‘The Curse of Oak Island’: Can You Visit Oak Island?
Who hasn’t dreamed of finding a buried treasure? The prospect of uncovering a hidden hoard of gold or a cache of jewels is like something straight out of a fairy tale or adventure novel. Of course, real-life buried treasures are pretty hard to come by. That’s likely one reason why The Curse of Oak Island has become such a shit.
The mystery of Oak Island
The History Channel show The Curse of Oak Island chronicles Rick and Marty Langia’s long-running — and as yet, unsuccessful — quest to find a lost treasure or hidden artifacts on a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia.
Rumors of a hidden treasure on Oak Island first surfaced in the late 18th century, when several men became convinced that the notorious pirate Captain Kidd had buried his treasure there. But their searching never turned up any hidden gold.
Over the next 200 years, various other people searched for gold on Oak Island — the mystery even attracted the attention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and actor John Wayne. But they never found any treasure either.
The Langias purchased much of Oak Island in 2005 and began their own excavations in 2010. Though they have found a few scattered artifacts, including an item dubbed the Knights Templar Cross and a garnet brooch, they’ve yet to discover more substantial treasure. But that isn’t stopping them from looking.
You can visit Oak Island
While Oak Island is privately owned, it is open to visitors. However, you can’t just show up and wander around, shovel in hand. Visitors can stop in and explore the interpretive center free of charge (though it closed for the season on October 31). But to see the rest of the island, you must pre-book a tour. Some tours are even led by Charles Barkhouse, a production consultant and cast member on the show.
Tours are offered seasonally on the weekends. The 2020 tour schedule has not yet been announced, but you’ll find more information about how to book a tour on the Oak Island website next year. You can also follow Oak Island Tours on social media to get up-to-date announcements about ticket availability.
Oak Island is located about an hour outside of Halifax in eastern Canada. There are direct flights from most cities in Canada as well U.S. airports such as Newark, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Is visiting Oak Island worth it?
Those who’ve been on the tour said it’s worth it for fans of The Curse of Oak Island, especially since you might have a chance to meet people from the show.
“Saw the sights from the show. We did have a special treat. After the tour several cast members, including Rick were there for a meet & greet! Couldn’t get better than that,” wrote one reviewer on TripAdvisor.
“Just like the tv show. Fascinating and fun!” another commented.
However, previous visitors did note that you’ll want to plan ahead, given how popular the tours are.
“The Oak Island tour only takes place on selected weekends and sells out quickly so you need to plan your tour months ahead,” one person wrote on TripAdvisor. Once tickets become available, you’ll need to move fast. In 2019, tour tickets went on sale on March 1 and sold out within a day.
