A Ghostly Experience

A Ghostly Experience, presented by the Ghost Tours of St. Augustine, is unlike any other ghost tour in St. Augustine. This tour company takes prides in being the first and original ghost tour in St. Augustine and the fact that the guides tell authentic stories, unlike some of their competitors.

Ghost Tours of St. Augustine was developed by Sandy Craig, a native resident of St. Augustine, 15 years ago. Craig also founded Tour Saint Augustine Inc. Craig's background goes back 400 years, to the Spanish settlers that first arrived here. Her heritage can be traced back to some of the oldest families in St. Augustine, such as the Solano family. The tour company is a family-run business. Kimber Ponce, Craig's daughter, currently runs the business.

When the tours first started in 1994, Craig decided to make her tours a field trip destination, primarily for fourth grade school groups who were studying Florida history. The tours were offered for school groups that stayed overnight. These school groups needed a fun, educational activity in the evening, that would wear the children out.

To gather information for her tour, Craig had to do a lot of research. She met with local writers and historians to develop tours that were based on the ghost and paranormal phenomenon that have taken place in the old city. After gathering her information, Craig alone began to give tours to students, in search of the spirits. Her tour "A Ghostly Experience," became very popular and eventually expanded to include the public.

The tour company now has developed other tours besides the walking tour. It now offers a riding tour for those find the walking tour to be difficult. The company has also worked in part with the Schooner Freedom Charters, another company that provides tours on the water, to create the Ghost of Matanzas, a pirate ghost tour where people are taken on a vessel to explore the ghost waters of the Matanzas River.

"All of the stories have been researched through historical documents, The Historical Society, family history and many other documents," said Suzanne Dixon, the general manager for Ghost Tours of St. Augustine. Dixon,54, has worked with the company for two and a half years, and enjoys her job. "i love this job, i love the people interaction, the management and administrative duties that are required in this position, and talking about St. Augustine and its history," said Dixon. "We have had great reviews about our stories and our guides. The guides we look for are a variety from college students to retirees, that way, it will make each tour different," said Dixon.

The guides and the passengers on the tours have been enjoying themselves as well. Cal Colgan, 21, a junior at Flagler College, has been known to have one of the most interesting tours. Colgan has been known by Dixon and many other employees to be one of the louder and most certainly enthusiastic tour guides for the company. "I really like my job, it is good for me to primarily utilize my public speaking skills, as an aspiring journalist it trains you to speak well, to be prepared for interview," said Colgan.

Nicole Pick, 20, a junior from University of Florida, went on a tour awhile back and commented on her great experience. "The guide was really knowledgeable in the history of St. Augustine, and was a great story teller. My brother and I found it to be the perfect thing to do on a Friday night in the city," said Pick.

This tour company has won many awards including the "#1 Guided Tour in Florida," by the readers of Florida Living Magazine. It also appears on certain television channels ever year, including the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel. The company is constantly look for new, creative ways, to make a new tour. "The company itself has only evoked over time, just like any company the products evolves, so do the stories,"said Dixon. With over eight competing ghost tour companies in St. Augustine, competition is not fear. Dixon said, "everyone else is a sincere invitation."

Picture taken from ghosttoursofstaugustine.com