Charleston Haunted Jail Night-Time Walking Tour with Admission to Old City Jail

Badge of Excellence

Charleston, USA

Popular pick

Booked 10+ times last week!

45 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.4

· Ellen_S ·

Apr 2026

What made this tour so amazing was our tour guide. It was like watching a scary movie. I would say this is a must see if you are in Charleston. The youngest one on the tour was probably 10 and the oldest early 60’s. Everyone enjoyed it and stayed close together in the dark 😂

· Meagan_B ·

Apr 2026

Great and interesting tour! Our guide, Zoe, was a fantastic story teller and very knowledgeable about the jail and its past occupants! Very spooky also! Would recommend!

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Overview

Discover the spookier side of Charleston’s history on this haunted tour of the Old City Jail. With an expert guide, learn about some of Charleston’s most notorious criminals, pirates and despicable characters like Lavinia and John Fisher, 19th-century hoteliers who allegedly poisoned their guests. Visit eerie spaces such as prisoner cells, hallways and locations where criminals died. Brace yourself for a possible ghostly apparition!

Spooky ghost tour of Old City Jail
Hear about notorious prisoners rumored to still haunt the prison
Explore behind-the-scenes locations with an informative guide
Learn about life and colorful characters in 19th-century Charleston
Entrance fees included

What's Included

Charleston Haunted Jail Night-Time Guided Walking Tour
Admission to Old City Jail in Charleston
45min Behind-The-Scenes Guided Tour of Old City Jail
Experience the jail that housed some of Charleston’s most infamous criminals & 19th-century pirates
Professional Guide

Gratuities
Transportation to/from attractions

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

21 Magazine St, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
Please meet the tour guide at Old City Jail 15 minutes prior to tour time.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Twenty-one Magazine

Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.4

based on 672 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Scary times

Diana_L, Apr 2026

If you have any spiritual knowledge it is definitely for you some feelings are creepy I loved it Sarah are tour guide was very nice

Response from Host, Apr 2026

We are so glad to hear you loved it!

Great stories!! Sarah was...

MELISSA_W, Apr 2026

Great stories!! Sarah was wonderful. Very energetic about telling the stories. My 12 y/o son loved it.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

We are thrilled to hear everyone enjoyed!

A must see in charkeston

Ellen_S, Apr 2026

Response from Host, Apr 2026

We are thrilled to hear that everyone enjoyed!

Spooky and informational

Meagan_B, Apr 2026

Great and interesting tour! Our guide, Zoe, was a fantastic story teller and very knowledgeable about the jail and its past occupants! Very spooky also! Would recommend!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for the recommendation!

Sarah was a great tour...

Selena_D, Dec 2025

Sarah was a great tour leader, we just left lacking and wanting more..with it being an old Hal we thought we’d see more…

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Hello, we are sorry that the tour did not quite meet your expectations. We appreciate the feedback and are glad to hear that you enjoyed Sarah as your guide. We have no problem offering a refund for the tour. Please reach out to me at andrew@bulldogtours.com to discuss further.

Super knowledgeable and...

KATERINA_A, Dec 2025

Super knowledgeable and unique experience! Would definitely do the tour again. We did it in the night and it added to the spookiness of the tour!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Worth it !

Donna_K, Dec 2025

This was a great tour. Highly enjoyed it. We learned a lot of history about this building and Charleston in general. Well knowledged tour guide. She was great !

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We are glad to hear you had a great time!

Boo

Jennifer_D, Dec 2025

It is fun way to learn about a little interesting macabre Charleston history. Our guide Sarah was engaging, interesting & very funny!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Jennifer, thank you for the 5-star review!

Awesome tour with Sarah!

Sarah_S, Nov 2025

We absolutely loved our tour with Sarah! Great experience & highly recommend to anyone visiting Charleston. She is very knowledgeable about the history of the jail but also injects her own experiences! Perfect level of scary yet historic. Thanks Sarah!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

We appreciate the recommendation, Sarah. Thank you for joining us.

This tour was amazing and...

Miranda_H, Nov 2025

This tour was amazing and Sarah was a key ingredient to the experience! I hope to do other tours with her when I visit Charleston again! My only complaint is that we didn’t have more time together!!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thanks for the 5-star review, Miranda!

Quick, fun tour

Denise_N, Nov 2025

This was an informative quick tour. Sarah did a great job. Lots of spooky info about the old jail and the site it is on.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for the 5-star review, Denise!

10/10 recommend

Andrea_O, Nov 2025

Bruce Orr was an amazing tour guide! He had genuinely creepy personal stories which added to the experience! He was so knowledgeable and respectful of the history. This tour is so eerie and Bruce did a great job of capturing those feelings! Would 100% recommend if you are in Charleston!!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We are so glad to hear you had a 10/10 experience on Bruce's Haunted Jail Tour!

