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1. Haunted St. Augustine Florida Ghosts
St. Augustine is a city in St. Johns County, Florida,
in the United States. It is the oldest continuously
occupied European-established city in the continental
United States. St. Augustine lies in a region of Florida
known as The First Coast, which extends from Amelia
Island in the north, south to Jacksonville, St. Augustine
and Palm Coast. Also known as the Ancient City, Nation's
Oldest City.
St. Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565, and
is the oldest city in the present-day United States
of America. The first Christian worship service held
in a permanent settlement in the current United States
was a Catholic Mass celebrated in St. Augustine. A few
settlements were founded prior to St. Augustine but
all failed, including the original Pensacola colony
in West Florida, founded by Tristán de Luna y
Arellano in 1559, with the area abandoned in 1561 due
to hurricanes, famine and warring tribes, and Fort Caroline
in what is today Jacksonville, Florida in 1564. The
city was founded by the Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez
de Avilés on September 8, 1565. Menéndez
first sighted land on August 28, the feast day of Augustine
of Hippo, and consequently named the settlement San
Agustín. Martin de Arguelles was born here one
year later in 1566, the first child of European ancestry
to be born in what is now the United States. This came
21 years before the English settlement at Roanoke Island
in Virginia Colony, and 42 years before the successful
settlements of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Jamestown,
Virginia. In all the territory under the jurisdiction
of the United States, only settlements in Puerto Rico
are older than St. Augustine, with the oldest being
San Juan, founded in 1512.
In 1586 St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir
Francis Drake. In 1668 it was plundered by pirates and
most of the inhabitants were killed. In 1702 and 1740
it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from
their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The
most serious of these came in the latter year, when
James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied himself with Ahaya
the Cowkeeper, chief of the Alachua band of the Seminole
tribe to lay siege to the city.
Home to Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum, Ripley's
oldest Odditorium, located in the Castle Warden, was
purchased shortly after his death in 1949 and opened
in 1950. Prior to becoming home to Ripley's vast collections
from his many travels, "The Castle" as it
is known, was once a hotel which played host to many
famous guests, including Ripley himself and author/owner
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. "The Castle" was
originally a Moorish Revival style mansion, built in
1887 by millionaire William Warden as a winter home.
The popularity and success of this museum led Ripley's
associates to open new establishments throughout the
United States and the world. But "The Castle"
remains the permanent home of Ripley's personal collections
and is the flagship of the Odditoriums. Perhaps not
surprisingly, it is also rumored to be haunted. Segments
of the most recent Ripley's TV series were filmed here,
including the opening credits. Among the attractions
here are a mummified cat, a 1/12 scale model of the
original Ferris wheel made out of Erector sets, life
and death masks of famous celebrities (including Abe
Lincoln), and shamanistic apparatus from cultures around
the world. It is at this museum where the ghost of Sanz
McGillinz can be found drinking powerade.
St Augustine Ghost sightings are more then plentifull
and most residence have more then one paranormal expeirence
or ghost story to tell.
Some of the best haunted hot spots to visit In St Agustine,
Florida:
Bridge of Lions
Casa Monica Hotel
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Huguenat Cemetery
Spanish Military Hospital
Old City Gates
Flagler College, part of which is the former Ponce de
Leon Hotel
Fort Matanzas National Monument
Fort Mose Historic State Park
Fountain of Youth
Gonzalez-Alvarez House (Oldest House)
Lightner Museum, in the former Hotel Alcazar
Colonial Spanish Quarter Living History Museum
Old St. Johns County Jail
Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum
Zorayda Castle
2. Haunted Miami, Florida Ghosts
Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July
28, 1896, though the area was first inhabited for more
than a thousand years by the Tequesta Indians and was
claimed for Spain in 1566 by Pedro Menéndez de
Avilés. A Spanish mission was established a year
later in 1567. In the mid-1800s Fort Dallas was built
and subsequently, was a site of fighting during the
Second Seminole War. In the 1920s, Miami prospered through
the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's with an increase
in population and infrastructure. By 1940, 172,172 people
lived in the city and Miami had grown to become a large,
growing city.
The Miami area was better known as “Biscayne
Bay Country” in the early years of its growth.
The few published accounts from that period describe
the area as a wilderness that held much promise. A once
haunted hot spot was "The Villa Paula". The
actual hauntings have made the newspapers more then
once over the years.
With Miami's diversified culture several forms of Voodoo,
Santeria and many other Yourba bassed religions thrive
here in the sunny climate. The paranormal expierences
associated with this seems to rule over the entire city.
Miami's Top Haunted Hot spots
Ramada Inn
101 N Ocean Dr, Hollywood, FL
Al Capone's former beachfront hideout has reported and
investigated several times over the years for unusual
paranormal activity.
The City of Miami Cemetery, is a historic cemetery
in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located at 1800
Northeast 2nd Avenue. On January 4, 1989, it was added
to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Casa Casuarina
1116 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL
Gianni Versace's murder attracts more than just tourists
at this creepy mansion.
The Jockey Club 11111 Biscayne Blvd. People who work
and live there complain about lights turning on and
off, hearing footsteps when they know they are alone,
hearing voices, doors locking by themselves. On one
occasion security was called when people heard a fight
going on in the garage. When security got there they
could hear the yelling but could not find anyone there
and then suddenly the voices stopped.
