It's October so it's time to get spoopy, friends. To most of you, Florida is a nice, relaxing, Disney-esque residence, yet there are many ghosts lurking around ready to scare you. If you're a thrill seeker, you'll need to visit these places.
1. Key West's Fort East Martello Museum, Key West
This may seem like your typical Florida historical museum, but it is so much more than that. This museum not only has local art and exhibits on fishing, writers, and Cuban culture; but also houses one of the creepiest dolls known to man-kind. If you’re willing to meet Robert the doll, he is the museum’s most famous attraction. Robert, who previously lived with a family in Key West in the early 1900s, is said to have moved items around the house, including furniture. Also, the family claims that Robert, who belonged to a young boy named Gene, would keep the family up all night while they whispered to each other. In the following years, Gene and his wife claimed that due to Robert’s presence they would hear young children’s giggles around the house.
2. Spanish Military Hospital, St. Augustine
The current building is an exact replica of the hospital that once stood there during the 18th century. Equipped with a museum, guests can also view enactments of 18th century surgical practices. Employees of the past hospital claimed there was an “evil” and “frightening” presence in the corridor. Once the building was being rebuilt, thousands of bones were discovered upon construction. Despite being rebuilt, multiple hauntings from the old days are still said to occur including cries and screams, and shadows of bodies laying down on beds.
3. Sunland Mental Hospital, Orlando
Sunland was a children’s hospital for the mentally disabled, built in 1952, and was notorious for mistreating its patients. Originally used as a TB treatment center, the hospital converted to a hospital for the mentally disabled, after a cure for TB was found and such centers became useless. In 1983, the facility was closed after multiple accounts of abuse and neglect were reported. Past employees of the hospital recount such horrid memories of abuse that they still refuse to visit the grounds.
The building was torn down after a young man fall down the elevator shaft in 1997 however, eerie photos of the abandoned property are scattered throughout the internet and send shivers down your spine. Many spirits still lurk around on the property, as children’s laughter is frequently heard and light orbs are seen by many. Swings are also noted as moving by themselves, as there is a small park on the land. While these seem like positive encounters, children’s screams are notoriously heard right where the hospital once stood, and many speculate what these screeches mean.
4. Riddle House, Palm Beach County
Featured in an episode of Ghost Adventures in 2008, the house was originally a funeral parlor at Woodlawn Cemetery, the first cemetery in West Palm Beach. The residence was built in 1905 and became privately owned by Karl Riddle in 1920. The spirit of Joseph, an employee of Karl Riddle, is said to haunt the residence, as he hung himself in the attic to escape his financial troubles. Another ghost, Buck, is seen walking around the property and standing on the porch of the house. During the reconstruction and preservation of the building, carpenters said they would find their tools thrown from the attic to the floor below, along with the windows on the third floor being mysteriously broken.
Current security personnelle have seen lights going on and off, and some employees get so shaken up by their encounters that they refuse to return. Many denounce the ghost stories as one big riddle.
5. St. Augustine Light House, St. Augustine
St. Augustine is a perfect habitat for paranormal activities. The lighthouse was the first to be built in Florida in 1824 but was placed on top of an old Spanish watch post built in the 16th century. The lighthouse was featured in episodes of Ghost Hunters and My Ghost Story.
Peter Rasmussen, one of the first keepers of the lighthouse, is said to haunt the grounds and guests can smell his distinct cigar smoke. The most popular ghosts are that of Eliza and Mary, two young girls who plummeted from the lighthouse to their death. Lighthouse staff claim hearing mysterious noises, moving items, locking doors, and flickering lights. The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum offers tickets for ghost tours of the light house, keeper’s house, and natural trail, all open to the public!
6. Cassadaga, Volusia County
In 1875, George Colby founded Cassadaga as a retreat for psychic mediums, like himself. There are now 100 residents who claim to have contact with the dead residing in the town. They speak to spirits via seances, readings, and other ceremonies all done at the local church. Approximately 15,000 people visit this town every year to contact their loved ones through the spiritualists, and appointments are available through an online forum.
7. Lake Eola, Orlando
My favorite paranormal story of all time is the Ghost Dog of Lake Eola. A tiny brown terrier doggo is said to roam the eastern side of the park, sniffing the grass, and doing dog things, but fades into the thin air before your eyes. He is said to disappear when people stop paying attention to him, how relatable.