5 stars!

Christa_N, Nov 2025

VERY SPOOKY. A lot of history happened here and it is very creepy. Bruce was awesome and very knowledgeable about the jail specifically and Charleston's history. 10/10 recommend

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thanks for the awesome recommendation!

Disappointed

Stacy_M, Nov 2025

The curator of the tour did a great job, but because we were limited to a very small area of the jail and everything you saw was props, it felt very inauthentic. I was terribly disappointed.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello, we are sorry that the tour did not meet expectations. We appreciate the feedback and will consider it for any improvements we feel will make the tour better. We have no problem offering a refund. Please feel free to reach out to me at andrew@bulldogtours.com to discuss further.

Spooky Halloween Tour

Elizabeth_R, Nov 2025

Tour is incredibly spooky -- I wish we had gotten to see the upper floors! Something touched my hair while we were in there.... tour guide was pretty engaging and had lots of scary stories to share with the group. The videos and photo evidence were pretty compelling and added to the experience enormously. Thanks for an awesome Halloween!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for spending your Halloween with us!

Spooky

Leslie_B, Nov 2025

It was a great experience. Sarah, our guide was amazing. She was very informative!it was spooky which was the perfect way to spend Halloween!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you, Leslie!

Scared in Old City Jail

Jesus_N, Oct 2025

We chose this tour because we read about the old jail and really wanted to see it. It is an impressive building but the narrative shared with us prior to entry really made this place scary. The walk through was very creepy because by then my mind was focused on all that had happened on those grounds. Walking through the jail was a walk through history. It was creepy for sure. At one point when we were in the dark room, my camera and flashlight would not work. It worked fine before and after but not in that room. On the way back to our hotel we mentioned we had take the tour and a local person shared their experience when he worked there doing renovations. He said no one he knew returned to work there and that he took a souvenir brick home with him. He said the house had so much negative energy and that people would just start fighting so he had to get rid of the brick. All was better afterwards. Sarah was our guide and she did awesome. She interjected humor and shared her experiences with us which is what really helped the mind start wandering. It was a good time. Y’all check it out and tell me what you think!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Hello! What an amazing review of the tour with Sarah. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the experience. Perhaps the three-star rating was a mistake? If not, please reach out to me at andrew@Bulldogtours.com to discuss further. Thanks!

Must experience this so...

barbara_d, Oct 2025

Must experience this so chilling and interesting guide was outstanding You will find out the history of the jail and what they did to the people there

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for joining us, Barbara!

Jail tour

Gracie_B, Oct 2025

Sarah was great! She is so sweet and very educated. She explained any questions anyone of the tour had. We loved her!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We are thrilled to hear you had such a great experience on Sarah's jail tour!

Great time.

Rhonda_T, Oct 2025

Faith was a great tour guide and very knowledgeable. We had a small group which made it nice. You are only touring the bottom floor but still spooky!!

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for sharing your experience, Rhonda! We appreciate your support.

Hubby and I vaca

Dawne_S, Oct 2025

Excellent history on the Charleston jail Dark side of what happened in the jail Sarah is an excellent tour guide friendly,eager to answer questions- you can tell she loves her job

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Great tour guide

Kacy_S, Oct 2025

Sarah was great! Friendly, knowledgeable, and a clear love for the job and all things paranormal. Will recommend to others.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

We appreciate your recommendation!

I’m a scardy cat so this...

Olivia_M, Oct 2025

I’m a scardy cat so this was a little spookie to me just because it felt very eerie; however, that is the point! Our tour guide was very informative and super fun as well! I want to say his name was Jack Kelly.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

We are so glad to hear you enjoyed your tour with Jack!

Great insightfulness

Rebecca_B, Oct 2025

It was very insightful into history and very entertaining at the same time. I personally was unaware of the conditions that the prisoners were subjected to.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you, Rebecca~

The jail and Zoey were great!!

James_A, Oct 2025

The jail and Zoey were great!! Great history and it was spooky.. fun for all ages! Highly recommended.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thanks for the recommendation, James!

Sarah was a fantastic...

Jackie_B, Oct 2025

Sarah was a fantastic tour guide!!! She was very knowledgeable about the history of the building and was truly passionate about the stories behind each room.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thanks for joining us!

Worth your time

Mary_V, Oct 2025

We accepted that there was an event going on upstairs, but I think it put a damper on the spooky experience. We could hear the band at the wedding upstairs. Sarah did great job as our guide! Funny, serious, full of facts.