Miami River Inn
118 SW South River Dr, Miami, FL
Tourists say they've heard mysterious creaks and footsteps
from guests who never checked out of the city's oldest
bed-and-breakfast.
Colony Theater
1040 Lincoln Rd, South Miami Beach, FL
Strange ghostly footsteps and noises are still heard
backstage at this long-standing venue of the arts.
Coral Castle
28655 S Dixie Hwy, Homestead, FL
Many visitors say they can feel the aura of energy that
Ed Leedskalnin supposedly used to build his palace.
Athene Book Store is gone. It is now a Insurance company
but the ghost story lives on..... Those Who work there
now say the place is very haunted! The haunted Occult
Book Store shop was located at, 6645 South Dixie Hwy,
US Hwy 1, Dadeland North Shopping Center, Miami, Florida
33143. Read More Here!
The Biltmore Hotel
1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables, FL
This landmark hotel offers ghost stories every Thursday
night to chronicle its tenure as a veteran's hospital
during World War II.
Fontainebleau Resort Miami Beach
4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL, Said to be haunted
by a few famouse Ratpackers.
3. Cassadaga, Florida Ghosts
The town of Cassadaga started from the founding of
the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association.
The Camp was founded by a very talented trance medium
George P. Colby from Pike, New York. His spirit guide,
Seneca, instructed him to establish a Spiritualist community
in the south. This unincorporated community located
in Volusia County, Florida, just north of Deltona. It
is well known for having a large number of psychics,
also known as "Mediums", and as such is sometimes
referred to as being the "Psychic Center of the
World".
Many flock here to visit with there departed loved
ones. Some say this where more ghost come to visit with
the living then anyplace else in the world.
The location was chosen for its unique energy level.
The word Cassadaga is a term used by the Seneca Indians
meaning, “Rocks beneath the water.”
The Spiritual Camp was chartered on December 18, 1894.
Many say Ghosts seem to flock to the little titown from
all over the world trying to communicate with their
lovd ones. And many of the ghosts are said to have taken
up permanent residence here.
4. Key West, Florida Ghosts
Key West is a city and an island of the same name near
the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys in Monroe County,
Florida, United States. The city encompasses the namesake
island, the part of Stock Island north of US-1 (the
Overseas Highway) (east), Sigsbee Park (north, originally
known as Dredgers Key), Fleming Key (north), and Sunset
Key (west, originally known as Tank Island). Nearby
Key Haven (northeast), the part of Stock Island south
of US-1 (east) and Wisteria Island, better known as
Christmas Tree Island (northwest), are in unincorporated
Monroe County. Both Fleming Key and Sigsbee Park are
part of the NAS Key West and are inaccessible by civilians.
Key West Cemetery near Solares Hill, the highest point
of land on the island. The cemetery was moved to the
high spot in 1847 after an 1846 hurricane washed corpses
out of the beach cemetery. Some say the lost souls comb
the white sand beaches day and night.
Key West has an east-west orientation rather than north-south
as many mistake when they drive down U.S. Route 1 (Overseas
Highway) from Miami since the highway enters the island
on the northeast corner.
The original Key West neighborhood in the west (although
perceived as south) is called "Old Town."
It includes the major tourist destinations of the island
including Mallory Square, Duval Street, the Truman Annex
and Fort Zachary Taylor. It is where you find the classic
bungalows and guest mansions.
Generally, the structures date from 1886 to 1912. The
basic features that distinguish the local architecture
include wood frame construction of one to two-and-a-half
story structures set on foundation piers about three
feet above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the
buildings are peaked "tin" roofs, horizontal
wood siding, pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered
shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries,
or verandas) along the fronts of the structures, and
wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the
piers.
Many visitors rent a bicycle and explore the history
and architecture of Old Town Key West. Walking tours,
including a tour of the unusual Key West Cemetery, are
available. The Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square
is a daily spectacle for visitors and residents. Boat
excursions and tours provide a great way to view Key
West from the water.
The Duval Street bar and restaurant district includes
many different entertainment options, all within walking
distance of each other.
The Tennessee Williams Theatre is a performing arts
center, a civic center, and a community center.
The Key West Literary Seminar, a celebration of writers
and writing held each January, attracts an international
audience to hear such writers as Ian McEwan, Margaret
Atwood, Billy Collins, and Joyce Carol Oates.
The Key West Botanical Forest and Garden is an excellent,
frost-free arboretum and botanical garden containing
a number of "champion tree" specimens.
Nancy Forrester's Secret Garden is a one acre (4,000
m²) garden resembling a lush, predominantly green,
rainforest. It is an exhibit of wild nature’s
artistry in a woodland garden.
The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory features
a 5,000 square foot (460 m²) glass-domed tropical
butterfly habitat.
A permanent AIDS Memorial is at the White Street Pier.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum showcases gold, silver,
and treasure recovered from shipwrecks around the world.
Some tourists mingle with the locals, shop, and dine
at the Key West Historic Seaport at the Key West Bight.
The Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters Museum
preserves the history of the Key West Lighthouse built
in 1847.
Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway's former
home is now open to the public as a museum, populated
by as many as sixty descendants of his famous polydactyl
cats.
