests a family-friendly ghost tour with spooky material, not an extreme horror attraction.

Complimentary photos are a useful extra

Photos are included at no additional charge. This is a small benefit, but it fits the experience well. You can enjoy the stops without spending the entire tour trying to photograph your group from the cart.

The photos also give you a souvenir of the outing beyond a dark snapshot of a cemetery gate. If the guide takes photos during the stops, you can focus on listening and looking around. The available information does not specify how many photos you receive or how they are delivered, so do not book this primarily for a formal photography package.

Still, at $39 per person, the inclusion helps the value. You are paying for a live guide, a small group ride, several landmark stops, and a keepsake. For a first look at St. Augustine’s haunted side, that is a fair package.

Is $39 a good value for 75 minutes?

At $39 per person, this sits in the moderate range for a specialized city tour. The value depends on what you want from a ghost experience.

I think the price makes sense if you value convenience and coverage. The cart carries you between multiple parts of the historic center, and the small group size gives you a better chance of hearing the guide than you would on a large vehicle. You also avoid paying separately for transportation between stops.

The value is weaker if you mainly want access inside haunted buildings. The tour does not include food, drinks, hotel pickup, or entry into a jail or other interior site. You are paying for the ride, guide, storytelling, stops, and photos.

The 75-minute length is both a strength and a limitation. It fits neatly into an evening and leaves time for dinner or another activity. On the other hand, it can feel brief once you factor in boarding, moving between locations, and stopping for photos. One passenger wished the experience had continued longer to allow more time for the hauntings and local history.

For a first evening in town, I see the short length as useful. You can learn which places deserve a return visit during daylight. If ghost tours are your main reason for visiting St. Augustine, you may want something longer or more focused on interior investigations.

Who will enjoy this tour most?

I would recommend it to you if you want:

• A low-effort way to cover several haunted landmarks
• A live guide with humor and local stories
• A small group rather than a large walking crowd
• A tour that works for families with older children
• A mix of St. Augustine history and ghost folklore
• A short evening activity that does not take over your whole night

You may want a different format if you need fully step-free access, since you must enter and exit the cart. I would also think twice if you want a very scary experience, actors, or long visits inside haunted buildings.

Groups should pay attention to seating. One party of six ended up scattered across the cart because seating was not called out clearly. If sitting together matters, arrive early and speak up before boarding.

Booking details that matter

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. Those policies help if your St. Augustine schedule may change.

The tour is offered in English, with a live guide. The group is limited to 10 participants, though the cart has three passengers per row. The transport received a 91 percent perfect score, which matches the general praise for the comfortable ride and the guides.

Plan to bring only what you need. The supplied information does not list storage space, food, or drinks, and neither food nor drinks are included. Since the tour is short, eat beforehand if you need a proper meal.

Most of all, check the seasonal meeting point. The November 15 through January 11 pickup at 2 Artillery Lane is the detail most likely to cause confusion.

Final verdict: book it for stories, not scares

I would book Riding with the Ghosts if you want an easy, well-paced introduction to St. Augustine’s haunted side. The cart saves your feet, the route covers important old-city landmarks, and guides such as Bob and Robert appear to bring real warmth and humor to the stories.

I would not choose it as my only ghost experience if I wanted intense scares or indoor investigations. The tour is best understood as a guided history ride with eerie stories, cemetery stops, complimentary photos, and a bit of nighttime atmosphere.

For families, couples, and first-time visitors who want to see more than they could comfortably cover on foot, $39 is a sensible price. Just allow time for boarding, confirm the seasonal pickup point, and be ready to step in and out of the cart.

FAQ

How long is the Riding with the Ghosts Golf Cart Tour?

The tour lasts 75 minutes.

Where does the tour meet?

The regular meeting point is on the east side of Constitution Plaza by the Slave Market, at 150 Charlotte Street.

Where is pickup from November 15 through January 11?

During that period, pickup is at 2 Artillery Lane, by the Trinity Episcopal Church Thrift Store.

What landmarks are included?

The route includes the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, Alcazar Hotel, Castillo de San Marcos, Huguenot Cemetery, and Tolomato Cemetery.

Do passengers get out of the golf cart?

Yes. You will disembark at several sites during the tour.

Is hotel pickup included?

No. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.

What accessibility requirement should I know about?

Participants must be able to step in and out of the vehicle. Three passengers sit per row.

Can I cancel the tour?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later.