A field trip they'll actually remember.
Self-guided scavenger hunts through America's oldest city. Real history, real places, and puzzles that turn students into investigators. One purchase covers your whole class.
One price, whole group
Same price as a family. Split the class into teams, and every team opens the same link on a chaperone's phone.
Free to walk
Every route uses public streets and open grounds. No admission fees, no tickets, no reservations.
History, clearly labeled
Each story is marked as documented history, legend or fiction, and our sources are listed for you to check.
Adventures for your class
Grade ranges are suggestions. Mixed-age groups and co-ops can pair older students with younger ones.
Little Detectives and the Sleeping City
Route: City Gates and a short stretch of St. George Street
Connects to
- Observation and describing what you see
- Shapes, counting and patterns in buildings
- Landmarks and "my community"
Children point, speak, sign or draw, so no reading is required.
The Lost Treasure of St. Augustine
Route: City Gates → St. George Street → the Plaza
Connects to
- Spanish colonial St. Augustine and its town plan
- Pirates vs. privateers (Drake 1586, Searle 1668)
- Map reading and simple ciphers
The captain is fictional and labeled that way; every place and date is real.
The Secret of the Spanish Fortress
Route: Free outdoor viewpoints around the Castillo de San Marcos
Connects to
- Spanish defense of Florida and the 1702 and 1740 sieges
- Coquina: how a shell rock forms (earth science)
- Geometry of bastions and lines of sight
Played entirely outside the fort, so no admission is needed.
The Ghosts of the Ancient City
Route: City Gates → St. George Street → the Plaza
Connects to
- Primary vs. secondary sources
- Separating documented history from legend
- Evaluating evidence and claims
A ghost hunt that is really a lesson in evidence. No gore and no jump scares.
The Gilded Age Conspiracy
Route: Sidewalks outside Flagler College and the Lightner Museum
Connects to
- Henry Flagler, railroads and the growth of Florida tourism
- The Gilded Age and the people history left out
- Architecture as evidence
Played on public sidewalks; no building admission needed.
Try before you buy
Preview the format with the free Three Keys walk (20–35 minutes, City Gates to the Castillo), or play the free Huertas mystery in your classroom, built on a real 1834 Supreme Court case about a Spanish land grant.
Plan a smooth day downtown
Print this section for your chaperones. Hours, parking and access change, so confirm details with the City of St. Augustine and each site before your trip.
Before the trip
- Buy once, share the link. After checkout you receive a private adventure link. Send it to each chaperone ahead of time and have them open it once to make sure it loads.
- Make teams of 4 to 6 students with one adult per team. Each team needs one charged phone with a web browser and data.
- Preview the route with the free Three Keys walk or the route description on each adventure, and decide on a meeting point and a finish time.
- Collect your school's permission forms. Our safety rules make a good one-page handout for chaperones and families.
On the day
- Arrive and regroup. Many groups start near the Visitor Information Center on Castillo Drive, a short walk from the City Gates. Ask the city about bus drop-off and parking before you go.
- Stagger your start. Send teams off about 5 minutes apart so you don't crowd one clue on a busy sidewalk.
- Adults lead at every crossing. Phones go away while walking and crossing streets; stop somewhere safe to read each clue.
- Plan for Florida weather. Bring water, sun protection and a rain plan. Your link never expires, so a stormy day can become another day.
- Be good neighbors. Many historic houses are private homes and some churches are active places of worship. Keep voices low and never climb on walls, cannons or monuments.
After the trip
- Print the ending. Each team finishes with a full story ending they can print, and earns a seal in its digital passport.
- Discussion starters. Which clues were documented history, which were legend, and how could you tell? What did the city's buildings tell you that a textbook didn't?
- Go deeper. Our free Mystery Files and the history of the free sights make easy follow-up readings.
Florida history topics these adventures touch
These are the themes each adventure covers. They line up with topics commonly taught in Florida elementary and middle school social studies, but we list topics rather than official standard codes. Please match them to your own curriculum.
- Spanish exploration and the founding of St. Augustine (1565). Spanish Fortress, Lost Treasure, Three Keys.
- Colonial defense and conflict: the sieges of 1702 and 1740 and the role of Fort Matanzas. Spanish Fortress.
- Pirates, privateers and European rivalry: Drake's 1586 raid and Searle's 1668 raid. Lost Treasure.
- Fort Mose and freedom in Spanish Florida (1738). Covered in our free Mystery Files.
- Florida becomes a U.S. territory (1821) and land claims: a real 1834 Supreme Court case. The free Huertas mystery.
- Henry Flagler, the railroad and Florida's Gilded Age. Gilded Age Conspiracy.
- Historical thinking: primary sources, evidence, and telling fact from legend. Ghosts of the Ancient City, and every adventure's labels.
- Science and math tie-ins: coquina rock formation, bastion geometry and map skills. Spanish Fortress, Lost Treasure.
Made for learning on your own schedule
Homeschool families and co-ops use the same adventures and the same pricing. One purchase covers your co-op when you walk the route together on the same outing.
- Mixed ages welcome. Pair older students with younger ones, or run Little Detectives and Lost Treasure side by side from the City Gates.
- Go at your pace. No tour times or reservations. Progress saves on the phone, so you can pause for lunch or finish another day.
- Build a unit study. Read a Mystery File before your trip, play the adventure on site, and finish with the Huertas mystery at home.
- Optional deeper missions. Every adventure includes extra challenges for curious older kids: stars and tides, bastions and blind spots, shadows and architecture.
Good to know
Does one purchase really cover my whole class?
Yes. One purchase covers one group on the same outing, whether that is a family, a school class or a homeschool co-op. Split students into small teams with a chaperone, and each team opens the same link on its own phone.
Can my school pay with a purchase order or invoice?
Email hello@since1565.com with your school name, the adventure you want and your billing contact, and we will work out an invoice. Card purchases receive an emailed receipt for your school's records.
Can homeschool families pay with Step Up For Students scholarship funds?
Not at this time. Since 1565 is not an approved Step Up For Students provider, so adventures are paid by card at checkout.
Do students need their own phones or an app?
No app and no student accounts. Each team needs one phone with a web browser and data; a chaperone's phone works well. Progress is saved on that phone, so teams can stop for lunch and resume.
Is there an admission fee?
No. Every route uses public streets, sidewalks and open grounds. Entering the Castillo or a museum is optional and has its own fee.
Are the hunts aligned to Florida standards?
Each adventure connects to topics commonly taught in Florida elementary and middle school social studies, such as Spanish colonial Florida, the sieges of St. Augustine, Fort Mose, and Florida's Gilded Age. We list topics rather than official standard codes; please check them against your own curriculum.
What if it rains?
Your link does not expire, so you can play another day. The free Huertas mystery works indoors at a table if you need a rainy-day backup.
All sales are final; adventures are digital and unlock immediately. By purchasing you agree to our Terms, safety rules and refund policy. Teachers and chaperones are responsible for supervising students at all times.