PrideFest is seven days of events, presented by the
Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Key West the first
week in June. The schedule includes the Pride Follies
talent extravaganza; contests to select a Mr., Ms. and
Miss PrideFest; parties, a tea dance; and the PrideFest
Parade down Duval Street. Key West was the first American
city to openly recruit gay tourists.
In 1979 the Key West Tourist Development Association,
Inc. started Fantasy Fest to attract tourists at the
traditionally slow time at Halloween, which is at the
end of the hurricane season. Fantasy Fest regularly
attracts approximately 80,000 people to the island,
and has become a huge success.
In June 2006 the Key West Gay & Lesbian Museum
& Archive opened at the Gay and Lesbian Community
Center at 513 Truman St. Featured exhibits include a
Tennessee Williams typewriter as well as an extensive
collection of memorabilia and papers of Richard A. Heyman
who was one of the first openly gay mayors before dying
in 1994 of AIDS.
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Popular annual events include:
Acura International Boat Regatta – January
Key West Literary Seminar – January
Conch Republic Independence Celebration; April 23
Red Ribbon Bed Race; April
Survivors Party; May
Queen Mother Pageant; May
PrideFest June
Cuban-American Heritage Festival; June
Hemingway Days Festival; July
WomenFest; September
Fantasy Fest; October
Goombay Celebration; October
Parrot Heads in Paradise Convention (aka Meeting of
the Minds); November
Boat and Holiday Parade; December
Robert the Enchanted Doll Day, October 24th
5. Orlando, Florida Ghosts
The city is best known for the many tourist attractions
in the area, in particular the nearby Walt Disney World
Resort, which is located in Lake Buena Vista about 20
miles south of Orlando city limits via Interstate 4.
Other notable area attractions include SeaWorld and
Universal Orlando Resort. The region sees an estimated
52 million tourists a year. Orlando is the second largest
city in the country for number of hotel rooms and one
of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions,
with the Orange County Convention Center the country's
second largest in square footage. It is also known for
its wide array of golf courses, with numerous courses
available for any level of golfer. Despite being far
from the main tourist attractions, downtown Orlando
is undergoing major redevelopment with a number of residential
and commercial towers. Talks are currently underway
to build a new performing arts center, Orlando Arena,
and a refurbishment of the Florida Citrus Bowl. Its
symbol is the fountain of Lake Eola.
Almost every theme or amusement park has a few terrifying
local urban legends, including a few rides and several
attractions that supposedly haunted by real ghosts.
Many of the hotels restaurants and buildings are said
to very haunted from several decades of paranormal occurrences.
Universal Studios theme park, Orlando: Hosts it's annual
haunted Halloween make over
Disney's Magic Kingdom: -Disney's Haunted Mansion.
Disney/MGM Studios: Disney's Tower of Terror.
I-4 Overpass many say is supposed to be very haunted,
north of Orlando, at the St. John's River in Seminole
County. According to legend, the highway was built over
the graves of Yellow Fever victims, who lived (and died)
at St. Joseph's Colony, established on this site in
1887.
Church Street Station area is said to be very haunted
and has been the focus of many paranormal investigations.
The Orlando area is home to a wide variety of tourist
attractions, including the Walt Disney World Resort,
Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando. The
Walt Disney World resort is the area's largest attraction
with its many facets such as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot,
Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon
Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. SeaWorld
Orlando is a large adventure park that features numerous
zoological displays and marine animals alongside an
amusement park with roller coasters and water park.
Universal Orlando, like Walt Disney World, is a multi-faceted
resort comprised of Universal Studios, CityWalk, and
the Islands of Adventure theme park. Orlando has also
become one of the fastest growing retail markets in
the USA with at least five major upscale department
stores opening last year alone and more than 50 million
square feet of shopping space in Central Florida.
Other attractions in the Greater Orlando area include:
Arboretum of the University of Central Florida
Blue Spring State Park, which is the winter home of
large numbers of Florida manatees that come upstream
from the St. Johns River to bask in the warm 72 °F
(22 °C) waters of the springs. Canoeing, swimming
and fishing are popular activities at Blue Springs.
Blue Man Group at the Sharp Aquos Theatre, located in
Universal Citywalk, brings the music, humor, and excitement
of the Blue Man Group to Orlando in this new 1,015 seat
venue.
Bok Tower, located in Lake Wales, FL.
Central Florida Zoological Park, located in Sanford,
FL on Lake Monroe. This 100 acre (400,000 m²) zoo
is home to a butterfly garden, herpetarium, and numerous
tropical animals. The zoo originally started as a collection
in the Sanford Fire Department, but grew into a regional
zoo in 1975. It is currently in the planning stages
of expansion and renaming the facility to "Zoo
Orlando at Sanford".
Church Street Station, a multi-level shopping mall and
entertainment center that once featured an abundance
of specialty shops, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars.
Purchased in the late 1990s by TransContinental Talent
owner Lou Pearlman, it is now virtually defunct, as
the area suffered in post-9/11 tourist-industry slump.
The area is being redeveloped with residential condominiums.
Now closed due to bankruptcy and is due to be bought
over.
Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba, in Downtown Disney West
Side, features its renowned blend of acrobatics and
special effects with more than 70 artists from around
the globe performing in a custom-designed, 1,671-seat
theater.
