Spooky season is upon us, which means some are flocking to attractions like Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld or haunted houses and trails throughout the state.
But if you’re looking for some real-life hauntings, there are plenty of places in the Sunshine State considered to be actually haunted by the ghosts of Florida’s past. Florida even ranked in the top five most-haunted U.S. states on a 2023 rankings list.
There’s not a tried and true way to quantify which places are the most haunted, but we sifted through lists and accounts of haunted places in Florida and rounded up a short list of the places that were mentioned more than once.
Here’s a short, non-exhaustive list of some of Florida’s most notorious haunts, ghosts and the stories behind their alleged hauntings.
Halloween in Orlando: Are Halloween night tickets still available for Halloween Horror Nights, Mickey’s party?
What is the most haunted place in Florida?
There isn’t a way to definitively quantify where the most haunted place is in Florida, as it’s a matter of opinion. Still, one of the most frequently mentioned haunted homes among ghost-hunting blogs and websites is a 19th-century Victorian-style home in Historic Brooksville, Florida, called the May-Stringer House.
On the opposite side of Florida’s Peninsula, there’s also the very haunted reputation of St. Augustine, Florida, as it’s the oldest continuously inhabited European-established town in the U.S.
From the old fort to its many historical graveyards and bed and breakfasts, where you might find whispers of guests who checked out hundreds of years ago, the oldest city has quite a reputation in the ghost-hunting community.
A couple of hours southwest of the haunts of St. Augustine is a place that is a little less on-the-nose when you think of ghosts. While many travel to St. Augustine with ghost tours and gravestones in mind, Disney World is one of Florida’s most popular tourist attractions and is also considered “the happiest place on earth.”
But underneath the theme park magic, there are rumors of hauntings there, tied to several deaths in the park through the years and the surprising number of guests who have spread the ashes of loved ones throughout the park (which is not allowed, but has happened anyway).
More Florida haunts: Florida tops for ghost sightings with haunted restaurants, I-4 Dead Zone, Disney World ghost
What is the story behind the May-Stringer House? Rumored haunting near Tampa in Brooksville, Florida
The May Stringer House in Brooksville, Florida, is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the Sunshine State by many ghost-hunters.
If you don’t know, Brooksville, Florida, is a historic small town about 45 minutes north of Tampa. It is filled with local legends and stories of ghosts from the mid-1800s founding families and pre-Civil War history.
“Remnants of the city’s pre-Civil War origins remain, including a Confederate monument that stands before the county courthouse. The city is named for U.S. Rep. Preston Brooks, who bludgeoned an abolitionist senator in Congress with a cane in 1856, the same year Brooksville became the seat of Hernando County,” Visit Florida says.
“The city’s founding families settled here in the 1840s, establishing plantations dependent on slave labor. Some of the buildings from that era – and many more from the late-1800s and early 1900s – are still standing.”
The May Stringer House in Brooksville, Florida, is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the Sunshine State by many ghost-hunters.
The most notorious haunted place in Brooksville, known statewide for its ghost stories, is the historic May-Stringer House, which now houses a museum.
“The Museum Association has created exhibit rooms with a Victorian look and there are rooms devoted to specific themes such as an elegant dining room, Victorian bedrooms, a military room, a 1900s doctor’s office and a 1900s communications room. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997,” The Hernando Historical Museum Association website says.
The home was built in the early 1840s by a man named Richard C. Wiggins, who homesteaded the land the home sits on. At that time, the Armed Occupation Act said that any settler who came to Florida, built a home, cleared and cultivated five acres of land and lived there for five years, would then be given 160 acres.
In 1856, the home was purchased by John May. He and his two daughters, his wife Marina, her mother and around 40 enslaved people that they brought with them from Alabama moved into the home, but John May died just three years later.
The widowed Mrs. May and her family continued to live there throughout the Civil War, and she eventually remarried Confederate “war hero” Frank Saxon in 1866. They had two children together, but the family continued to suffer tragedies. Their son died within a few weeks of being born, and Marina died shortly after the birth of their daughter, Jessie May Saxon, who died at the age of 3 in 1872.
“John L. May, Marina May Saxon, infant Franklin Saxon, and Jessie May Saxon may be buried in the May Cemetery that has not yet been confirmed to be on the property,” The Hernando Historical Museum Association website says.
“The possible existence of the cemetery has fueled many rumors about May-Stringer hauntings. It is known as one of the most haunted houses in Florida.”
Jessie May’s 3-year-old ghost is reportedly the most active spirit attached to the house. Many have reported hearing her call out for her mother, who died giving birth to her, and crying in the night. Marina’s ghost has also been reported as a very active spirit, with people who have encountered her saying she’s seen wandering the halls in search of the daughter she never met.
The May Stringer House in Brooksville, Florida, is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the Sunshine State by many ghost-hunters.
The second surname in the home’s namesake comes from the Stringer family, who owned the home after the May family. Dr. Sheldon Stringer owned the home from 1903 through 1961, making renovations and running his medical practice from the home.
