Halloween is nearly here. Thrill-seekers and history buffs, check out some of the creepiest Central Florida urban legends. You’ll have a new ghost story to tell at your next party, so what’s better than that? Everyone loves the unexplained.

The cryogenically frozen Walt Disney One of Orlando’s older legends, there is a myth that Walt Disney had his body cryogenically frozen after his death in 1966 and stored somewhere under Disney World. The rumor was persistent enough to have multiple articles debunking it, but the legend lives on, especially with the underground future cult classic The Further Adventures of Walt’s Frozen Head, created by University of Central Florida film school grad Benjamin Lancaster. Photo courtesy of The Further Adventures of Walt’s Frozen Head
Cocaine in the cars The Winter Park sinkhole from 1981 may have taken more than just Porsches. Rumor has it that some of the car owners were so eager to get their automobiles back because a hefty amount of cocaine was in the cars’ trunks. This has not been proven, but a year after this incident, Porsche-owner, Bob Govern was sentenced to 45 years in prison for helping run a $300 million marijuana ring. Coincidence? Maybe. Photo via Florida Memory
Room 206 at the International Drive Super 8 There is no story behind this haunt, but beware when you check-in to room 206. Guests claim to be woken up by the bed being violently shaken and even the feeling that there is someone there next to them. There have also been reports of ice-cold air, even air-conditioning off, and the imprint of someone laying in the bed when it was just made. Photo via Yelp/Business owner