Cornell Fine Arts Museum, situated on the campus of
Rollins College, features significant loans, recent
acquisitions, and items from the Cornell's renowned
permanent collection. Admission is free.
Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, an amusement park opened
in 1936. This park features beautiful botanical gardens,
40 rides, 5 roller coasters and a water park. But it
is most famous for it lovely southern belles and world-renowned
Ski Shows. Located in Winter Haven, FL.
Discovery Cove, a resort that is part of the SeaWorld
Adventure Park complex. Some attraction features are
tropical fish in a coral reef, snorkeling with stingrays,
and interacting with birds in an aviary, as well as
swimming and playing with dolphins during a half-hour
session.
The Florida Mall, one of the largest signle-story malls
in the USA at over 1,849,000 ft² (179,778 m²)
with 250 stores, six anchor stores and even the Florida
Mall Hotel.
Gatorland houses thousands of alligators and crocodiles.
A few of Gatorland's residents have made wrangling appearances
in movies, television shows and commercial spots. The
54 year old park combines a petting zoo, bird sanctuary,
mini-water park, eco-tour and outdoor entertainment,
including daily alligator wrestling.
Hard Rock Café is the Orlando location of the
famed restaurant chain with the typical HRC music memorabilia.
There is also Hard Rock Live, a 3,000-capacity live
music venue, and the Hard Rock Hotel, a resort hotel
with a California-style restaurant called "The
Kitchen". It is one of eight worldwide, and one
of three in Florida. (Miami and Tampa are the other
two.)
The Holy Land Experience is a biblical themepark and
museum complex.
International Trolley and Train Museum features 14 model
railroad trains with sound and lighting traveling through
an indoor garden with 12 foot (4 m) high mountains,
waterfalls, and more than 30 trestles and tunnels. Also
on display are toy trains from the 1920s to the present.
Visitors can catch a ride in a California Victorian-style
half open/half closed trolley or the 5/8 replica of
an 1880 locomotive (a Mason Bogey) with its passenger
cars.
Kennedy Space Center is 45 minutes from Orlando and
south of Daytona Beach. Visitors can tour launch areas,
see giant rockets, "train" in spaceflight
simulators, and much more. Kennedy Space Center Visitor
Complex is open every day except Christmas Day and certain
launch days. Apart from the Astronaut Hall of Fame,
Space Center bus tours run every 15 minutes with stops
at an observation gantry and the Apollo / Saturn V Center.
Other guided tours include NASA Up Close, Cape Canaveral:
Then and Now, and Lunch With An Astronaut. Combo tickets
offer maximum access admission, plus one guided tour.
The Kerouac House, in the College Park neighborhood
of Orlando, is where writer Jack Kerouac lived during
the time his novel On the Road was published and released,
making him a national sensation and Beat Generation
icon. He lived in the house with his mother Gabrielle
from July 1957 to the spring of 1958, and wrote his
three-act play, The Beat Generation, a 51-chorus poem
called Orlanda Blues, and the novel The Dharma Bums
during his time there. In 1997, the Kerouac Project
of Orlando formed, and restored the Kerouac house. It
is now a haven for aspiring writers who can live in
the house as they create their own work.
Harry P. Leu Gardens, which is an inner city oasis covering
50 acres (20,000 m²) and features colorful annuals,
palms, an orchid house, a floral clock and a butterfly
garden.
The World's Largest McDonald's PlayPlace, located on
the corner of Sand Lake Road and International Drive,
looks like a fry box from the exterior. The interior
features an arcade with 60+ games with prize redemption,
a 1950s room, a waterfall and a gift shop. The Bistro
Gourmet at McDonald's features chef-prepared food, such
as panini and deli sandwiches, pasta, soup, desserts,
and hand-dipped ice cream, plus the standard McDonald's
menu.
Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, in Kissimmee.
Six brave knights on horseback compete in tournament
games, jousting, and sword fighting while guests dine
on a medieval-style banquet.
The Mall at Millenia, a new two-level 1.2 million square-foot
shopping experience, including the world-famous department
stores Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Neiman Marcus.
The Morse Museum of American Art, located in nearby
Winter Park, houses the world's "most comprehensive"
collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, among
its permanent exhibits. It includes Tiffany art glass,
jewelry, pottery, and the chapel interior designed for
the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. There
is also an exhibit on the Tiffany home, and American
paintings from the 19th century. The museum was founded
in 1942.
Old Town, in Kissimmee, features eight restaurants,
fifteen amusement park rides and 75 shops along its
brick-lined streets. Classic car shows every Friday
and Saturday feature hundreds of vintage automobiles.
Admission and parking are free.
The Orange County Regional History Center Features exhibits
and artifacts from the earliest days of the region to
the modern day. Includes information on everything from
the time of the Seminole Indians to the founding of
the city to the Civil Rights era to the Disney period
to today.
The Orlando Museum of Art], which has ongoing exhibitions
of American portraits and landscapes, American impressionist
works, and art of the ancient Americas.
The Orlando Science Center, is a 207,000 square foot
(19,000 m²) hands-on learning center with hundreds
of interactive exhibits for visitors of all ages. Images
surround visitors on the giant screen of the Dr. Phillips
CineDome. Other attractions include the Body Zone, teaching
health and fitness, as well as an observatory. The center
has the largest refracting telescope in Florida.
