Charleston Jail Tour: Explore Infamous Criminal Cells

Explore Charleston’s haunted Old City Jail at night. Hear chilling tales of infamous criminals and Civil War prisoners. Book your unforgettable tour now.

Duration: 45 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Old City Jail - The Haunted Jail Tour takes you through the cells, hallways, and into the places where Charleston’s worst criminals lived and died. Brace yourself as you hear stories like the legend of Lavinia and John Fisher, hotel owners from the 1800s who supposedly poisoned their guests. Featured on such shows as Ghost Adventures, the story…
What's Included
  • Charleston Haunted Jail Night-Time Guided Walking Tour
  • Admission to Old City Jail in Charleston
  • Professional Guide
  • 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
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Transportation to/from attractions
Additional Information

Join us for a memorable tour of the ground level of the Old City Jail, which housed some of Charleston’s most infamous criminals, 19th-century pirates, and Civil War prisoners. Located on Magazine Street downtown, the Old City Jail operated from 1802 until 1939, and has recently undergone renovation, leaving the first floor in keeping with its original…

Location
21 Magazine St
Magazine Street
Please meet the tour guide at Old City Jail 15 minutes prior to tour time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(662 Ratings)
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Katerina_a
Dec 29, 2025
Super knowledgeable and... - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Donna_k
Dec 29, 2025
Worth it ! - 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 !
Review provided by Viator
Kaypee101
Dec 26, 2025
Spooky, fascinating, and unforgettable ghost tour! - Spooky, fascinating, and unforgettable ghost tour! We had an incredible experience with Bulldog Tours, especially the ghost tour with Jack Kelly! From start to finish, the tour was absolutely captivating. Jack is an amazing storyteller—knowledgeable, engaging, and perfectly paced. He blended Charleston’s dark history with chilling ghost stories in a way that kept us hooked the entire time. What really set this tour apart were the photos Jack shared along the way. Seeing actual images tied to the locations and stories made everything feel so much more real—and honestly, pretty creepy! 😳 The combination of historical facts, eerie legends, and unexplained photos gave us chills and sparked great conversations long after the tour ended. If you love history with a spooky twist, this tour is a must. Bulldog Tours delivers a top-notch experience, and Jack Kelly made it unforgettable. Equal parts fascinating and spine-tingling—we highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Opichardo
Dec 18, 2025
Great tour - Great experience. Guide was great. We learned a lot about the history and they have a store. Clean and lots to see. Parking in the side.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Toughandfair
Dec 1, 2025
History with haunting! - Not much for ghost tours but this one was very good, Sarah did a great job. Lots of info in 45 minutes. I would recommend this tour from a historical basis.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifer_d
Dec 1, 2025
Boo - It is fun way to learn about a little interesting macabre Charleston history. Our guide Sarah was engaging, interesting & very funny!
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_s
Nov 28, 2025
Awesome tour with Sarah! - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Rickmu3880qo
Dec 30, 2025
Quick, fun, engaging tour! - Sarah was an excellent tour guide and the history of the jail and early US punishment was really interesting! A really good choice if you’re looking for some Charleston history while visiting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Selena_d
Dec 29, 2025
Sarah was a great tour... - 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…
Review provided by Viator
C6369rnjasonm
Dec 21, 2025
Not awesome - This seems misleading when you see the marketing on the Jail ghost tour. Very disapointed $180 and we only see the basement? This really was not worht the money, the tour guide was awesome very nice guy, you only go in the basement and you could look at all of it in 15 minutes. but you have a story about the history and other peoples experiences. We are local and have this an hour from us and we not do this again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $46
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).