“By the 1970s, a local doctor had purchased the mansion with plans to demolish it and build a modern medical facility. However, the May-Stringer House was saved by the Hernando Historical Museum Association, which purchased it in 1980. It would take 17 years to fully restore the house to its former glory,” according to ghost-hunting blog Tampa Terrors.
According to Tampa Terrors, the “house of tragedies” is haunted by not one, not two, but 11 ghosts, with spirits ranging from that of a young girl who died in the house during the Victorian era to an angry spirit who haunts the attic and “despises women.”
Reported ghostly encounters in the May-Stringer House range from shadowy figures and orbs of light to strange mists and cold spots in the Florida heat, with no air conditioning to blame. There have also been reports of footsteps in empty rooms and a mysterious trunk in the attic that seems to trigger the angry woman-hating ghost that haunts it.
“The hauntings at the May-Stringer House are so famous that they have been investigated by The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) and featured on the show ‘Ghost Hunters,’” Tampa Terrors says. “The team and ‘Kindred Spirits’ also documented bizarre ghostly activity inside the mansion.”
Is the Haunted Mansion in Disney World actually haunted? Theme park deaths spark rumors of real ghosts
Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando is such an amazing experience, some guests (and workers) never want to leave.
The ghost of a dead employee has haunted the Pirates of the Caribbean ride for decades, cast members used to tell the guests. George gets cranky if he is disrespected and will shut the ride down with mysterious breakdowns. Other ghost stories from the cast members include:
A guest who died on Space Mountain in the 1970s will apparently grab empty seats to ride again.
A 4-year-old boy who died on the Mission Space ride at Epcot in 2005 seemingly manifests through cold spots and shuttle doors closing at odd times.
A “bellhop” cast member who reportedly died of an attack in the Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios now haunts the ride, causing flickering lights and ghostly appearances in the Platform D elevator.
But the creepiest thing might be the sheer amount of human ashes that guests try to sneak in and spread at the Haunted Mansion to honor a loved one’s last, quirky wishes.
“The Haunted Mansion probably has so much human ashes in it that it’s not even funny,” one Disneyland custodian told the Wall Street Journal.
Is St. Augustine one of the most haunted cities? Ghosts and gravestones in the oldest city
Climb the tower at the St. Augustine’s Colonial Quarter for a view of the Castillo de San Marcos and the Matanzas Bay.
Yes, St. Augustine, very similarly to Georgia’s historic town of Savannah, is widely considered one of the most haunted cities in the U.S., due to its long and at times tumultuous history of conflict, disease and death. Like Savannah, St. Augustine attracts ghost-hunters and lovers of history and the macabre from all around the country, offering a rich history of tragedies that have turned into countless reported hauntings through the years.
The country’s oldest city ranked as the eighth-spookiest city in the U.S. in 2023, according to travel site Viator, based on the number of spine-chilling tours and experiences available for booking through the company. And Ghost-hunting has become a big part of the local economy.
One of the epicenters of St. Augustine’s many ghost stories is the Castillo de San Marcos fort, which sits right on the water of the Matanzas Bay, a short walk from the bustling tourist-heavy St. George Street.
The 17th-century fortress, constructed by the Spanish in 1672, was used by the Spanish and British, and Americans used it to imprison Native Americans, including the Seminole war chief Osceola, according to the national park website.
Ghostly sightings of soldiers and Native Americans have been reported, as well as glowing orbs inside. But the best known, according to the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures,” is that of Delores Marti, wife of Spanish Col. Garcia Marti, who reportedly suspected her of cheating on him with Capt. Manuel Abela in 1784 during the second Spanish occupation. Delories Marti and Abela mysteriously disappeared, and since then a forlorn female in a white dress has been seen atop the walls.
This beautifully restored home in St. Augustine’s Lighthouse Park was built in 1905 to house a wireless telegraph station for the U.S. Navy. Located at 106 Carver St. E., the three-bedroom, two-bath home occupies a spacious lot at the edge of Salt Run, and is listed for $3.6 million.
Other popular haunts include The Old Jail, which contained — and hanged — some of the city’s most violent criminals from 1891 to 1953 and has since been the site of numerous strange phenomena, reports of guests being touched or grabbed, and sightings of apparitions in period clothing.
The Old Mansion on Joiner Street (now a bed-and-breakfast) reportedly holds the spiritual remains of the wife of a missing Civil War colonel who haunts the place waiting for his return. Residents report seeing the ghost of Elizabeth, the daughter of the gatekeeper in the early 1800s, who died of Typhoid Fever, hanging around the city gates at the north end of George Street.
A World War II and Korean War veteran who died by suicide reportedly haunts the Plaza de la Constitución. A 5-year-old boy who fell from a tree in a local cemetery is buried under it and has been spotted playing in the branches. Henry Flagler himself is also said to roam the halls of Flagler College. And there are many, many more.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida most haunted places include St. Augustine, Disney World