Old City Jail
Old City Jail
4
About
Join us for a behind the scenes tour that is sure to frighten all who dare enter the Old City Jail. Dark and sinister, this jail housed some of Charleston's most heinous convicts, slaves and Civil War prisoners. On this exclusive tour, you'll discover where Charleston's worst criminals lived, died and are rumored to reside today.
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- DH75Knoxville, Tennessee113 contributionsInteresting tourFound this tour after doing a couple of horse carriage tours in the city, one was a haunted tour, in which they mentioned the jail. Booking was easy and this was something we both really wanted to do. Hearing the history behind the building and getting to go inside instead of driving/walking past was a fun experience. It was about a 40-45 minute tour. For me, the only negative was that there are no longer cells in the place. The rooms the cells were in is where you go and that was cool hearing the history of what those rooms once housed was great. If haunted things are something you enjoy, this is a must do. It is claimed to be the most haunted building in the city.Visited November 2020Traveled as a coupleWritten November 8, 2020
- Heather S2 contributionsIt made me "scream"We had a great tour, decided last minute. We went through Bulldog Tours which was easy to book through their website. Our guide Sean was awesome, so laid back but he was into it and providing all of us the best time as we explored this abandoned jail. It is is the middle of a residential neighborhood, which was weird, but really cool. The tour we took was 8:30pm, so it was really dark. Sean, our guide told us to go with it and he would tell us the history and stories as he knew them. There is not a lot to see, but being in different rooms and listening to some of the history of the more famous people that had been at the prison. It was all in the dark and we were encouraged to take pictures. I think my husband may have captured something in one of his photos. The last room that Sean took us too he told a really intense story and then made a loud noise which was when I let out a scream as I was into the story. We do recommend going on the tour for something fun and different with some "ghost" to it! History is everywhere!Visited October 2020Written October 27, 2020
- ACWLexington, Kentucky2 contributionsMehOur guide was very knowledgeable with the history, and the stories she told were great! I would have really liked to see more of the building, we only saw like 4 rooms. But, she lost me towards the end when we stopped to "listen for sounds".. I noticed right before that she did something on her phone, then put it away... then sounds mysteriously started. Seemed like she was signaling someone we were ready to hear things. Totally ruined it for me.. it was SO fake.Visited January 2020Written January 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
252 reviews
Excellent
117
Very good
67
Average
39
Poor
15
Terrible
14
DH75
Knoxville, TN113 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
Found this tour after doing a couple of horse carriage tours in the city, one was a haunted tour, in which they mentioned the jail. Booking was easy and this was something we both really wanted to do.
Hearing the history behind the building and getting to go inside instead of driving/walking past was a fun experience.
It was about a 40-45 minute tour.
For me, the only negative was that there are no longer cells in the place. The rooms the cells were in is where you go and that was cool hearing the history of what those rooms once housed was great.
If haunted things are something you enjoy, this is a must do. It is claimed to be the most haunted building in the city.
Hearing the history behind the building and getting to go inside instead of driving/walking past was a fun experience.
It was about a 40-45 minute tour.
For me, the only negative was that there are no longer cells in the place. The rooms the cells were in is where you go and that was cool hearing the history of what those rooms once housed was great.
If haunted things are something you enjoy, this is a must do. It is claimed to be the most haunted building in the city.
Written November 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather S
2 contributions
Oct 2020
We had a great tour, decided last minute. We went through Bulldog Tours which was easy to book through their website. Our guide Sean was awesome, so laid back but he was into it and providing all of us the best time as we explored this abandoned jail. It is is the middle of a residential neighborhood, which was weird, but really cool. The tour we took was 8:30pm, so it was really dark. Sean, our guide told us to go with it and he would tell us the history and stories as he knew them. There is not a lot to see, but being in different rooms and listening to some of the history of the more famous people that had been at the prison. It was all in the dark and we were encouraged to take pictures. I think my husband may have captured something in one of his photos. The last room that Sean took us too he told a really intense story and then made a loud noise which was when I let out a scream as I was into the story. We do recommend going on the tour for something fun and different with some "ghost" to it! History is everywhere!
Written October 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ACW
Lexington, KY2 contributions
Jan 2020
Our guide was very knowledgeable with the history, and the stories she told were great! I would have really liked to see more of the building, we only saw like 4 rooms. But, she lost me towards the end when we stopped to "listen for sounds".. I noticed right before that she did something on her phone, then put it away... then sounds mysteriously started. Seemed like she was signaling someone we were ready to hear things. Totally ruined it for me.. it was SO fake.
Written January 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dani D
Charleston, SC67 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
Our friends were visiting from out of town and love a ghost story so we booked a tour. I can see why this jail was on Ghost Adventures....
The ambiance of the place is overwhelmingly creepy upon first arrival. The tour guides were awesome and very knowledgeable. Inside the jail is even more menacing. So many people died there and you can feel it! Wow what a night
The ambiance of the place is overwhelmingly creepy upon first arrival. The tour guides were awesome and very knowledgeable. Inside the jail is even more menacing. So many people died there and you can feel it! Wow what a night
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tanyajn1
Sterling, VA200 contributions
Jan 2023 • Couples
We walked around the perimeter of the building much to my husband's disappointment; we love exploring old buildings. It is a pretty impressive building, though not the original and not in the exact location of the original. There is renovation work going on both inside and outside, so maybe it'll be open for tours at some point in the future. The original building was used for "correcting behavior" of slaves.
