Explore Tours Nights of Lights

St. Augustine's Explore Tours and Pickups offer a special Nights of Lights tour starting Saturday, November 16, 2025, and continuing through January 11, 2026. These tours are 45 minutes to one hour in duration. Explore Tours offers 3-D glasses for viewing the lights. The tour tends to wander the downtown area and usually goes into a well-decorated neighborhood or two, in addition to taking you throughout the historic downtown.

The Details

• What: A 45-minute ride in an open-air electric vehicle, with no set route, can be booked for a private group of up to 10 people or a row of three people. The guide offers insights into Nights of Lights and St. Augustine's history. 3-D glasses are included, and the driver plays holiday music on the sound system. If the traffic is heavy, the tour could take almost an hour. Explore Tours and Pickups welcomes well-behaved dogs.
• Admission: $100.00 for a row, seating up to three people. $225.00 for a private tour for up to 10 people.
• When: Nightly, on the hour, between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., from November 15, 2025, through January 11, 2026.
• Exceptions: No tours on Thanksgiving (November 27), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.
• Where: At 143 Cordova, in the lot behind the Lightner Museum. Parking is not included and may not be available in the lot. See the information below about parking and shuttles.
• Contact: Call (904) 853-1500 or book on their website.

Nights of Lights Free Parking and Shuttles for 2025

Free parking and free shuttle rides to and from your car on 33 days and nights during Nights of Lights. 

How Does it Work?

Park for free in one of three lots, take a free bus to the Visitor Information Center, enjoy all Nights of Lights has to offer, and take a free bus back to your car. 

When Will it Operate?

• From 1:00 to 11:00 p.m., on 33 days of Nights of Lights, and on December 6 (the day of the Christmas Parade) from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• November: 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30
• December: 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31
• January: 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11

Where Will You Park? 

Three lots will operate on all 33 days:

• Broudy's Lot, 198 West King Street, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1
• North San Marco Lot, 301 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine
• St. Johns County Health Department, 200 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, off U.S. 1

Two additional lots on Anastasia Island will operate from 1:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Light-Up! Night, November 15, 2025

• R.B. Hunt School, 125 Magnolia Dr., St. Augustine, Florida 32080
• Anastasia Baptist Church, 1650 A1A S, St. Augustine, Florida 32080

Why Use the Shuttle?

First, it's free.

Second, you avoid the hassle of driving around and around the city streets looking for a parking spot.

Third, Nights of Lights is a walking event and a tour event. Leave your car in a free lot, take a free shuttle to the Visitor Information Center, walk around town, and ride on a carriage, a trolley, a red train, or a golf cart.