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 design (with the welcomed addition of air conditioning). Bulldog Tours, exclusively, guides guests through the cells, hallways and places where Charleston’s earliest criminals lived. Get a glimpse of how the incarcerated were mistreated with primitive forms of torture while living in miserable conditions. Hear stories like the legend of Lavinia Fisher, the jail’s most famous inmate and first female serial killer. Since Bulldog's first tour of this storied place in 2004, guests have returned again and again to make their own discoveries about what has transpired in this historic site. PLEASE NOTE THIS TOUR IS FOR 12 AND UP ONLY.
Posted By : U8359TNlaurend
Enjoyed seeing the building but disappointed in only being able to see a limited portion. We were expecting much more to see. The tour guide was knowledgeable and a good story teller but exaggerated in prepping visitors in terms of feeling sick, dizzy, nauseous, etc.
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Posted On : 2024-07-01 09:17:50 
Posted By : Compass62530002219
Our family of 8 participated in the 7:30 pm tour on a Thursday evening. We enjoyed the history and the stories our guide, Bruce, shared! He does speak fast so listen up lol.
With regard to the jail itself, I was not too thrilled with the different color lighting used in the rooms we toured. The room with the cells had a blue light shining on them and the room with the chair was lit up with a red light. I don’t know if there was a legitimate reason for this but, for me, it gave a kitschy haunted house vibe instead of a real historical jail with a very gruesome past. Though we did enjoy this tour and our guide, I do feel like it lacked a bit in exploration. We would’ve liked to see more of the jail in normal lighting.
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Posted On : 2024-06-30 15:32:12
Posted By : Amers0184
Spend your money elsewhere. The tour is at best worth maybe $10 in my opinion. We spent dang near $40 for a 45 minute tour that only took us to the north part of the jail. The so called ghost stories were limited. The tour guide was nice and did a good job…I just don’t feel there was an enough content to fill $40 worth of time. Considering there are so many other places to see in Charleston, save your money and check out something else.
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Posted On : 2024-06-28 23:26:44
Posted By : S2440GCkevinp
Dustin was a great guide. We could tell he loves his job and is very knowledgeable about the history of the jail. We would definitely go again.
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Posted On : 2024-06-26 10:18:05
Posted By : Donald_S
Excellent tour. Guide was outstanding and very animated. History of site is fascinating. Stories of actual people who stayed there very well done.
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Posted On : 2024-06-25 15:43:39 
Posted By : Benjamin R
Sarah was incredibly knowledgeable and a delight to listen to. Her storytelling is fantastic; a beautiful blend of relaying the historical truths while also inflicting bits of her personal experiences during her guided walkthrough.
It was incredibly eerie and made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at times, but I was most impressed at how profoundly respectful Sarah and the purveyors of the tour were at ensuring the intense and dark history of the location was honored.
Great experience!
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Posted On : 2024-06-24 21:34:48
Posted By : Hello_Kpluu
Thank you Sarah for the amazing tour! She was very immersive and made jokes to help calm our nerves. We all had a great time and her humor helped us from our anxiety being in a dark spooky place. Thank you Sarah we hope to have you as a tour guide again!!
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Posted On : 2024-06-23 22:09:02
Posted By : Allenjs20
My wife and I enjoyed this tour of the old jail at night. Sarah was our tour guide and she seemed very knowledgeable and that she truly loved what she was doing. I think she helped make this tour as great as it was. Definitely recommend!
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Posted On : 2024-06-23 14:36:35
Posted By : lisa_g
Loved Sarah out tour guide! It was very informative and scary too!! We were very happy with the tour!
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Posted On : 2024-06-20 12:34:15
Posted By : maggiey440
This tour was more so about the history of the jail with paranormal aspects sprinkled in which I really enjoyed as it helped to give context to all the ghost stories. Our tour guide Andrew did a really good job explaining the history of the jail and experiences that he and others have had. I would 100% recommend this tour to anyone interested in the history of the jail. I only wish it was a longer tour.
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Posted On : 2024-06-19 13:15:40
