18 Most Haunted Places in Florida: Real Ghost Stories You Can Visit

Florida sells itself as sunshine and theme parks. Look a little closer and you find one of the most haunted states in the country.

The reason is history. St. Augustine, founded in 1565, is the oldest city in America, and its coquina walls have soaked up four centuries of war, disease, and tragedy.

Add the sailors and yellow fever victims of Key West, plus the spiritualist mediums of Cassadaga, and you get a state stacked with restless spirits. Many of these sites still welcome visitors after dark.

Below are 18 of the most haunted places in Florida, ranked and grounded in documented lore. You can browse all haunted places in Florida in our directory, and if you plan to investigate, start with our ghost hunting equipment guide.

1. Castillo de San Marcos (St. Augustine)

The Castillo de San Marcos is America’s oldest masonry fort, guarding the waterfront since 1695. Three centuries of battles, imprisonments, and executions make it Florida’s most haunted landmark.

Its most tragic tale involves Colonel Garcia Marti, who is said to have sealed his unfaithful wife and her lover alive inside a dungeon wall. Skeletal remains were later discovered walled up in exactly that spot.

Visitors report phantom cannon fire, drifting cigar smoke, and a Spanish soldier who patrols the gun deck at dusk. The old dungeon is the most active spot, where people feel sudden dread and sadness.

The fort is open daily from 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM, with adult admission around $15. Third-party moonlight ghost tours run on select evenings.

2. St. Augustine Lighthouse (St. Augustine)

The St. Augustine Lighthouse has stood since 1874, and it is one of the most investigated haunted sites in the state. Its ghosts are children.

During construction in 1873, three young girls drowned when their rail cart plunged into the ocean. Visitors still hear their laughter and small feet running up the 219 spiral stairs.

A keeper named Joseph Andreu, who fell to his death while painting the tower, is blamed for cigar smoke in the basement workshop. The keeper’s house basement is the creepiest spot, where guests feel pushed by unseen hands.

Daily tours run 9 AM to 6 PM. The after-hours Dark of the Moon paranormal tours book months ahead, so reserve early.

3. Flagler College, Ponce de Leon Hotel (St. Augustine)

Flagler College began life in 1888 as Henry Flagler’s lavish Ponce de Leon Hotel. Students now share the ornate halls with its ghosts.

The most famous spirit is a woman in Victorian dress, believed to be a worker who fell to her death from an upper floor. She appears most often near the fourth-floor tower.

Students report waking to someone sitting on their beds, and some request room transfers. Legend even claims Henry Flagler still walks the halls of his prized hotel.

Because it is an active campus, you must join a guided tour booked through the college. Tours are free and include the ghost stories.

4. Old Jail (St. Augustine)

The Old Jail housed St. Johns County’s most dangerous criminals from 1891 to 1953. Hangings, riots, and harsh treatment left the building deeply scarred.

The most feared spirit is Charlie Poppell, a violent inmate who died here and reportedly terrorizes visitors. A former sheriff is also seen patrolling the corridors as if still on duty.

The maximum security cells upstairs are the worst, especially Cell 8. Guests report being grabbed, scratched, and hit with sudden panic attacks.

Daily tours run 10 AM to 5 PM, with adult admission around $13 to $15. Evening ghost tours and overnight hunts are offered on select nights.

5. St. Francis Inn (St. Augustine)

The St. Francis Inn has welcomed guests since 1791, making it one of Florida’s oldest lodgings. It is also one of the most haunted.

The resident ghost is Lily, an enslaved girl who died tragically on the property after falling in love with a soldier. She haunts Room 3A, where guests feel a presence sit on their beds.

A Confederate soldier appears at the windows, and a young boy who died of yellow fever plays in the courtyard. Room 3A is where activity peaks.

This is a working bed and breakfast, so the best way to experience it is to book a night. Rooms typically run $200 to $400 depending on the season.

6. Huguenot Cemetery (St. Augustine)

Huguenot Cemetery opened in 1821 to bury non-Catholics during a brutal yellow fever epidemic. Hundreds were laid to rest here in a matter of weeks.

The most active spirit is Judge John B. Stickney, a tall figure seen standing near his elaborate monument at dusk. A young fever victim is also heard giggling among the graves.