The Ripley's Believe It or Not! Orlando Odditorium is
located in a building artfully constructed to appear
as if it were collapsing to one side, which may be a
sly reference to central Florida's infamous sinkholes.
Visitors can explore bizarre artifacts, strange collections,
weird art/hobbies and interactive exhibits in sixteen
odd galleries. It is one of 27 Ripley museums in ten
countries.
Wonder Works A funhouse located on International Drive.
Can be easily identified as an upside down white building.
Wekiwa Springs State Park, which comprises around 7,000
acres (28 km²) of wild Florida. The springs pump
out 42 million gallons of crystal clear water a day.
Popular activities at the park include canoeing, swimming,
picnicking and fishing.
World of Orchids, featuring thousands of blooms in an
enclosed tropical rainforest. World of Orchids is a
working greenhouse shipping orchids and other plants
nationwide. A greenhouse covers nearly an acre (4,000
m²), and in this controlled climate of warm, humid
air some 1,000 orchids are displayed in a natural jungle
setting, with streams, waterfalls, and squawking parrots.
World of Orchids also has a 1,000 foot (300 m) long
boardwalk meandering off into nearby wetlands. Admission
is free.
Wet n' Wild A large waterpark located just minutes from
Universal Studios on International Drive
6. Daytona Beach Ghosts
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida,
USA. Daytona Beach is a year-round resort area, and
home to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Bethune-Cookman
University, Daytona Beach Community College, and Keiser
University, and the University of Central Florida Daytona
Beach Campus. The city is historically known for its
motorsports, with both Daytona International Speedway
and the old Daytona Beach Road Course having hosted
races for over a century. The city is also the headquarters
for NASCAR and the Grand American Road Racing Association.
Daytona could accurately be called a seasonal town,
with large groups of out-of-towners descending upon
the city for various events, most notably Speedweeks
in early February when over 200,000 NASCAR fans come
to attend the season-opening Daytona 500. Other events
include the NASCAR Pepsi 400 race in July, Bike Week
in March, Biketoberfest in October and Black College
Reunion in March and April. In the past Daytona Beach
catered to spring breakers, but in recent years many
of the breakers have migrated to other sites, like Panama
City. Daytona Beach has tried to clean up its image
but in the last few years spring breakers have come
back again in smaller numbers.
Daytona "The World's Most Famous Beach" And
it's very haunted too! Many report seeing actual people
or their ghost drowning in the surf. Also EVP's of strange
voices echoing in the night. Ghost photos happen here
in every point of the city all the time.
Some say the many ghosts from across America travel
here trying to recapture days gone by.
List of Registered Historic Buildings in Daytona Beach,
Florida
Bethune-Cookman College Historic District 620 Drive
Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard March 21, 1996
Daytona Beach Surfside Historic District roughly bounded
by Auditorium Boulevard,
the Atlantic Ocean, US 92, and the Halifax River August
1, 1996
Cypress Street Elementary School Bonner Elementary
School 900 Cypress Street December 2, 1996
Southwest Daytona Beach Black Heritage District Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard Historic District roughly bounded by Foote
Court, South Street,
Martin Luther King Boulevard, and the FEC RR tracks
May 23, 1997
Seybold Baking Company Factory Columbia Baking Company
or
Southern Bakeries Factory 800 Orange Avenue October
30, 1997
Seabreeze Historic District roughly bounded by University
Boulevard,
Halifax Road, Auditorium Boulevard,
and North Atlantic Avenue September 3, 1998
City Island Ball Park Jackie Robinson Ball Park City
Island, across from
the Daytona Beach Business District October 22, 1998
South Peninsula Historic District roughly the Daytona
Beach Pennisula between
the Atlantic Ocean and Halifax Road November 19, 1998
Daytona Beach Bandshell and Oceanfront Park Complex
Ocean Avenue, north of the junction of
Main Street and Atlantic March 5, 1999
Daytona also boasts The first ghost tour on the east
coast of the United States to be owned and operated
by certified ghost hunters and certified paranormal
researchers, this tour company offers three different
one and a half long walking tours that depart from several
locations.

7. Pensacola, Florida Ghosts
Pensacola is a city in Escambia County, Florida and
the county seat of Escambia County. Pensacola, Florida
has had a rich and colorful history over 450 years,
being the first settlement in the continental United
States (1559), Pensacola is nicknamed "The City
of Five Flags" due to the five flags that have
flown over it during its history: the flags of Spain
(Castile), France, Great Britain, the Confederate States
of America, and the United States. Other nicknames include
"World's Whitest Beaches" (due to the white
sand prevalent along beaches in the Florida panhandle),
"Cradle of Naval Aviation" (the National Museum
of Naval Aviation is located at the Pensacola Naval
Air Station, home of the legendary Blue Angels), "Western
Gate to the Sunshine State," "America's First
Settlement," "Emerald Coast," "Redneck
Riviera," and "Red Snapper Capital of the
World."
Pensacola's location on the Florida Panhandle makes
it vulnerable to hurricanes. Major hurricanes which
have made landfall at or near Pensacola include Eloise
(1975), Frederic (1979), Juan (1985), Erin (1995), Opal
(1995), Ivan (2004), and Dennis (2005).
