Bulldog Tours in Charleston, South Carolina, offers three spooky tours and one not so spooky tour of historic Charleston, South Carolina. In hopes of experiencing some paranormal activity, my family chose The Haunted Jail Tour, a walking ghost tour inside and outside of the Old City Jail located in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina. This article will suggest pros, cons and some words of advice when partaking of this ghostly adventure.
You probably want to know if The Haunted Jail ghost tour, offered by Bulldog Tours, is worth the price of admission. Well, yes and no. The Haunted Jail Tour in itself was interesting, but it was a nightmare to get there and back. Here are the pros and cons of The Haunted Jail Tour, by Bulldog Tours, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Pros
Our tour guide for The Haunted Jail Tour (aka the Old City Jail) in Charleston, South Carolina, was Suzann. Suzann was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the Old City Jail. She kept the ghost tour on schedule, in fact she completed her shift at The Haunted Jail Tour 15 minutes early. Our tour guide tried her best to give the tourists a scare by injecting blood and gore into her script. If that didn’t work, a quick lights out, a shout and some pop rocks thrown to the ground would surely give you a scare.
Learning the history of the Old City Jail while on the ghost tour in Charleston, South Carolina, was definitely interesting. We learned a lot about the past history of the building, the atrocious treatment of the cellmates and the heinous actions of the jailers from 1802 until 1939.
All joking aside, the Old City Jail was, indeed, a bit unnerving. Participants of The Haunted Jail Tour were allowed to take as many photographs as we wanted. Many folks on the Old City Jail tour caught orbs, which could have been mistaken for dust, on their cameras. This writer had the feeling of someone standing beside me, even though no one was there (I had a tendency to drag my feet on The Haunted Jail ghost tour in hopes of capturing paranormal activity).
Cons
The main office for Bulldog Tours in Charleston, South Carolina, is very difficult to find. The Bulldog Tours office is nestled inside a building housing other businesses and cannot be seen from the street. Our family left three hours early in hopes that we would be on time for our 9 pm tour that night. After paying to park in the only parking spot available, we walked and we walked and we walked trying to find the office. We had to call Bulldog Tours on our cell phone and let them guide us to the office. If you are handicapped or have difficulty walking long distances, think thrice before booking this ghost tour.
Finally, after checking in at the Bulldog Tours office, we had to walk even more to get to the Old City Jail. They told us that we could drive or walk, but taking the time to FIND the car would have put us even later for our tour. Opting to walk, we got lost, of course. Walking back and forth, back and forth, an hour later, and on the verge of a heat stroke, we finally reached our destination at the Old City Jail. We were so frustrated, we were ready to put The Haunted Jail Tour where the sun don’t shine.
Words of advice
1. Be wary of a time-share operation displaying a large sign outside their establishment listing the Bulldog Tours. The sign gives visitors the idea that this is the office for Bulldog Tours, it isn’t! If you’re trying desperately to find the Bulldog Tours office, making the mistake of stopping at the time-share sign will definitely make you late to your scheduled ghost tour. They will try to talk you into either leaving a $20 deposit or your driver’s license for free tickets the next day. Don’t fall for it!
2. Because you have to check in at the Bulldog Tours office for them to re-run your credit card (even if you purchased tickets online), I recommend waiting to purchase your tickets until you are actually inside the Bulldog Tours office. That way, if you can’t find the office or you are too late, you cannot be charged. There’s no way of getting out of paying to park just to run and check in at the Bulldog Tours office. Once you check in at the Bulldog Tours office, DRIVE to the Old City Jail (that’s if you can find your car). There’s free parking across the street!
3. Leave at least three hours early to check in to the Bulldog Tours office. If you wait too late, the city will be so crowded, you will not find a place to park. There are so many one-way streets, the possibility of getting lost will skyrocket.
4. If you visit one of the ghost tours during the summer, bring plenty of water to drink, and maybe some bug spray, because it will be extremely hot.
The Haunted Jail Tour in Charleston, South Carolina, begins at 7 pm until 10 pm nightly, with tours beginning every hour. The admission fee is $18 per adult and $10 for children ages seven to 12. Tickets can be purchased either online at the Bulldog Tours website here, or at the Bulldog Tours office at 40 North Market Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The phone number for Bulldog Tours is 843-722-TOUR (8687). A portion of the admission fees are donated to the preservation of the historic landmarks of Charleston.
Other Bulldog Tours that offer a spooky adventure are the Charleston Ghost & Dungeon
Walking Tour, The Dark Side of Charleston SC Walking Tour and the Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Walking Tour. Bulldog Tours in Charleston, South Carolina, also gives an educational tour called The Charleston Stroll – A Walk with History. Bulldog Tours has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “America’s Most Haunted Places.
After reading about our family’s ghostly misadventures, you can decide for yourself if you’re still interested in going on The Haunted Jail Tour in Charleston, South Carolina.
Sources:
Personal experience
http://www.bulldogtours.com/