The northwest corner, where mass graves lie, generates such heavy energy that even skeptics feel ill there. Ground-penetrating radar has since found many more unmarked graves.

The cemetery is free to view during daylight hours. After-dark access is only legal on an organized ghost tour.

7. The Devil’s Chair (Cassadaga)

The Devil’s Chair is a red-brick mourning bench in the Lake Helen-Cassadaga Cemetery. It sits beside Cassadaga, a town founded in 1895 as the Psychic Capital of the World.

Legend says the Devil himself appears to anyone who sits in the chair at midnight, whispering in their ears. The most famous myth claims a sealed can of beer left overnight will be empty by morning.

Visitors report invisible weight pressing against them the moment they sit down. Spiritualist founder George Colby, buried nearby, is often seen wandering the grounds.

The cemetery is free but closes at 7:00 PM, and after-dark trespassing is aggressively enforced. Visit in the late afternoon to take in the atmosphere legally.

8. Casa Monica Resort and Spa (St. Augustine)

The Casa Monica Resort and Spa is a Moorish-style hotel that has operated since 1888. Behind the luxury is a reputation as one of Florida’s most haunted hotels.

Guests see a Woman in White gliding along the fourth-floor hallways before vanishing. A phantom bellhop in an old uniform has even been known to help with luggage.

The fourth floor, especially Room 424, is the hot spot for shadowy figures at the foot of the bed. Activity peaks between midnight and 3 AM.

This is a working luxury hotel, with rooms from roughly $200 to $500 a night. Non-guests can still visit the lobby, bar, and restaurant.

9. Ximenez-Fatio House (St. Augustine)

The Ximenez-Fatio House was built in 1798 on America’s oldest street. At least 13 deaths have been documented inside over its long life as a boarding house.

Its resident ghost is Little Miss Madison, a playful child who runs the stairs and plays with an antique dollhouse on the third floor. An original mirror is said to capture ghostly reflections.

The third floor is the most active area, where visitors hear tiny furniture moving and childish laughter. The old fainting room draws its own cold spots.

The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, with adult admission around $15. Monthly overnight investigations run from 9 PM to 9 AM.

10. Spanish Military Hospital (St. Augustine)

The Spanish Military Hospital recreates an 18th-century medical facility on its original grounds. Countless patients died here from yellow fever and crude surgery.

The surgical room, where amputations were done without anesthesia, is the most active area. Visitors feel sudden dread, nausea, and invisible hands tugging their clothes.

A period-dressed nurse is seen tending invisible patients, and a confused Spanish soldier appears in the surgical room. The smell of sulfur and herbs drifts through empty rooms.

The building is open daily, roughly 10 AM to 6 PM, with admission around $8 to $12. Evening ghost tours offer the eeriest experience.

11. Fort Zachary Taylor (Key West)

Fort Zachary Taylor was built between 1845 and 1860 near the southern tip of Key West. Though it never saw combat, thousands died inside from yellow fever and disease.

The best-known ghost is Wendal, a soldier who appears in photographs as a translucent figure in uniform. At noon, visitors report hearing the screams of executed prisoners.

The old cell area near the entrance is where a soldier is seen walking straight through solid brick. The parade ground is the epicenter of the noon activity.

The fort is open daily from 8 AM to sunset as a state park, with standard entrance fees. Key West ghost tours often include it.

12. Key West Cemetery (Key West)

Key West Cemetery was established in 1847 after a hurricane washed away earlier graves. Its 19 acres hold roughly 100,000 souls, more than the living population of the island.

The cemetery is guarded by the Bahamian Guardian, an angry female spirit who confronts anyone who disrespects the dead. A playful girl’s voice also lures visitors toward her own grave.

The grave of that twelve-year-old girl is a focal point for activity, as is the USS Maine memorial. Photographers frequently capture orbs and full apparitions.

The cemetery is free and open sunrise to sunset. Late afternoon is the most atmospheric time to walk the grounds.

13. Scarlett O’Hara’s (St. Augustine)

Scarlett O’Hara’s is a haunted pub built from two connected 1870s homes. It is listed in the National Directory of Haunted Places.

Its ghost is George Colee, found drowned in an upstairs bathtub in a death many believe was murder. He haunts the upstairs Ghost Bar where he died.

