Founded way back in 1565, St Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the entire United States. Florida might be best known for its theme parks and beaches, but St Augustine is undoubtedly one of the Sunshine State's must-visit locations, home to some beautiful historic landmarks and attractions like the Castillo de San Marcos, the St Augustine Lighthouse, the Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine, the St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, and the Old St Johns County Jail.
If you're planning a trip to St Augustine and want to visit all of these locations and more to really get the full experience of one of America's oldest and most beloved locations, you'll want to hitch a ride on one of the St Augustine trolleys. The main trolley company in St Augustine is Old Town Trolley Tours. The company got started way back in the 1970s and has become a hugely popular name, beloved by locals and tourists alike and running a variety of trolley tours through St Augustine all year long.
Important Information About St Augustine Trolleys
The Old Town Trolley Tours of St Augustine offer a fun way for people of all ages to enjoy the city of St Augustine and visit various landmarks without having to walk or drive. It's a highly convenient option and you don't even need to reserve your tickets in advance, able to simply hop on and off the St Augustine trolleys as you choose. If you like, you can buy tickets in advance online and save a few dollars in the process. You can even buy combo or package tickets that combine trolley tours with admission to various attractions like the Old Jail and the St Augustine History Museum.
The St Augustine trolley tours begin at the Old Town Trolley Depot, which is situated at 167 San Marco Avenue, right by the Old Jail. It's easy to access this part of the city and there's lots of free parking in the area too. Tours are available for people of all ages and will accommodate folding strollers too. You can bring snacks and drinks on board if you like, but no pets are allowed except service animals. Tours run on a daily basis and leave every 15-20 minutes from the Old Jail.
Trolley Tour Options in St Augustine
Old Town Trolley Tours of St Augustine runs a range of different tours all around the city, including a couple of very unique options that will definitely interest many visitors. Read on to learn all about the various trolley tour options for your next trip to St Augustine.
- Hop On Hop Off St Augustine Trolley Tours
The Hop On Hop Off St Augustine Trolley Tours are the standard option for trolley tours in St Augustine. These tours run every day from 9 am through 4.30 pm and can be enjoyed almost all year long, with Christmas Day being the only day without any tours. These trolley tours run every 15 minutes from the Old Jail and, as their name suggests, allow you to hop on or off at 23 different stops around the city.
These trolley tours have proven immensely popular with visitors to St Augustine, passing by more than 100 different points of interest including many major landmarks and attractions like Potter's Wax Museum, the Old Drug Store, the St Augustine History Museum, and the Old Jail. Your ticket for the Hop On Hop Off St Augustine Trolley Tours is good for a full day of trolley travel, meaning you can get on and off the trolleys as you please. The ticket also provides free entry to the St Augustine History Museum and includes stops where you can catch a free beach shuttle to other locations like the St Augustine Lighthouse and Alligator Farm.
All ticket holders will also receive a free color map of the city and the possibility to buy a guide book for just $5 to learn more about St Augustine and find all the places and landmarks you'd like to check out. In short, this trolley tour option is the best way to enjoy the city, stopping off at all the big sites and featuring full, entertaining, educational narration from your on-board St Augustine expert.
- Ghosts and Gravestones Night Tour
Looking for a spookily good time with a trolley tour in St Augustine? The day-time tours are all fun and games, but when the sun sets, ghosts and ghouls come out to play as part of Old Town Trolley Tours' Ghosts and Gravestones Night Tour. This tour runs every night at 8pm, except on selected days of the year like July 4th and Christmas Day.
As the name suggests, the Ghosts and Gravestones Night Tour is a haunting trolley tour focused on the darker side of the city. It passes by some of the creepiest locations all around the city, including the eerie Huguenot Cemetery, the City Gates that are said to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl who died of yellow fever, and the Tolomoto Cemetery, where people have spotted ghostly silhouettes and phantoms from beyond the grave on multiple occasions!
This trolley tour will be fully narrated, with all sorts of spooky stories being told along the way, and will feature full entry into several locations like the Old Jail and Potter's Wax Museum. It's the best haunted tour in St Augustine and a great option for people looking to take a trolley tour with a difference.
- Nights of Lights Tours
The Nights of Lights Tours with Old Town Trolley Tours of St Augustine run exclusively at the end of the year, from November through to the end of January, and have a festive theme to give you a little Christmas spirit and see the beauty of St Augustine all lit up in the early evening. These tours run every 10-15 minutes and operate from 6pm to 9pm each night.
The Nights of Lights celebrations have been held in St Augustine for over two decades now and continue to be one of the city's best winter festivities. Seeing the lights from the comfort of a trolley tour is a wonderful way to experience the magic, just don't forget to bring your camera along to snap some photos and preserve those incredible memories to show friends and family when you head home.
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