The Most Haunted Hotels in Florida – Stay if You Dare

Our household is a split one. One of us doesn’t believe in ghosts, goblins and other paranormal  “BS”.My spouse on the other hand is a believer.

In fact, she claims to have experienced the spirits that are supposed to frequent the Gibson Inn, one of our haunted hotels in Florida we list below. Personally, I believe she spent to much time listening to the spooky stories the bartender at the Gibson was feeding her!

In any event, the creepy stories about hotels in the Sunshine State are rampant. We pass along some of the more believable accountings.

Haunted Hotels in Florida

Biltmore Hotel – Coral Gables Haunted Hotel

If you have visited the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables Florida, you know this grand old resort has tons of history. The walls are lined with pictures of famous people who have stayed there.

Of all the stories about lively spirits at the Biltmore, the most famous is the tale about Thomas “Fatty” Walsh. The portions of the story that are true are that he was a gangster with friends like Lucky Luciano and Dutch Shultz.

Fatty had parties in the hotel on the 13^th floor as the story goes, but our research shows it was the 14^th floor. They always included women and gambling. It has been reported that Fatty paid the Biltmore staff handsomely to look the other way during his party nights.

Police never solved the murder of Walsh in March 1929. He was embedded in criminal activity from New York to Miami. While there were a dozen or so witnesses to the shooting, none ever admitted to whom the actual gunman was. Some were fearful of retaliation by the real murderer.

Fatty seems to be the primary spirit roaming the hotel looking for the murderer. Staff at the hotel used to relate more ghostly stories to the hotel’s official historian Linda Spitzer.

Ms. Spitzer heard about the spirits of soldiers who died at the hotel when it was used as a hospital during World War II. She heard about guests who vanished after asking for assistance from the front desk clerk. There are many more abnormal sightings.

If ghosts are at the hotel for unfinished business, the history of this grand old hostelry certainly offers many opportunities for haunting.

Things To Do in Coral Gables

Loop Road, The Everglades and The Gator Hook Lodge

Spend a little time deep in the Everglades. That is creepy enough without the stories of Loop Road.

Loop Road can be described as a byway off the Tamiami Trail. That is a generous description. It is actually a semi-dangerous gravel road cut through the middle of the swamp.

Loop Road is full of alligators, swamp angels, off-the-grid people, ramshackle dwellings, and plenty of things that want to bite, sting or eat you!

The Tamiami Trail was built as part of the quest to find a quick way to Miami. It was completed in 1928. Long before the completion of the Trail, a man by the name of James Franklin Jaudon built Loop Road from an old Indian trail into the Everglades.

Jaudon had a dream that tourists and travelers along the Miami-Dade/Monroe County line would come to his community of Pinecrest along Loop Road. He ran out of money.

Loop Road eventually was traveled only by gladesmen, Indians, bootleggers and loggers. Rumors persist today that Al Capone had a speakeasy and gambling joint near Pinecrest.

Crime, deceit, lawlessness, and unmarked graves have been associated with Loop Road. One old-timer quipped, “wise men don’t travel Loop Road at night…. bears and panthers are the least of their worries”.

In the 1950s Gator Hook Lodge opened for a 20-year stint. It was a real dive bar frequented by “hunters and fishers, froggers and gator poachers, moonshiners and misanthropes”.

The Gator Hook burned down, but the stories about lost souls, disappearances, and lack of law enforcement remain. The nearest sheriff was 90 miles away in Key Largo.

Needless to say, the sounds of the Everglades at night lead to ghostly thoughts and inhuman sightings. Even the paranormal investigators shy away from the swamp.

We traveled Loop Road during the day. It is not for the faint of heart or vehicle in need of service. There are no gas stations, rest stops or stores. Cell phone service is spotty at best.

This creepy section of the Everglades is 20 miles of gravel road on the western portion and somewhat paved on the eastern side. The couple of homes at the eastern end are rustic, at best.

Our advice is to travel at your leisure and own risk!

Island Hotel – Cedar Key

The Island Hotel in Cedar Key is a famous bed and breakfast listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was built in 1859 and rumors have persisted of it being one of the oldest haunted Florida hotels.

Over the years the settling of the structure, weather issues and other factors created havoc, but the Hotel has withstood the wrath of many hurricanes.

In 1914 Simon Feinberg bought the hotel. It was managed by a man named Markham. Steinberg found out Markham had an illegal still in the attic. Markham denied it and scheduled a dinner meeting with Steinberg to discuss his mistrust.

After the meeting with Markham professing his innocence, Steinberg retired for the night. He never woke up. Some say it was food poisoning. During a remodel of the hotel in 1999, they found the remnant copper piping used in stills.

The staff and local patrons continually say the hotel is haunted. They have identified at least 13 spirits roaming the building.

One story is that of a nine-year-old black boy who was accused of stealing from the general store in the hotel. He was chased by the manager but was never seen again. Years later the skeletal remains of a young boy were found in a cistern.

Another story revolves around multiple sights in rooms 27 and 28. Guests say that a murdered prostitute during prohibition years visits these rooms.

Many other stories talk about the kissing girls, the disappearance of guests and lively spirits.

We have never stayed at the Island Hotel despite being in Cedar Key many times. We are not sure we want to visit there now. 

