Haunted, But Researched: The Work Behind Ghosts and Gravestones

By Natasha Chinea

For one St. Augustine guide, ghost tours begin with history books, not jump scares.

Valicia Volanos manages the Ghosts and Gravestones tour for Old Town Trolley in St. Augustine, where months of research and preparation shape what guests experience as a seamless, spooky performance. 

The tour departs from 27 San Marco Ave. and typically runs four times each evening, with tours beginning around 7:20, 7:40, 8:40 and 9 p.m. Some nights include additional tours at 8 and 9:20 p.m. Tickets range from $32.86 to $40.35 and can be purchased online or in person. More information is available at https://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/st-augustine. 

Volanos’ understanding of how the tours work comes from her extensive experience in nearly every role.

“I did the daytime, and then I came over here and I had to certify for all of the positions: driver, ghost host, jail actor and an actor over at Potter’s Wax Museum,” Volanos said. 

That hands-on experience helps shape how Volanos approaches storytelling, something she’s always been drawn to. 

“I like the paranormal,” she said. “I grew up with the Crypt Keeper and Elvira, and all these shows that talked about the spooky and mysterious, and were a little bit mischievous, and that’s what I try to bring into my storytelling.”

But the most important way to prepare? “Research,” Volanos said. 

“Every story that we tell has a real story behind it,” she said.  

While some stories include unexplained elements or local legends, Volanos said they all began in history, being told time and time again. 

“St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in America,” Volanos said. “So there is a lot that needs to be told and remembered. You can’t explain everything, and it’s fun to have those little elements of mystery.”

But turning those stories into a tour takes months of planning. 

“We went through a basic script, and that took several months of getting all the stories together and then researching,” Volanos said. 

The script provides a framework, but ghost hosts are encouraged to continue researching and adapting the stories, allowing no two tours to feel exactly the same. What guests don’t realize is that what they experience as a single tour is actually a coordinated effort involving an entire cast. 

“I like our cast,” Volanos said. “We’re this hodgepodge of all kinds of people, and we actually work really well together.”

Each member of the cast has a specific role, and their chemistry matters just as much to the experience, ensuring it runs smoothly and feels immersive for guests. 

“We of course have the driver, we have the ghost host and we have people stationed at the buildings we go into,” she said. 

Each night begins with a briefing about an hour before the first tour, ensuring every cast member knows their role before guests arrive. 

“So we get together and we go over anything that’s out of the ordinary,” she said. “That’s really like our fellowship time because, again, whenever you have people that have close relationships, they can play off each other and it makes the tour so much better.”

For Volanos, the payoff really comes from the guest reactions. 

“A lot of times they don’t really know what they’re getting into,” Volanos said. “Tourists are definitely surprised with the addition of characters along the way.”

Guests often don’t realize every detail is carefully orchestrated.

“It’s like any theme park ride. There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that you don’t think about as a tourist,” Volanos said. 

For Volanos, seeing guests enjoy the tour makes all the preparation worth it.

“I see our reviews all the time where people say they didn’t really know what to expect, but it was so much fun,” she said. “I love that our guests have a good time.” 

Whether guests leave believing in the paranormal or just appreciating the history behind it, Volanos said her goal is the same: to create a fun experience to remember, through a glimpse into St. Augustine’s past being brought to life. 

“You definitely have to read your crowd, and it all starts at the very beginning,” Volanos said.