Florida means Daytona, Miami, St. Pete’s and maybe even Panama City Beach, right? Don’t leave out St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European established settlement in the continental United States (formerly known as the oldest settlement in the United States).
Since 1950, the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium has been an attraction in St. Augustine. Today, it’s the top value in town and the whole Ripley’s package can provide entertainment for the family for days. This is an odd and unusual state to visit with a total of four Ripley’s Odditoriums in Florida.
Ripley’s St. Augustine Overview
The Odditorium is located at 19 San Marco Avenue in the heart of St. Augustine. This is a 20,000 square foot castle that has 800 odd and unusual exhibits spread through 19 galleries over three floors. The same building houses the Haunted Castle Tour.
The attraction is open 365 days per year and 366 days on leap years (yes, that’s everyday). Hours are almost always 9am until 8pm, except for Christmas Day when the hours are cut to 12pm to 5pm. There is ample free parking on site.
The castle is home to the Odditorium and is also home base for the Ghost Train Adventure, Haunted Casle Tour and the Ripley’s Red Trains. As shown below, each of these facets of Ripleys in St. Augustine are packaged up in various ways to provide value. The castle can also be rented for weddings! There is room for 100 guests at your special ceremony, which takes place on top of the castle.
Looking for info on something specific? Use the following links to jump directly to that topic in the article:
- Package Pricing
- Odditorium
- Ghost Train Adventure
- Haunted Castle Tour
- Ripley’s Red Trains
- Bayfront Mini Golf
- St. Augustine Info
Package Pricing
There are four combo packages that provide savings over individual priced attractions. All four combos include a round of mini golf at the Bayfront Mini Golf, an off-site attraction. All combos and individual tickets can be purchased online and are valid for one year from the date of purchase.
The Haunted Train Adventure and Haunted Castle Tour must be reserved ahead of time because of space restraints. To order tickets, or for more info, click through the ad next to what you’re reading right now to be taken to the Ripley’s St. Augustine official website.
Sunny Day Combo
Included is entrance to the Odditorium, a three day pass on the Red Trains and a round of mini golf. Combo prices are $36.99 for adults and $19.99 for children from 5 to 11. All children under five are free. The overall value if each was bought separately would be $41.48 for adults.
Night Owl Combo
Included is your choice of haunted tour, entrance to the odditorium and a round of mini golf. Your choice of haunted tour is either the Ghost Train Adventure or the Haunted Castle Tour. Combo prices are $38.99 for adults and $21.99 for children. The overall value of the package is $41.49 for adults.
Deals On Wheels Combo
Included in this package is your choice of haunted tour (same options as the Night Owl Combo), a three day pass on the Ripley’s Red Trains and a round of mini golf. The combo price for adults is $44.99 while children pay $20.99. The value of the package when bought separately is $52.49 for adults.
Family Value Combo
Included is a choice of haunted tour, entrance to the Odditorium, three day pass on the Red Trains and a round of mini golf. Combo pricing is $53.99 for adults and $29.99 for children. The overall value of the combo is $65.48 for adults.
Odditorium
The Odditorium is the main 20,000 square foot museum of the odd and unusual that takes up three floors at the castle. Adults pay $12.99 to enter while children aged 5-11 pay $6.99. By buying online, you can save up to $2 per ticket – click on the ad above to order tickets or get more info. It is suggested a minimum of two hours to fully enjoy all the Odditorium has to offer.
Ghost Train Adventure
For all users on the Ghost Train, the cost is $24. Because of limited number of tours and limited number of seats, you must reserve your date and time ahead of your visit. This is easily done via the Ripley’s website. The Ghost Train Adventure is a 90 minute tour through historic and haunted St. Augustine, Florida, stopping at several haunted locations.
Haunted Castle Tour
The Haunted Castle Tour costs the same as the Ghost Train Adventure, $24. Also, the same as the Ghost Train, you must reserve your date and time ahead of your visit. The Castle Tour is a 90 minute adventure through the Ripley’s Castle with the use of high tech ghost detection equipment.
Ripley’s Red Trains
There are two options for the Red Trains, a one day or three day pass. Unless your absolutely only in St. Augustine for a single day, the three day pass is by far the best value. For adults, a one day pass is $20.99 while a three day is $23.99. For children, a one day pass is just $8.99 while it’s just a buck more for the three day pass.
The Ripley’s Red Trains have been running since 1953. The trains are constantly running and provide a fully narrated tour, pointing out over 100 points of historic significance in St. Augustine. You can jump on and off and over 22 different locations around town.
Here’s a little tip, the mini golf that is included in all the combo packages is discounted for Red Train passengers. A round of mini golf can be had for just a $1 – compared to the $4.50 regular price.
Bayfront Mini Golf
The Bayfront Mini Golf is located right next to City Marina with a historic waterfront view. Amazingly around since 1949, Bayfront is Florida’s oldest mini golf course. A round of mini golf costs $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for children aged 6 to 11. As mentioned, there is an excellent discount for passengers of the Red Train.
St. Augustine, Florida
Although part of the much greater Metro Jacksonville Area, St. Augustine remains a small town with a population just under 13,000. The town is located just off U.S. highway 1, southeast of Jacksonville. The nearest interstate is I95. As mentioned, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European established settlement in the continental United States, founded in 1565.
Low cost carrier Frontier Airlines has just started service to the local St. Augustine airport but their flight map is sparse. If flying, it is necessary to fly into Jacksonville (JAX). From Buffalo to JAX via Southwest Airlines can be had for as low as $230 return, including taxes. If you want to drive from Toronto, it’s about 1,850 kilometres.
Hotels are affordable in the area with many listings on Hotels.com in the $50 to $100 per night range.
