Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Inside St.Augustine’s Original Oddity Museum

Escaping the Florida Heat for an Indoor Adventure

We usually spend our summers trying to be outside as much as possible, camping, hiking, exploring trails, and pretending Florida isn’t actively trying to melt us by midafternoon. But when the recent heat waves rolled in with record-high temperatures, we decided it was time for an indoor adventure. That’s how we finally found ourselves at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in downtown St. Augustine.

We’ve visited St. Augustine more times than I can count and checked off plenty of its historic sites, museums, restaurants, and attractions. Somehow, Ripley’s had always slipped through the cracks. Avery, who is naturally drawn to anything unusual and loves learning the weirder corners of the world, was immediately intrigued. Once she realized two of her favorite things, giant squid and mummies, both had a place inside, she was fully on board.

It’s easy to write Ripley’s off as just another tourist stop in the middle of downtown, but that misses what makes it so interesting. Inside, the museum is packed from floor to ceiling with artifacts, oddities, optical illusions, historical curiosities, and unbelievable stories from around the world. Every room seems to lead to another hallway, another staircase, another “wait, what is that?” moment.

The History of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in St. Augustine

Most visitors may not realize this St. Augustine location is the oldest and original Ripley’s museum. Housed inside the Castle Warden, it opened in 1950, shortly after Robert Ripley’s death. Before becoming home to his collections, “The Castle” served as a hotel that hosted a number of famous guests, including Ripley himself. Before that, it was built in 1887 as the winter home of William G. Warden

Ripley’s may look like a classic tourist stop, but inside it feels more like a maze of oddities, history and unbelievable stories. From mummies and cryptids to optical illusions, every room gives you another reason to say, “Wait, what is that?”

Of course, because this is St. Augustine, the building also comes with its share of ghost stories. Castle Warden has long been rumored to be haunted, with a history tied to deadly fires, strange happenings, and after-dark tours for those brave enough to go looking. I actually did one of those ghost tours with my cousin back in high school. We didn’t find any ghosts, but we did find ourselves jumping out of our skin every time we rounded a dark hallway and came face-to-face with yet another mannequin.

Who Was Robert Ripley?

Robert Ripley began as a cartoonist, sharing stories of extreme talents, physical differences, and remarkable oddities from around the globe. His work later grew into radio, film, television, comic books, books, and museums. What set him apart was his focus on the truth behind the unbelievable. Rather than simply exploiting the unusual, Ripley highlighted real people, their abilities, and the astonishing things they accomplished.

Exploring the Museum’s Oddities and Interactive Exhibits

Today, the museum continues that spirit with a mix of real artifacts, recreations, and exhibits that leave you questioning where curiosity ends and disbelief begins. One of our favorite stops was the newer cryptid exhibit, which dives into creatures rumored but not officially recognized by science, like Bigfoot and the chupacabra. It also pulls back the curtain on famous fakes, including the Fiji mermaid, which was actually crafted from a mummified monkey attached to a fish tail.

Then came Avery’s big moment: the colossal squid. Once dismissed by many as the stuff of sailor stories, it is now documented by science, which was enough to send her into full enthusiast mode that maybe some others aren’t a hoax after all. Leave it to Ripley’s to make you walk away with both answers and even more questions (you’ll find us researching chupacabras at the library).

A Must-Visit Family Attraction

By the end of the night, we were in fits of laughter in the optical illusion rooms, the kind where everyone looks ridiculous and nobody cares. Afterward, we stepped back out into the much cooler night air, grabbed ice cream cones, and wandered the streets of downtown St. Augustine.

Weeks later, Avery is still talking about the wild things she saw inside. That kind of lasting impression isn’t always easy to find. Believe it or not, this longtime St. Augustine treasure has far more to offer than a quick photo stop. It’s strange, historic, funny, fascinating, and absolutely worth escaping the heat for.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

19 San Marco Ave, St. Augustine, FL 32084

(904) 824-1606 | Ripleys.com

Mon-Sun: 10 AM - 9 PM 

$24.99/adult; $14.99/child