“Is your tummy ok?” whispered a woman in my hotel room.  What woman?  Not sure since I was the only woman in that room.  Where was I? St. Augustine: Charming & harmless on the outside.  Eerily haunted on the inside.
I have been cleansing crystals and getting my cards read since I was 18.  I’ve been to seances, consider visiting Medium villages a vacation, and take pictures to see orbs.  I’ve traveled to haunted towns like Cassadaga or New Orleans, and gone on ghost tours and other activities of a similar nature.  My point: I consider myself a little tougher than most when it comes to encounters of the supernatural kind…or so I thought.
St. Augustine’s clean streets, manicured lawns, polite citizens, and overall welcoming demeanor is what you see.  Then take a tour of the ghostly kind and your perception may change.
The Ghosts & Gravestones Tour will take you on a trolley where the driver is dressed as a prisoner, while the guide points out the different haunted areas in St. Augustine.  You will get off at two locations: a park right outside the lighthouse (where a children’s swing set can be seen moving without the assistance of a person or wind), and the Old Jail, listed on the Florida and National Register for Haunted Places, where inmates lived 12 to a cell, often the sentences were 3-5 years, but the life expectancy in the jail was only 1-2 years.  That was how terrible the living conditions were.  Couple those conditions with individuals who were in for murder, and you’ve got some unfriendly spirits.  And you will feel their frustration and anger.  Don’t believe me?  Fine.  Try it yourself.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.   There’s a reason why this tour was rated the best ghost tour of St. Augustine last year.
If you rather not visit the darker side of St.Augustine, take the Old Town Trolley Tour, which will show you all the city’s landmarks in the downtown area.  Definitely, get off at the stop for the San Sebastian Winery, and take a free tour & tasting.
Don’t forget the beaches, Anastasia Park, or Wednesday’s Market Day at the St. John’s County Pier.

I give my visit to St. Augustine 3.5 ghostly thumbs up!