The Tampa Bay area has a long history of weird, some say “paranormal” activities and conspiracies.
Brandi Stark is probably the most acquainted with them, at least on this side of the astral plane. She’s been leading ghost hunts and paranormal investigations in the area with Spirits of St. Petersburg since 1997.
We asked Stark for her take on the area’s spookiest places. Don’t get too creeped out, but you probably live near a haunted site.
Credit: State Archives of Florida
Mari Jean Hotel
Before Mari Jean Hotel was bought and renovated in 2022, the almost 100-year-old building was a retirement home, a psych ward—where there were several stabbings and one instance of arson—and a hotel again, but gay.
In a ghost hunt earlier this year, the Spirits of St. Petersburg team encountered four ghosts, ranging from a 38-year-old woman who fell, but didn’t die in the building, to a middle-aged veteran who had a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. —Alisha Durosier.
Little Tina
Before it was the Little Tina coffee shop (and Old Tampa Bay Book Company from 1995 to 2017), the building at 507 N Tampa Street operated as a tailor shop in the 1980s. But one day, the owners abandoned it with all of the equipment still inside. When new tenants moved in following the departure, they soon discovered that the old ones never left. To save money, the bookstore’s owners kept the previous furniture, only to find out the chairs moved across the floor on their own. One night, as the alarm system went off, the owners found a pair of bloody scissors on the floor in a pool of blood. As the mystery remains unsolved, some who have walked past the shop claim to see a man in a top hat and a woman who seems to be in pain.
Charles, a 100-plus year-old oak tree alongside Booker Creek in Roser Park. Credit: Steph Waechter
Roser Park
Stark said Roser Park is the number one most haunted neighborhood she has been in in St. Pete, thanks in part to its version of Beetlejuice.
There have been rumors of “mini lights” haunting St. Pete’s Roser Park neighborhood for at least five decades. These tiny green light creatures are said to attack unsuspecting visitors anytime someone calls out, “mini lights, mini lights, come out tonight.”
Some say that the tiny green people, also known as the mini lights, were part of a circus from centuries past, while others claim the creatures belonged to a voodoo priestess who once lived in Roser Park.
Stark has investigated the urban legend several times as co-founder of the Roser Park ghost tours. Stark shows videos of her findings and explains the haunted examples she has seen to those who attend her ghost tours.
Biglow-Helms mansion circa 1975. Credit: University of South Florida digital collection
Biglow-Helms Mansion
Now a medspa, Silas Leland Biglow built the mansion at 4807 Bayshore Blvd. on the northwest corner of Bayshore and Gandy Boulevard in 1908 as his personal residence. But after his death in 1913, his widow sold the place to Dr. John Sullivan Helms, who renovated it into the private Bayside Hospital, and later back into a residence. Dr. Helm’s nephew, Jack Wilson, an artist, died in his studio in 1965 and is reported to roam the halls to this day.
After that, it became a favorite spot for teens to break into, which sparked rumors of its hauntings. Some say Biglow’s spirit still lives there, while others claim the paranormal activity comes from the morgue that was located on the first floor. In 1988, the building received a Local Historic Designation from the city. Michael and Jennifer Pueleo purchased the property in the early 2000s, establishing their med spa called Faces of Tampa.
Mirror Lake in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct. 29, 2014. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr
Mirror Lake
While St. Pete’s Mirror Lake is picturesque, a few dozen people have died or been killed in or near its waters since 1914. The nearby Carnegie Library is said to be haunted as well.
Stark often retells one of the lake’s most well-known stories, about a lady in white. Dating back to 1935, a local nurse who was last seen drinking with two men was found murdered in Mirror Lake. Three men were eventually arrested for her death, including the two she was last seen with.
According to Stark, the lady in white can be seen walking into or out of the lake, but vanishes whenever anyone tries speaking to her.
Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
The Don CeSar and Suntan Art Center
Built in 1928, the “Pink Palace” on St. Pete Beach is not only known for its extravagant grounds, but also for its haunted hotel rooms. And it’s haunted history extends two doors down into the Suntan Art Center. The hotel’s owner, Thomas Rowe, died in 1939. He was beloved by many within the local Florida community and after his death it left the neighboring Don Vista building without guests. Later, the start of World War II arose and the property was purchased by the Army to use as a hospital, submarine spotting station and Air Force Convalescent center. Now, some believe that Rowe never left the area after his death. The Running Man, aka Rowe, is rumored to haunt the Suntan Art Center, and some workers and visitors have said his presence is more than just a rumor. Always in a hurry, he speeds through the halls and walls of the Suntan Art Center, in 1930s era clothing, carrying a briefcase and papers. Stark said that while she and her team investigated the space, there was an alcohol smell to the atmosphere that could have been traces of Rowe’s old habit.
The only part of the building he doesn’t enter is the center’s upper floor, which is said to be controlled by the spirit of a lady known as the Hostess. The ghost of a third person, seen in military dress blues, has been detected in the marching around the building in the last five years.
Credit: Sesh St. Pete / Facebook
Sesh
Aside from the spirit of fondu culture (RIP Melting Pot), the restaurant at 2221 4th St. N in St. Petersburg is haunted by something more sinister.
Stark recounted the urban legend that Sesh is haunted by a ghost of an artist who found his wife in bed with her lover. The artist killed them and then himself in the back room. To this day, Stark said, their shadows occasionally appear in the dining room.
Owner Matt Powers joined Stark on a paranormal investigation in 2021. Now embracing the haunted spirits, Sesh refers to the kid’s menu as “lil goblins.”
Comfort Station, Downtown St. Pete Credit: Aaron Drake
Comfort Station
The great Woody Harrelson once said “Don’t let them catch you with your pants down” (in a movie about zombies, but still). This public restroom at Second Avenue NE & Bayshore Drive NE not only serves as a historic landmark in St. Pete, but also as a haven for haunted spirits around the area. There have been reported sightings of apparitions in the women’s bathroom, including one lady who appears in the mirror at night. Some have allegedly had conversations with her. No word yet on whether she can lend you a tampon.
Dining room of the Viony Hotel circa 1920. Credit: Florida State Archives
Vinoy Hotel
St. Pete’s Vinoy Hotel was built back in 1925, and visiting MLB players have been among those who reported ghost sightings. One spirit, described as a man wearing a top hat, has been said to haunt the sluggers that stay here.
Credit: VIAVAL TOURS / Shutterstock
Cuban Club
Two gruesome deaths mark the history of Ybor City’s Cuban Club. An actor died by suicide in the club’s theater in the 1920s, and a board member was murdered by another in the club in 1934. Reportedly, both spirits have been tormenting the building ever since, along with a handful of other apparitions.
Credit: Visit St Pete/Clearwater
Gulfport Casino
The original casino was destroyed back in 1921 due to a hurricane, and took many lives with it. Now, it is said that a man can be seen dancing further out in the water, where the casino was originally located.
Swope-Rodante, P.A.
Now a personal injury law firm, the building at 1234 E. Fifth Ave. was once a Tampa brewery. Local legend says that during its early days, a man died after a drunken fight. Some have reported hearing a strange voice, believed to be the man’s spirit roaming the halls—perhaps in search of representation.
The old Tampa Bay Hotel — now Plant Hall at the University of Tampa — houses classrooms, faculty offices, and the Henry B. Plant Museum. Credit: Jennifer Ring
Henry B. Plant Museum
Now the heart of the University of Tampa campus, the Henry B. Plant Museum used to be a high-end, 511-room winter resort for the rich and famous, including the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Babe Ruth. Many have reported seeing an abundance of ghostly spirits around the area, especially one known as “The Brown Man.” This spectre has been said to wear an all brown suit with glowing red eyes.