Written January 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katherine I
Newport News, VA35 contributions
Nov 2020 • Family
My daughter (19) and I did this tour after hearing about it from Don with Old Charleston Carriage Tours. The tour was at 7 so this time of year it w hi s dark. I think the most disappointing part was there are multiple tours running at the same time so I was often distracted by those noises and unable to really focus on our tour. It was as advertised. Even in November we left with a few mosquito bites so bring bug spray. The tour itself was good. The tour guide was funny and clearly loves his job which was very cool. I wish we could have explored more of the building.
Written November 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian S
Sumter, SC69 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
To one of the Ghost Tours and this was one of the stops. On the day we went out was classed and under renovations. We did hear all about the history as this was one of the nation's oldest jails in use from 1802 until 1939. The biggest story was about America's First Female Serial Killer who was held here and later executed after she was suspected of killing over 100 people at a near by hotel with her partner. Life the stories and hope they when construction is finished it opens back up to the public for inside behind the scene tours.
Written April 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William A
10 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
The jail itself is a very unique and fascinating place. My wife and I enjoyed our visit, and we had Bruce, a very knowledgeable and fun guide.
However, for the price of the tour, it was very rushed and there was little time to experience the ambiance and to really see the place and look for the ghosts. We were very disappointed by that.
However, for the price of the tour, it was very rushed and there was little time to experience the ambiance and to really see the place and look for the ghosts. We were very disappointed by that.
Written July 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caitlin C
Conroe, TX7 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
My husband and I did the paranormal investigation tour and had an amazing time!!! The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and told us all about the history of the jail and the inmates, as well as about people’s paranormal encounters! After the tour we were given tools for spiritual contact (idk what they’re called) and were allowed to explore on our own! It was a once in a lifetime experience! Given the history and the old structure, it was really creepy (also heard footsteps where no human was and my husband felt something grab him). The jail was really dark too which made it all the more creepy. I was very saddened to learn that the old city jail will soon be offices - total shame. So much history here!! But I 10/10 recommended the paranormal investigation tour if you get the chance, especially if you’re into paranormal stuff and/or are looking for a unique experience. It’s 100% worth the money. If I’m able to make it back to charleston before they ruin the jail I will certainly be doing this tour again!!!
Written May 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrdonschaefer
Reston, Virginia134 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
I enjoyed hearing of the history of this place in a nighttime setting. The paranormal stories were told well and were engaging even for pre teens. We actually heard some inexplicable sounds and when we looked back through our photos we had a creepy one that was worth posting. Definitely worth going on this tour.
Written March 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa Johnson
Monroe, NC38 contributions
So are you no longer able to walk onto the property and take pictures?
Does anyone know when the renovations/restorations will be complete? Really want to be able to book a tour so I can go inside.
asbruce999
Fayetteville, NC8 contributions
Is this open to the public during the day, or do you have to schedule a tour with Bulldog? We are interested in walking through during daytime hours, because I can't seem to justify spending $30 a person to see it.
Diana_in_VA
Woodbridge, VA345 contributions
I believe you must purchase a tour to walk through. It is not an open to the public historical landmark.
jewels48162
Monroe, MI319 contributions
Great review, just a question more out of curiosity did you use Viator to book? I have had nothing but bad things with that company. Can I buy tickets on site? Thanks so much for your time
Julie
D2000lands
Virginia Beach, VA1,271 contributions
You wouldn't be able to get the tickets on site. I booked directly through Bulldog Tours, who is the only tour company that does the night tours at the jail.
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Claim your listingOld City Jail (Charleston) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Old City Jail
- We recommend booking Old City Jail tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 5 Old City Jail tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Old City Jail:
- Charleston’s Strong Women of the South History Tour (From $35.90)
- Charleston Pirates and Ghosts Tour (From $35.00)
- Charleston's Haunted Ghost Tour - Solo Smart Phone Guided Tour (From $6.75)
- Charleston History and Architecture Walking Tour (From $25.00)
- Self Guided Audio Ghost Tour in Charleston (From $19.00)
- Hotels near Old City Jail:
- (0.19 mi) Wentworth Mansion
- (0.11 mi) Charming Row House 2 Bedrooms with Parking and Private Patio
- (0.11 mi) Downtown Charleston Peninsula Home
- (0.24 mi) John Rutledge House Inn
- (0.12 mi) Historic Romantic Villa Townhouse
- Restaurants near Old City Jail:
- (0.09 mi) Queen Street Grocery & Cafe
- (0.11 mi) Second State Coffee
- (0.17 mi) Circa 1886 Restaurant
- (0.28 mi) 82 Queen
- (0.26 mi) Bin 152
Old City Jail Information
| Excellent Reviews | 117 |
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| Very Good Reviews | 67 |
| Old City Jail Photos | 237 |







































