We choose not to take chances, despite being a nonbeliever. Besides, this is the story of a personal experience with ghosts.

Things To Do in Cedar Key

The Gibson Inn – Apalachicola

The Gibson Inn was built in 1907. Located in Apalachicola, Florida, the Inn was a perfect stopping point at halfway between Jacksonville-St. Augustine area to Pensacola at far west part of the panhandle.

Apalachicola has been one of the biggest producers of fresh oysters for many years. It has also been the subject of hauntings at the Gibson.

The main ghost story has been the one about Captain Wood who died in room 309. However, that is not the story told to us.

Five years ago, my wife I and our youngest adult son were traveling north Florida. We decided to stay at the Gibson Inn for the night. After dinner, we visited the bar located in the lobby of the hotel.

The night was slow and the bartender was talkative. Somehow, we got on the subject of the supernatural occurrences at the Gibson. A mistake for my wife and son while having cocktails prior to a night’s rest.

The bartender told the tale of two sisters. His version didn’t match current recollections but was close enough.

He stated that two young sisters were relatives of the hotel owners. They stayed at the Gibson. The elder sister was followed constantly by the younger one. They were inseparable.

As fate would have it, the elder sister fell in love. She was smitten only to be rejected by the boy she loved. Her broken heart was inconsolable.

On a dark night, there was a tragedy. The elder sister jumped to her death from the heights on the Gibson Inn. Immediately thereafter, the younger sibling joined her sister.

The bartender contended that the Inn is haunted by the sisters seen by guests with birds following their apparitions in the hotel. There are noises that roam the halls and windows opening in preparation for their fate.

That is about the point of the story when I headed for a TV in my room. Not so for my wife and son. They listened on.

To this day both spouse and offspring swear they heard strange sounds moving around our rooms and hotel during the night. I also swear that they had too many cocktails and stories from what I suspect is a still-smiling bartender.

Our experience was long before the preparation of this post. My doubtful recollection is matched by their assurances of the happenings.

Occasionally, I wonder how many of the most famous haunted places in Florida started out with cocktails on some dark night??

Things To Do in Apalachicola

The Don CeSar Hotel – St. Pete Beach 

The Don CeSar Hotel, located in St. Pete Beach, Florida, has gained a reputation for being one of the Florida haunted hotels due to several reported paranormal experiences and ghostly sightings over the years.

 Here are some of the stories and reasons behind its haunted reputation:

• The Pink Lady: One of the most famous ghost stories associated with The Don CeSar is that of the “Pink Lady.” According to legend, the Pink Lady is the spirit of a woman named Thomas Rowe’s lost love. Thomas Rowe, the original owner of the hotel, met a young woman while studying abroad in Europe. They fell in love, but her parents disapproved of their relationship, and she died shortly after they were separated. Rowe returned to the United States and built The Don CeSar as a tribute to his lost love. Guests and staff have reported sightings of a woman in a pink gown wandering the hotel’s halls and gardens. Some claim to have felt a cold presence or heard unexplained footsteps, often attributed to the Pink Lady.
• Other Paranormal Activity: In addition to the Pink Lady, guests and employees have reported various other paranormal occurrences at The Don CeSar. These include inexplicable cold spots, doors opening and closing on their own, lights flickering, and items mysteriously moving. Some visitors have described feeling a sense of being watched or touched by unseen hands.

Overall, the haunting stories surrounding The Don CeSar Hotel contribute to its mystique and allure for both guests and paranormal enthusiasts. Whether these experiences are attributed to vivid imaginations, historical resonance, or actual paranormal activity, they continue to fascinate those intrigued by the supernatural.

Things To Do in St. Pete Beach

The Casa Monica Hotel – St. Augustine 

We don’t know quite where to start about the many tales of haunted activity at the Casa Monica. Of couse, America’s oldest city, St. Augustine is a hotbead of reported paranormal activity.

Here are a few of the stories told to us:

• Woman in White – One of the most commonly reported apparitions at the Casa Monica is that of a young woman in white, who is often seen wandering the halls of the hotel. This apparition is said to have been seen on several occasions, mostly in the late evening hours.Some stories suggest that the young woman is the spirit of a woman who once stayed at the hotel and had an ill-fated love affair.
• Man in Hat – Another popular ghost story involves a man in a bowler hat who is frequently seen in the lobby or in the hotel’s bar area. This spirit is thought to be the ghost of a former hotel guest who died under mysterious circumstances. Some theories suggest that he may have been a wealthy businessman who had an unfortunate accident while staying at the hotel.
• Child Ghost –

  Another frequently reported entity is the ghost of a child, often seen running or playing near the grand staircase or in the hallways. The child is typically described as a young boy, around the age of 8 or 9, who appears to be having fun in a playful, innocent manner.Though the presence of this child ghost is not as sinister as some of the other spirits, it still evokes a sense of mystery and intrigue.

We could go on with more stories, but it would take a book to write them all. One thing we did hear is that a couple of the cleaning crew refuse to clean certain rooms by themselves!

Conclusion

We will continue our skeptical ways, but curiosity has peaked our interest enough to keep looking for stories of hauntings in Florida.

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Florida’s Ghost Town in the Everglades – Flamingo

Loop Road – Travel At Your Own Risk!