Staff report self-lighting candles, alarms triggered in an empty building, and a jukebox that plays on its own. Employees hang a Christmas stocking for George every year.

The building reopened under new ownership in 2025 as The Scarlett House. There is no cover charge, just standard bar and restaurant pricing.

14. Casa de la Paz (St. Augustine)

Casa de la Paz sits along the bay-front curve near the Castillo. For over a century it operated as a beloved bed and breakfast.

Its ghost is Miss Mabel, a widow who barricaded herself in the Queen Isabella room after her husband drowned in a storm. She wanders the house with a suitcase, asking guests, “When are we leaving?”

The Queen Isabella room carries an oppressive weight of grief that visitors physically feel. Miss Mabel seems most active when Atlantic storms roll in.

The building no longer operates as an inn and cannot be entered. You can view it from the street on evening ghost tours along Avenida Menendez.

15. Old City Gate (St. Augustine)

The Old City Gate marks the historic entrance to the city, built from coquina in 1808. It is haunted by a girl named Elizabeth who died in the 1821 yellow fever epidemic.

Legend says her family left her body at the gates to avoid having their home burned. She was buried unmarked in the Huguenot Cemetery just across the street.

Visitors see her in a white dress near the coquina pillars, dancing and waving at passersby around midnight. Many mistake her for a lost living child at first.

The gates sit on a public street and are free to visit 24/7. Late night offers the best chance of an encounter.

16. Tolomato Cemetery (St. Augustine)

Tolomato Cemetery has been a burial ground since 1777, on a site used by a Native American village even earlier. Mass burials during yellow fever outbreaks left many unmarked graves.

Visitors see misty figures weaving between the Spanish-era tombstones and a woman in a white mourning dress. A Lady in Blue is tied to the old Tolomato Mission site.

The northwest corner, home to the oldest unmarked burials, is the most active spot. People report sadness, sharp cold spots, and unseen touches.

The cemetery is usually locked and viewable from the fence for free. Interior access is only during scheduled preservation-association tours.

17. Potter’s Wax Museum (St. Augustine)

Potter’s Wax Museum has unsettled visitors since 1948 as one of the oldest wax museums in the country. Some believe the lifelike figures attract wandering spirits.

Staff describe a Phantom Caretaker who moves tools and locks doors, plus a Spanish soldier near the colonial exhibits. Cameras have caught mist and light anomalies in empty rooms.

The Chamber of Horrors is the creepiest section, where visitors feel dread and invisible touches. One EVP session reportedly captured a voice saying “always here.”

The museum is typically open daily, around 10 AM to 9 PM, with admission near $13 for adults. Late evening visits produce the most reports.

18. Don Pedro Horruytiner House (St. Augustine)

The Don Pedro Horruytiner House is a Spanish Colonial mansion on St. George Street that once housed two Florida governors. Its coquina walls have survived storms and fires for centuries.

The signature story involves two translucent women who appeared to a gardener in 1821 as she tended the roses. She gave them yellow roses, and the same roses appeared on her doorstep the next morning.

The attic is the creepiest spot, where a coffin is said to slide around on its own. The ghostly women are still seen strolling the rose garden.

The house is a private residence, so you can only view the exterior from the street. It is a regular stop on St. Augustine ghost walking tours.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most haunted place in Florida?

The Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine is widely considered the most haunted place in Florida. Its 300-year history of war, imprisonment, and the walled-up lovers legend makes it a top paranormal destination.

Is St. Augustine really that haunted?

Yes. As the oldest city in America, St. Augustine has endured wars, yellow fever epidemics, and centuries of death.

That deep history is why so many of Florida’s most haunted sites sit within a few walkable blocks of each other.

Can you visit these haunted places in Florida?

Most of them, yes. Many offer daytime tours and after-hours ghost hunts, though a few are private residences you can only view from the street.

Always respect posted hours, since sites like Cassadaga’s cemetery enforce strict closing times after dark.

Are Florida’s haunted cemeteries safe to explore?

During daylight hours the public cemeteries are safe and often free. After dark, legal access usually requires joining an organized ghost tour.

Watch for uneven ground and fragile headstones, and never touch or lean on the historic monuments.

These 18 sites are only the beginning of the state’s supernatural map. Explore the full Florida directory to plan your own haunted road trip through the Sunshine State.