One of the top resort areas in the United States is Florida. With its warm climate and tourist magnets, it is a preferred place for the young and old alike. However, a number of haunted places can be found mixed with some of Florida’s top travel destinations.
St. Augustine is not only one of America’s oldest cities but is also believed among its most haunted. Many people don't leave St. Augustine without some sort of paranormal experience.
The Casablanca Bed and Breakfast
has a long history of ghostly apparitions. The inn, situated near the harbor, is considered to be haunted by the ghost of the old lady who not only inhabited the premises but also assisted bootleggers. Legend tells of the woman alerting her cohorts by waving a lantern in the night air. Today, people moving on the harbor claim to see the lantern swinging, letting them know that the coast is clear.
The Castillo de San Marcos is an old Spanish fort located in St. Augustine. People touring the facility have been known to hear yelling, screaming and cannon fire. The apparition of a young soldier has been seen staring longingly at the nearby harbor. However, when approached, the apparition will vanish.
St. Augustine has seen its share of catastrophe through the centuries. The yellow fever epidemic took an tremendous toll on the city’s populace. One victim of the epidemic, a young girl named Elizabeth, was found dead by the city’s gates. Travelers have seen the ghostly image of the girl in a white dress dancing along the gates in the wee hours of the morning.
Orlando is renowned for being the location of Disney World, one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Although travelers come from all over the globe to enjoy its lavish theme parks and resorts, Orlando is also home to a number of haunted sites.
The Peabody Hotel is one of the more popular luxury hotels located in Orlando and is known for its Peabody Duck march. However, the hotel is not exempt from hauntings. A number of people have experienced unexplained cold spots in various parts of the hotel. There have also been reports of apparitions in the hallways.
Not all ghostly apparitions are friendly. In Orlando’s Rouse Road Cemetery, the specter of a man from the mid 1800’s is believed to haunt the premises. A sudden chill in the air followed by the sounds of an owl signals his appearance. It is believed that the man’s spirit is angry and restless while his body lies buried in an unmarked grave.
Not far from Orlando is one of the country’s most popular seaside destinations. Young and old alike flock to Daytona Beach each year to bask in the sun and to have an opportunity to have a ghostly encounter. The main stretch of interstate that connects Daytona Beach to Orlando has had a number of ghostly sightings. On a number of occasions, particularly on a long, lonely piece of roadway, a apparitional car was reported. The vehicle winds along the roadway without switching its lights on. When somebody gets nearer to the car, it abruptly vanishes.
Daytona’s Orange Avenue Bridge is another notable haunted place. Many visitors have reported seeing a woman dressed in nightwear walking along the bridge. The woman inexplicably disappears when anyone has came near her.
Gainesville. Gainesville is most well recognized for being the home of the University of Florida. Even the university can boast an assortment of ghastly events.
Built in the early 1900’s, the university’s Thomas Hall Dormitory is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It is believed that the ghost of a previous employee still haunts the property where he spent much of his time. Banging on the dorm’s heating system can be heard even when it is not engaged. A terrible accident in the building that houses the College of Education took the lives of a number of little kids. Today, a person visiting the place can hear the laughter and voices of the children who are still playing in the corridors after all these years.
Although not in addition to acknowledged as some other cities in Florida, Brooksville still has its percentage of hauntings. Brooksville’s Spring Hill Graveyard has been in use since the 1800’s. People have reported seeing ghosts drifting about the gravestones of assorted family members. Voices and a toddlers crying can be heard during the dark hours.
The Brooksville Heritage Museum was once a private residence before being changed. Some think the former owners of the mansion still wander the property. A number of unexplained visions and disturbances, such as loud whispers and slamming doors, have occurred.