Credit: Photo via tampagov.net
Fort Brooke Municipal Parking Garage
As was the sad case for many pre-’80s buildings, the garage at 107 N Franklin St. in Tampa was built on top of a forgotten cemetery. This graveyard held the bodies of over 100 soldiers killed by Seminole Indians during the two Seminole Indian wars. Some have heard Native Americans drumming and chanting there, and have seen strange shadow figures at night.
Beach Drive Inn
Built in 1910, this St. Pete inn has its fair share of ghost stories. The most popular ghost is what the host of the A&E TV show “Psychic Kids” called “Montego Mary,” a spiritual resident of the Montego Room said to haunt its guests.
Gaspar’s Grotto at 1805 E 7th Avenue in Ybor City, Florida. Credit: Wangkun Jia / Shutterstock
Gaspar’s Grotto
This Ybor staple is a must-visit for Tampa Bay residents living and dead, with many apparitions reported. Ghost hands have appeared in pictures taken at the 20-year-old bar, including a photo on display there. And patrons and employees have reported hearing noises in the back of the bar when no one is there.
Credit: Patty And Friends Antique Village Mall/Facebook
Patty & Friends Antique Village Mall
This St. Pete antique store is filled with good finds and paranormal activity. The owner says that many of the objects in the store have spirits attached to them, so that’ll explain some things being moved around, lights flickering off and on and even apparitions.
Credit: University of Tampa
David Falk Theatre
What used to be Park Theatre is now a stage at the University of Tampa, where student actors pay respects to its resident spirit, Bessie Snavely. The actress appears as a sudden chill in the third-floor dressing room she reportedly took her own life in. The Minaret, UT’s student newspaper, reported that the lead actor in each of its productions traditionally buys Bessie a dozen red roses and must take them to Bessie’s designated dressing room the theater’s attic. There, they must say “Thank you and good luck,” for the show to have a good run. Women in the department can’t wear bright red dresses, because that color belongs to Bessie.
Credit: Chris Bartnik
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Pinellas-Manatee connector’s seven decades have been filled with tragedy, including its collapse in 1980, hundreds of suicides and a few murders. Some drivers have reported seeing a blonde woman standing in the middle of the road who mysteriously disappears when they stop to help her. Others have reported her appearing and disappearing in their backseats while driving over the bridge.
Credit: flmd.uscourts.gov
The Old Federal Courthouse
Before it was Le Meridien Hotel, Tampa’s Old Federal Courthouse was home to the grueling unsolved murder of Gangster Charlie Wall. His ghost has reportedly been seen hanging out at the doorsteps of the hotel, most likely looking for revenge.
Credit: Tampa Theatre/Facebook
Tampa Theatre
Open nearly 100 years, Tampa residents have reported seeing multiple spirits roaming the building, including the theater’s first projectionist, Foster “Fink” Finley. He worked at the Tampa Theatre for 15 years and eventually died of a heart attack inside the building.
Credit: Jennifer Ring
Safety Harbor Resort and Spa
Back in the mid-90’s the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa had some chilling ghost encounters. Employees at the front desk reported getting calls from empty guest rooms, and the housekeepers swore that they heard someone yelling their name from the women’s bath area. The original owner has also been known to haunt the grounds, twisting off salt shaker tops.
Interior view of the Crown Colony House Restaurant at Busch Gardens. Date unknown.
Crown Colony House
Opened back in 1964, the Serengeti Overlook Restaurant, which used to be known as the Crown Colony House, currently sits in the middle of Busch Gardens. Over the years, guests have reported trays being flipped, dancing orbs and moving shadows. The theme park even had the ghost-hunting team, Haunted South, record some of the spooky happenings that went down.
Credit: cordovainnstpete/Facebook
The Cordova Inn
Established in 1921, the St. Pete spot is said to be haunted by a former employee. Guests have reported seeing an apparition of a well-dressed man in an old-fashioned suit, and have concluded that he might be a former butler who saved the building from demolition on several occasions.
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