Pensacola and several surrounding areas were devastated
by Hurricane Ivan. Pensacola found itself on the eastern
side of the eyewall, which sent a large storm surge
into Escambia Bay that eventually destroyed most of
the I-10 Bay Bridge. Over six billion dollars in damage
occurred in the metro area and more than 10,000 homes
were destroyed, with another 27,000 heavily damaged.
NASA created a comparison image to illustrate the massive
damage. Hurricane Ivan drove up the cost of housing
in the area, leading to a severe shortage of affordable
housing. In July 2005, Hurricane Dennis made landfall
just east of the city, sparing it the blow it had received
from Ivan the year before. However, hurricane and near-hurricane
force winds were recorded in downtown, causing moderate
damage.
Although Pensacola only received a glancing blow from
2005s devastating Hurricane Katrina, light to moderate
damage was reported in the area. Katrina also undermined
a large percentage of Pensacola's tourist base from
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
Major holidays in Pensacola include Memorial Day (GLBT),
Florida Mardi Gras, and the Fiesta of Five Flags. Celebrations
of note in Pensacola are the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival,
the Seafood Festival, Gay Pride (Memorial Day Weekend),
The King Mackerel and Cobia Tournament, Florida Springfest
(although canceled in 2006 and 2007), Gracefest (a Christian
music festival), Lobsterfest, University of West Florida
Festival On The Green, the Bushwhacker Festival and
the Bill Fishing Tournament.
Historic Seville Square and it adjacents parks, Fountain
Park and Bartram Park are the sites of most of Pensacola's
festivals. In the summer on Thursdays and on the Thursday
in the beginning of the Christmas season, the Pensacola
Heritage Foundation presents local bands in it's famous
gazebo for free and very popular concerts. In December
the Pensacola Christmas Market is a popular event in
Seville Square as is the Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival
and Seafood Festival are in the fall and the Cajun Crawfish
Festival is in the spring. Festivals in Seville Square
is a successful tradition begun by local preservations
in the early 60's led by Mary Turner Rule Reed and the
Pensacola Heritage Foundaion who started the movement
to save and restore this square and Pensacola's old
settlement around it.
Is Pensacola haunted ? How can it not be!
The Pensacola Historical Society (http://pensacolahistory.org)
each year present its Haunted House Walking and Trolley
Tours. The tours feature costumed guides who recount
tales – some true, some simply long-held urban
legends – of murder, nefarious characters and
ghosts from Pensacola’s long history). As the
historical society puts it, the tours let you “become
acquainted with some of the city's residents who refuse
to leave, even after death has claimed them.”
Pensacola Naval Air Station might send a few shivers
down your spine. Built in 1859, the lighthouse saw back-and-forth
possession by the Union and Confederate armies during
the Civil War, and has been hit by lightning, shaken
by a rare Florida earthquake, and survived numerous
hurricanes. Some also say it’s haunted by ghostly
footsteps, doors that open and close by themselves,
and the spirit of its first keeper, Jeremiah Ingraham.
Lighthouse tours are led by Coast Guard Auxiliary guides
from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays, May through October.
A Small collection of bars known as Seville Quarter.
Located off Government Street in Downtown Pensacola
inside what used to be the old historic courthouse is
a collection of bars for anyone's taste. The environment
itself is a real treasure, the old building is absolutely
beautiful and full of vitality. Local urban legend also
adds to Seville Quarter's color with talk of ghosts
that may still haunt it.
8. Fort Lauderdale, Florida Ghosts
Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America"
due to its expansive and intricate canal system, is
a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. With
the very haunted Stranahan House as the best destination
to spot a ghost in haunted Florida.
The Stranahan House, Built in 1906, for Pioneer Floridian
Frank Stranahan, This is one of Haunted Fort Lauderdale's
most haunted houses. Built in 1906, for Pioneer Floridian
Frank Stranahan.
The Stranahan House has served as a trading post, post
office, bank and town hall. Restored to its 1913 , it's
a "must see" in Haunted South Florida.
Fort Lauderdale is named after series of forts built
by the United States during the Second Seminole War,
although development did not begin until 50 years after
the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict.
There were three forts constructed with that name; the
first was at the fork of the New River, the second at
Tarpon Bend, in what is now known as the Sailboat Bend
neighborhood, and the third near the site of the Bahia
Mar Marina.
The area in which the city of Fort Lauderdale would
later be founded was inhabited for more than a thousand
years by the Tequesta Indians. Though the area changed
control between Spain, England, the United States, and
the Confederated States of America, it remained largely
undeveloped until the 20th century.
The first settlement in the area was the site of a
massacre at the beginning of the Second Seminole War,
an event which precipitated the abandonment of the settlement
and set back development in the area by over 50 years.
The first United States stockade named Fort Lauderdale
was built in 1838, and subsequently was a site of fighting
during the Second Seminole War. The fort was abandoned
in 1842, after the end of the war, and the area remained
virtually unpopulated until the 1890s. Many Florida
residents say it took so long because it was haunted!
Sites of interest
Fort Lauderdale Stadium
Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop, a large indoor/outdoor flea
market and site of the world's largest Drive-In movie
theater (13 screens).
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park* International Swimming
Hall of Fame
Las Olas Boulevard
New River Tunnel, the only tunnel on public land in
the state of Florida.
