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 →St. Augustine questions, answered
Is there a free scavenger hunt in St. Augustine?
Yes. The Three Keys of the Ancient City is a free 20–35 minute self-guided walk from the Old City Gates to the Castillo de San Marcos, played on your phone with hints and a printable certificate. No app or sign-up is needed.
What is the Castillo de San Marcos made of?
Coquina, a soft limestone made of compressed seashell fragments quarried on nearby Anastasia Island. During the 1740 British siege the walls tended to absorb cannonballs instead of shattering.
When was St. Augustine founded?
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine on September 8, 1565, on Timucuan land. It is the oldest continuously occupied European-founded city in what is now the United States.
What are the best things to do in St. Augustine with kids?
Walk St. George Street, see the Castillo de San Marcos and Old City Gates, cross the Bridge of Lions for bay views, and try a self-guided scavenger hunt like the free Three Keys walk or Little Detectives and the Sleeping City for ages 4–9.
What was Fort Mose?
Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, founded in 1738 about two miles north of St. Augustine, is recognized as the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States.
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.