Carey Hand Building

36 W. Pine St., Orlando
What is now the UCF Ying building was once the Carey Hand Funeral Home. First opened in 1920, it was once the largest funeral home in Central Florida and the very first in Florida to also house a chapel. And it’s thought to still house some of those lost souls. Sounds of footsteps and whispers have been and continue to be reported by passers-by outside the building and by employees inside. Credit: Photo by Sarah Cavacini
The Devil’s Chair in Cassadaga Located just off I-4, the small town of Cassadaga runs off spiritualism, with an abundance of mediums and spiritualist camps. The creepiest part, though, is The Devil’s Chair in the local cemetery. Sit in the brick chair at midnight, and the Devil just might talk to you. Photo by Moriah Russo
Space Mountain Try to keep your head on with this one. The legend is that a rider was decapitated on Space Mountain because he stood up while riding. This is only partly true. Yes, there was a decapitation, but it was just a test dummy. No humans were killed to haunt this ride, so we don’t think the rumor of a boy haunting this ride are true. Photo via Yelp/Mike W.
Elijah Hand Building Located in downtown Orlando, this is the site of Central Florida’s first undertaker. The building housed the first funeral home and later crematorium. While it’s no longer a funeral home, people who have been inside claim to have heard footsteps and have seen the ghosts of women and children. A ghost named Robert is supposed to be the most sinister and he likes to play with kids that stop by the building. Photo by Michael Gavin
Enzian Theater As you settle in for a late night movie at the Enzian, keep your ears and eyes open to your surroundings. Legend has it that guests have seen the disembodied head of a woman floating from corner to corner, screaming. She only appears on moonless nights at 1 a.m. and vanishes into the restaurant next door. Photo via Facebook/Enzian Theater
Pirates of the Caribbean Now this legend may just simply be that, a legend, but we may never know. The story goes that a worker named George died during the construction of Pirates of the Caribbean and still haunts the ride today. Cast members claim he only acts out when he is disrespected, so try saying “I don’t believe in George” next time you’re on the ride and see if George comes back for his respect. Photo via Walt Disney World
Greenwood Cemetery Take a stroll here, if you dare, to the sections called “Baby Land 1” and “Baby land 3.” The ghosts of the children from the Sunland Hospital will want to play with you. People have reported hearing music, children’s laughter and feel hands touching them. Photo via City of Orlando
The Haunted Mansion Those 999 happy haunts may just have one more guest they weren’t expecting. In 2004, a member of a Walt Disney World forum wrote about a ghost child she captured on camera while riding The Haunted Mansion. Fake or real? That’s for you to decide. Photo via Facebook/The Haunted Mansion
I-4 Dead Zone The end of the St. Johns River bridge, halfway between Orlando and Daytona, is a dead zone, but not just for cell phone service. There have been over 1,700 accidents in this area. The story goes back to the 1800s which says that early immigrants who died from yellow fever have cursed this land. Photo via Google Maps
Ghost dog of Lake Eola This ghost is no human. A brown terrier is said to roam the eastern side of Lake Eola and disappear when you stop paying attention to him. There is no definite story behind this little doggy, but one story says a family was moving in the 1990s and couldn’t take their dog so the dad’s solution was throw the dog in a bag and into the lake to drown him. Photo by Rob Bartlett
Magnolia Creek Lake Located on the west side of Lake Apopka, the legend goes that this narrow road is haunted by 200 passengers that died in a major train wreck. The train wreck has never been proven, but people claim to hear strange noises as they travel down the road. Photo via Google Maps
Maitland Art Center For some people, art is hauntingly beautiful. That’s the way it seems at the Maitland Art Center. Local artists who work here say they’ve seen resident artist and the building’s architect Andre Smith roaming the premises. Smith was the spirit of the place, so it’s no wonder he can’t move on. Photo via Facebook/Art & History Museum-Maitland
The lights in the I-4 Eyesore If you’re an Orlandoan, then you know what the I-4 eyesore is and the prolonged construction process it underwent. What you may not know about is the mysterious night the lights went on and then off at the Majesty building. It was July 24, 2018. In the dark of the night the lights flipped on. Was it simply someone testing the electricity (probably)? Or was it a ghost teasing our misery at seeing this unfinished 17-year construction project? Photo via Google Maps
Old Bob Horse The only non-human buried in the Lakeview Cemetery in Sanford is a horse named Bob. He is remembered for transporting humans to the funeral home for 28 years. His grave is constantly covered in flowers that some say appear out of nowhere. Photo via Adobe Stock
Old Sanford Firehouse Sadly, this location is not open to the public, but resident Barbara Farrell, claims she may not be living in this old firehouse alone. She has reported pebbles being thrown and has felt presences in the house. Former firefighters say they saw chairs moving, doors opening and closing and heard the sound of chains. Photo via Google Maps
Oviedo Lights As you cross the Econlockhatchee River, the road between Chuluota and Snow Hill, you might just see a single ball of light chase your car. This phenomenon has been around for 50 years. Some claim the light is just swamp gas; others claim it’s a ghost of a boy from Oviedo High School who died in a fatal car accident on that bridge; some say there’s even more than one ball of light. The only way to find out is to go see for yourself. Photo via Google Maps
UCF’s Rat Man In 2018, University of Central Florida students began noticing “Rat Man,” an adult man wearing a makeshift rat mask and tail who silently walked around campus at night. Nobody knew whether he was a friend or foe, but he was often seen in the dark near trash cans and stopped a bike thief once. There have been no reported sightings of Rat Man since last May, but hopefully the rodent hero is still at large. Photo via Twitter/UCF Police Department
The Florida Skunk Ape Now this creature may not be from Central Florida, but he’s Florida classic and must be mentioned. The Skunk Ape is Florida’s bigfoot. He’s only been seen a few times, but has been caught on camera and is said to lurk in Florida swamps. The footage could have been edited, but you never know. There could be a swamp monster hiding in our Florida waters. Photo via The Trail to Bigfoot/YouTube
Lewis Powell’s head This co-conspirator in the successful plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln has roots in Central Florida. In fact, he was buried here twice. In a twisting and weird tale his body wound up headless after he was executed for his part in the killing. That headless body was transported to Florida and buried according to his family. Many decades later, his skull was discovered by Smithsonian researchers. It was eventually buried near his family in Geneva.
The Catacombs of Mount Dora Underneath an unassuming orange grove, this spooky abandoned bunker was once built for some of the town’s most-prominent names. Via our own deep dive (ahem) on the lair: “Inspired by the 1959 novel Alas, Babylon, 100 members of 25 wealthy families in Mount Dora, Florida, pooled their resources and secretly built what is said to be the largest privately-owned bomb shelter in the nation, a massive subterranean structure that is now referred to as the Mount Dora Catacombs.”
Annie Russell’s Theatrical Afterlife Former actress and Rollins College instructor Annie Russell has haunted the theater that bears her name for over 80 years. Per the college itself: “Russell’s affection for the theater apparently transcended her earthly tenure. Her favorite theater seat (balcony, right side, third row down, second seat over) is said to fold down independently and stay in that position whenever her ghost particularly enjoys a production. Some have heard rocking sounds emanate from the seat, while others rehearsing alone at night have experienced a lone, invisible clapper.” Credit: Rollins College
Credit: Adobe

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