According to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Fort Lauderdale is "America's
top gay resort area." The city was named as the
"best gay resort town" by the members of gay-interest
site PlanetOut in 2006, and the city actively pursues
gay and lesbian tourists. The city is also home to a
large year-round population of gay residents. The Stonewall
Library & Archives, believed to be the largest-circulation
LGBT library in the country, is located in the city.
Neighboring Wilton Manors was the second city in the
country (after West Hollywood, California) to elect
a gay-majority city council.
9. Clearwater, Florida Ghosts
Clearwater is a city located in central Pinellas County,
Florida, USA, nearly due west of Tampa. Present-day
Clearwater was originally the home of the Tocobagan
Indian tribe. Around 1835, the U.S. Army began construction
of Fort Harrison as an outpost during the Seminole wars.
The fort was located on a bluff overlooking Clearwater
Harbor in an area known today as Harbor Oaks. University
of South Florida archeologists excavated the site in
1977 after Alfred C. Wyllie discovered an underground
ammunition bunker while digging a swimming pool on his
estate.
The area's population grew in 1842, after the Federal
Armed Occupation Act of 1842 offered 160 acres to anyone
who would bear arms and cultivate the land. Early settlers
included the Stevens, Stevenson and McMullen families,
who claimed and farmed large tracts of land. Prior to
1906, the area was known as Clear Water Harbor. The
name "Clear Water" is thought to have come
from a fresh water spring flowing from near where the
City Hall building is located today. There were many
other freshwater springs that dotted the bayfront, many
in the bay itself, which were the reason for the crystal
clear water found there.
Originally part of Hillsborough County, the first road
joining Clearwater and Tampa was built in 1849, which
dramatically reduced the prior day-long commute between
the cities. The first US Post Office for Pinellas County
was built on the site of the present Turner Steet Dock
Park, circa 1859.
During the U.S. Civil War, Union gunboats repeatedly
raided the city's supplies as most of the able-bodied
men were away fighting for the Confederate States of
America army. The city began booming in late nineteenth
century, prompted by Henry B. Plant building the first
passenger railroad line into the city 1888. Clearwater
was incorporated as a town in 1891 and James E. Crane
became the town's first mayor. The town's reputation
as a tourist destination grew in popularity when Plant
built the Belleview Biltmore in 1897.
Annual events
Imagine International Film Festival
Wild Splash - Wild 98.7 WLLD (March)
Fun N Sun Festival (April - May)
Clearwater Celebrates America (July 4)
Clearwater Jazz Holiday (October)
Hispanic Heritage Festival (October)
Ford Ironman World Championship 70.3 (November 2006-2010)
Haunted City wide from the Belleview's Haunted Biltmore
Hotel to many Pirate ghost and encounters with the paranormal.
Ghost Photos happen here all the time.
10. Boca Raton, Florida Ghosts
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida
and was incorporated in May 1925. Listed on early maps
as "Boca Ratones," many people wrongly assume
the name is simply translated to "Rat’s Mouth."
The Spanish word boca (or mouth) was often used to describe
an inlet, while ratón (literally mouse) was used
by Spanish sailors to describe rocks that gnawed at
a ship's cable, or as a term for a cowardly thief. The
name Boca Ratones originally appeared on eighteenth
century maps associated with an inlet in the Biscayne
Bay area of Miami.
The city's early history was as the site of Addison
Mizner's Boca Raton Hotel. The "pink hotel"
today is visible from miles away as a towering building
on the Intracoastal Waterway. The Pearl City neighborhood
of Boca Raton was established to originally house the
service personnel for the hotel. Japanese farmers of
the Yamato Colony converted the land west of the city
into pineapple plantations beginning in 1904. During
World War II much of their land was confiscated and
used as the site of a major training facility for B-29
bomber crews. Much of the airbase was later donated
to become the grounds of Florida Atlantic University,
many of whose parking lots are former runways of the
airbase, while part of the airbase is now used as Boca
Raton Airport. The Japanese heritage of the Yamato Colony
survives in the name of Yamato Road (NW 51st Street)
just north of the airport and at the Morikami Museum
and Japanese Gardens northwest of the city.
Boca Raton was the site of two now vanished amusement
parks, Africa U.S.A. (1953-1961) and Ancient America
(1953-1959). Africa U.S.A. was a wild animal park in
which the tourists rode a "Jeep Safari Train"
through the park. There were no fences separating the
animals from the tourists on the "Jeep Safari Train".
Florida Renaissance Festival
Quiet Waters Park • 401 S Powerline Rd •
Deerfield Beach 33342 • 954-776-1642 February
9th through March 9th, 2008
This remarkable annual event truly re-captures the
look and feel of the Renaissance. More than 100 merchants
and artisans offer wares such as handblown glass items,
hammered pewter, wooden toys, pottery, and clothing.
Hundreds of performers on 12 stages, as well as sword
fighters, minstrels, and jousting knights. You can also
participate in challenging games of chance and skill,
such as archery and a human chess game. There are human-powered
rides and a Kid's Kingdom, too. A highlight is the King's
Feast – tickets for this event include festival
admission, 5-course banquet, special entertainment,
souvenir, and reserved seating at the 5pm Jousting Tournament.
Many say ghosts, UFO sightings and all that is paranormal
happens in Boca Raton.
