October in Jacksonville comes with two guarantees: the weather finally drops below 90 and ghost stories making the rounds again. While some locals search for Florida scares or head straight for theme parks in Orlando or Tampa, others are more interested in places right in Northeast Florida for their hauntings.
With recurring ghost sightings, tour stops and long-standing local legends, these are the top haunted attractions, ghost tours and allegedly haunted sites in Northeast Florida.
What is the most haunted place in Jacksonville?
While Jacksonville doesn’t have centuries-old crypts like St. Augustine, many locals consider Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island and Evergreen Cemetery among the most haunted locations in the city. Visitors report unexplained footsteps, cold spots despite Florida heat and voices heard near the preserved slave cabins and burial sites.
Other sites with repeated ghost claims include:
Evergreen Cemetery: Jacksonville’s oldest operating cemetery, known for glowing orbs and shadowy figures spotted after dark.
The Florida Theatre: Staff have reported seeing a man in a fedora pacing the balcony after closing time.
Historic Riverside mansions turned law offices: Motion sensors and alarms reportedly trip in empty rooms overnight.
What is the scariest haunted house in Jacksonville?
For staged, high-production scares, the 13th Floor Jacksonville haunted house is considered the city’s most intense Halloween attraction. And this year, it has national recognition to back it up.
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What is the 13th Floor?
The Haunted Attraction Association certified 13th Floor Jacksonville as a 2025 Top Haunt, placing it alongside 67 other haunted attractions nationwide.
This year’s featured themes include:
The Asylum: A decaying hospital where a sadistic Nurse still roams the halls.
Horror High: Inspired by a local urban legend involving a janitor who disappeared beneath the school.
Rise of the Kraken: A fog-choked ghost ship rising from the St. Johns River.
How much are tickets to 13th Floor Jacksonville?
General admission starts at $19.99, with VIP, skip-the-line and Respawn Pass options available at 13thfloorjacksonville.com.
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.
Are there real haunted houses in Northeast Florida?
Outside of commercial haunted attractions, ghost connoisseurs point to Evergreen Cemetery, Kingsley Plantation and the basement of historic downtown buildings as the most active paranormal hotspots.
Fort George Island residents have long told stories of “the woman in white” near the plantation’s shoreline. Some claim to hear whispers coming from the slave quarters after sunset.
Are there haunted graveyards in Jacksonville?
Evergreen Cemetery is considered one of the most active haunted graveyards in Northeast Florida, with visitors reporting ghostly figures and strange lights.
Is St. Augustine really haunted?
St. Augustine — which earned the No. 5 spot for USA Today’s Best Ghost Tours in 2020 — is considered one of the most haunted cities in America.
Climb the tower at the St. Augustine’s Colonial Quarter for a view of the Castillo de San Marcos and the Matanzas Bay.
What are the most haunted places in St. Augustine?
St. Augustine ghost tours run nightly, and many offer EMF meters, spirit boxes and access to locked historical sites after dark.
Where can I go ghost hunting near Jacksonville?
St. Augustine offers nighttime ghost hunts at Castillo de San Marcos and The Old Jail that include access to EMF detectors and spirit communication tools.
What is the most haunted building in St. Augustine?
The Castillo de San Marcos fort and The Old Jail are among the top-rated for ghost sightings and paranormal activity tours.
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.
Is there a real haunted house in Florida with ghost sightings?
The May-Stringer House in Brooksville is considered one of Florida’s most haunted locations with 11 reported spirits and multiple TV ghost investigations.
Contributing: Lianna Norman, C. A. Bridges, USA Today Network – Florida
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville’s most haunted places include this theater, a cemetery