History is hiding in plain sight.
Pirates, sieges, seashell fortresses, a road to freedom and a Gilded Age fortune. America's oldest city has been keeping secrets for more than 460 years. Come find them.
Two ways to explore the City of Secrets
Same streets, same true history, told differently for little detectives and grown-up investigators.
Junior Detectives
Treasure maps, symbol hunts, cannonball puzzles and a printable detective certificate. No advanced reading required.
Family adventures → Teens & adultsDark History & Legends
Sieges, epidemics, ghost stories examined, and a Gilded Age conspiracy. We always tell you what's documented and what's legend.
Adult adventures →Start with a secret
True stories with a twist, each ending in a mission you can complete in town.
The Fortress That Refused to Fall
Documented history
In 1740, British cannons pounded the Castillo for weeks. The walls didn't shatter. The secret was millions of tiny seashells.
Read the file →The Secret Road to Freedom
Documented history
Why did people escaping slavery in the Carolinas travel south? The answer led to Fort Mose, founded in 1738.
Read the file →The Map That Forgot Its People
Real court records
A Supreme Court case from 1834, a 10,000-acre Spanish land grant, and an enchanted map that remembers acres but not people.
Play the mystery →Fact, Folklore, or Fiction?
Every city has stories. Can you tell which ones are true?
The Three Keys of the Ancient City
Our free walking adventure. A tiny paper door will open for three keys: one made from noticing, one from learning and one from kindness. Play it on your phone today; no download, no sign-up.
The doorway without a door
The sea inside the stone
The key nobody can buy
Ready for the full story?
Self-guided phone adventures with 10 clues, codes, a sketch pad, hints, optional deeper missions and a full ending. One purchase covers your whole group.
The Lost Treasure of St. Augustine
Captain Mara Tide's compass points toward stories, not gold. Crack her coded messages from the City Gates to the Plaza.
From $14.99 →The Ghosts of the Ancient City
A truth lantern sorts records from whispers: a ghost hunt that is really about evidence.
$19.99 →Little Detectives and the Sleeping City
Six gentle missions to wake a paper city. Point, speak or draw. Made for small explorers.
$9.99 →Your phone is the guidebook
Choose an adventure
Pick by age and interest. Every route is self-guided and starts whenever you're ready.
Walk & solve
Clues unlock one at a time on your phone, with hints if you get stuck. Pause for lunch; your progress is saved.
Uncover the secret
Finish to unlock the secret ending and a printable detective certificate to take home.