The Real Ghosts of Florida
What would be the best location to find an "AUTHENTIC
HAUNTING IN FLORIDA" ? Top Psychic, and Paranormal
investigator Mickey of Miami shares with your her favorite
places to hunt ghosts. Or slowly wade into the many
Mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle.
Haunted Florida is well known for its long and glorious
Haunted History. Let Haunted America Tours be your "Ghostly
Travel Guide" to one of America's most fascinating
and paranormal destinations.
From Florida's charming Gulf Coast and "Miracle
Mile" to the booming urban sprawl of Miami and
the sands of the Keys, this haunted excursion has only
just begun. Florida's paranormal stew is filled with
something for everyone.
How about a trip to a city where everyone is a medium
or psychic? Visit them at Cassadaga, where the dead
go on vacation. Seances, readings, and clairvoyant advisers
can make your Haunted Florida vacation something to
share with the entire family -- living or dead.
Visit Haunted Florida's mysterious rock circles, said
by some to be the sites of alien visitations and called
by others the true "American Stonehenge."
Stay for a while in Gulf Breeze, Florida, the beautiful
coastal town that has become infamous for having the
highest concentration of UFO sightings of any place
in the United States.
St. Augustine, Florida is not only America’s
Oldest City but possibly its Most Haunted City. Founded
by the Spanish at the height of the Age of Discovery,
St. Augustine has seen the panoramic history of America
pass before its eyes. Pirates and Buccaneers once tramped
the streets and crowded the bars of the this old town;
generations later the same hovels were crowded with
Federal soldiers at the height of the Civil War. The
ghosts of the military men of many centuries haunt the
forts of St. Augustine, while civil servants of a different
kind still guard the shore from Haunted Lighthouses.
Or try a modern take on this old town and perhaps visit
a Haunted Hospital once crowded with the broken and
damaged of WWII and Korea. Stay here for a while and
suddenly the Sunshine State takes on a whole new aspect,
one filled with dark mystery.
Come and explore the Florida Everglades, if you are
not faint of heart and don't believe the tales of the
screams of plane crash victims still piercing the night
or the garbled gulping and slow death of those torn
to bits by the alligators who call this swampy enclave
home.
Or come and walk in the footsteps of famous Ponce De
Leon in search of the location of the fabled Fountain
of Youth. Many Floridians insist the fountain is no
myth, and there are some who know the secret way and
who can help you past the dangers in search of this
legendary link to eternal life.
There's more to the Atlantic Coast of Florida than
just the well known Daytona Speedway and Spring break.
For those in search of a more historic atmosphere, take
a tour following in the footsteps of the famous 54th
Massachusetts Infantry, who fought their way down the
eastern Florida coast, leaving dead Confederates in
their wake. Follow the path of these famous Soldiers
of Color and stay for a while at the bed and breakfast
where the Commander of the 54th, Col. Edward Needles
Hallowell, planned the strategy the famous regiment
would use at the Battle of Olustee. Tour the battle
site and visit the graves and monuments, where numerous
visitors have reported orbs and ghostly mists developing
in their souvenir photos.
And there's more to Central Florida than just a shrine
to a mouse. What goes on behind the scenes at some of
the most fabulous family destinations might chill your
bones. The tales of the mechanics and engineers who
have lost their lives keeping the wheels of fantasy
running are too numerous to tell here, but just ask
anyone who's been victimized by one of the many amusement
park poltergeists and you might get the idea. Also disturbing
is the child who perished in a famous gondola ride but
never left it, seemingly joining the cast of mechanical
characters, and the parents who "never want to
hear that song again!" Then there are the numerous
stories of the haunted hotel rooms, and the Spring break
students who check in but sometimes never check out.
Haunted Tales from Florida’s sun kissed beaches
abound and would not be complete without the treasure
of all haunting's, Haunted Key West. Where else might
generations of ghostly cats try to steal your soul or
Robert the Haunted Doll try to follow you home?
From artists who still linger in Victorian era homes,
and long dead morticians who still attempt to practice
their craft on less than willing victims, or the unrelenting
spirit of Elvira who likes to hang around the famous
Hanging Tree in the middle of Captain Tony's famous
bar, Key West is brimming with the unusual and the unexplainable.
There are the ghosts of famous writers and famous seafarers,
of light housemen and soldiers, of rum-runners and Cuban
refugees, and the disturbing but true tale of the eye
doctor who had an eye for necrophilia and kept the body
of his paramour around long after she should have been
peacefully at rest.
Not resting very peacefully either is the little stuffed
doll called Robert who long ago lost his owner, but
is always looking for a new one. Those of you in the
market for bringing home a little "souvenir"
might get more than you bargain for when you visit Robert
at his museum home.
The Ghosts of Key West truly rise to the occasion and
help make any visit to Florida's second oldest city
one that you will never forget. Ghosts of cigar makers,
pirates, wreckers, and Voodoo practitioners all await
you. While their ghostly journeys continue through time,
yours is just about to begin courtesy of Haunted America
Tours.
You won't be sorry if you travel this haunted road
into the unknown reaches of Haunted Florida. So the
next time you find yourself humming that little tune
about the "sunshine and sea breeze of Florida"
you might want to add a verse or two about ghosts and
haunting's! Come now and bask in the paranormal phenomena
that is uniquely Haunted Florida.
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