It’s that special time of the year, Orlando. Halloween is right around the corner and what better way to get in the spooky spirit than to dive deep into Florida’s bone-chilling history? From ghostly apparitions to human combustion, these are without doubt the 25 most unexplainable ghost stories from across the Sunshine State.
The Devil’s Millhopper: Gateway to Hell
Located in Gainesville, this sinkhole is 120 feet deep, and some locals say it’s a portal to Hell. We’ve heard about people falling in and disappearing at the bottom. There’s also an old legend of a princess who the Devil wanted to marry, so he swallowed her into the Devil’s Millhopper.
Photo via Florida State Parks/FacebookChupacabra in the Everglades
Supposedly, the blood-sucking Chupacabra walks on two legs and has claws, red eyes, fangs, and wings. People have blamed the nightmarish beast for many deaths and incidents in Florida’s Everglades. Is it really out there? You’ll just have to figure out for yourself.
Photo via Paranormal Research Society/FacebookReal ghosts in Disney’s Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean
Cast members at the Haunted Mansion have reported hearing noises (like laughter) that are not part of the rides effects. Over at Pirates, the legend is that during construction a welder named George died, and now his spirit inhabits the ride. Cast members are sure to yell good morning to him each day, otherwise the ride has unexplained malfunctions.
Photo via Brad Hagen/FacebookSatanic worshippers at the Devil’s Tree
This old oak tree in Port St. Lucie is where a serial killer murdered and sexually assaulted two teenage girls. Since then, there have been reports of people hearing the shrieks of the girls, as well as seeing hooded satanic worshippers dancing around the tree.
Photo via The Devil Tree Legend of Port Saint Lucie/FacebookGhost children at the former Popash School
Despite the building being demolished in 2009, people still hear children’s laughter in the area where the Popash School once stood. Rumors swirl that many children died here during a fever epidemic and their bodies were buried secretly.
Photo via Grady A Lisk Jr./FacebookFernandina’s evil spirit: Wiccademous
Legend has it that a girl was hanged for witchcraft in the area of present-day Fernandina. Her spirit, called Wiccademous, inhabits a pathway across from the town’s high school. As the story goes, if you disturb her, the ground will shake and you’ll hear loud booming noises.
Photo via De Soto National Memorial/FacebookGhosts at the Elijah Hand Building
17 W. Pine St. has been home to many nightclubs over the years, and supposedly also quite a few spirits. Originally a funeral parlor, those who frequent the building have reported feeling cold spots, and seeing a “lady in white.”
Photo via Downtown Orlando/FacebookShadows at New Smyrna Beach Sugar Mill Ruins
Built in 1830, the ruins of this old sugar mill are a hotspot for ghosts of Seminole Indians. According to locals, they like to run through the woods in the morning while dark shadowy figures can be seen at night.
Photo via Randy Lucas/FacebookDisembodied head at Enzian Theater
Next time you catch a movie here, keep your eyes on more than just the screen. If you happen to be there on a moonless night at 1 a.m., you just might see a disembodied head in the northeast corner of the theater that screams before disappearing.
Photo via Enzian Theater/FacebookBabies crying at Bloody Bucket Road
According to legend, there was once a midwife in Wauchula who was known to kill some of the babies she brought into this world. After she couldn’t deliver babies anymore, she went crazy and buckets around her began to fill with blood. The legend claims that she would dump the blood on this road, and today you can sometimes hear babies crying there.
Photo via Spooky, beautiful, awesome and creepy/FacebookUnexplained booming noises in Central Florida
On Jan. 24 and 25 in 1994, people from all over Central Florida reported hearing mega-loud booming noises. However, the sounds were not detected by seismographs. NASA and the Federal Aviation Authority couldn’t offer an explanation, either. Some say it was an unseen alien invasion.
Photo via University of Central Florida/FacebookFootsteps and whispers heard at the Carey Hand Building
Although now it is home to the UCF Ying Academic Center, it used to house the Carey Hand funeral home. There have been multiple reports of people hearing footsteps and whispers around this eerie building.
Photo via database.organsociety.orgWatery graves in Lake Okeechobee
Human skeletons have been found in Lake Okeechobee many different times, but no one really knows where they come from. Some theories say they could be Native American bones or victims of terrible hurricanes past, but we wonder if old Lake OK might be a dumping ground for heinous Floriodan crimes as well.
Photo via Discover Okeechobee/FacebookVictorian Little Girl at Hamburger Mary’s
Hamburger Mary’s is housed in the building known as the Bumby Block Building, which was built in the 1880s. Staff who work here have said they regularly see the ghost of a little girl tapping on windows and waving to guests.
Photo via JoyceinDC/TripAdvisorSpontaneous human combustion in St. Petersburg
In 1951, Mary Hardy Reeser called the police after finding her doorknob too hot to touch. When police arrived, all they found were her remains, which were mostly ashes. They suspect that her body literally caught fire from the inside, but no one knows for sure how that could be possible.
Photo via Locksmith Service/FacebookGhost dog at Lake Eola
According to local legend, in the 1900s a young boy’s father took their little brown terrier, put him in a bag, and threw him in the lake to drown. Now the little doggy wonders around the eastern side of Lake Eola, looking for his boy.
Photo via Lake Eola Park/FacebookThe five spirits of Wops Hops Brewing
Mediums investigated reports of cold spots and apparitions at this microbrewery in Sanford. They say that there are four spirits — Jennifer, Claudia, David, Stephen and one unnamed spirit. Jennifer was a prostitute who was stabbed and strangled to death, while David was beaten to death because he was gay.
Photo via WopsHops Brewing Company/FacebookThe mystery of the Miami Circle
While building a luxury condominium, developers found strange holes in the bedrock — 24 holes, in fact, all in a perfect circle. No one knows how they got there, though some suggest it could be a Mayan ritual site.
Photo via Unexplained things are out there/FacebookThe Curse of Townsend Plantation’s McBride House
Townsend Plantation was built in 1903 and bought by the McBride family in the 1940s. Now a wedding event location, those who visit have been known to hear strange sounds in the attic as well as feeling the presence of ghosts.
Photo via Apopka Critic/FacebookThe ghosts of the Old Jail in St. Augustine
Once a jail, always a jail. Some souls still haven’t left this establishment, apparently. Now a museum, visitors and workers have reported seeing apparitions in cells and hearing wails, yells and moans.
Photo via Eneida I Paulau/FacebookGravity checks out at Spook Hill
The fairly well-known Lake Wales spot has had many reports of cars rolling up the hill. There are tons of folk stories about how this is possible, such as a giant magnet in the earth, but scientists say it’s just an illusion … most likely.
Photo via clarkorr/InstagramStrange sightings in Room 206 at Super 8 International Drive
Guests in this hotel room have reported many strange sightings over the years, including imprints of invisible humans lying on the bed covers or even feeling someone get into bed with them. Guests have also reported seeing ghostly figures in the bathroom and at the foot of the bed.
Photo via anmarie6/TripAdvisorTropication poltergeists
After a 19-year-old named Julio was hired at this Miami souvenir shop, lots of ghostly activity began to occur, like objects slamming into walls. The poltergeists apparently followed Julio, as the same activity occurred wherever he worked afterward.
Photo via Extranormal sfi/FacebookUFO Sightings
Florida, like many states, has had a lot of alleged UFO sightings over the years. Floridians have seen glowing orbs, black triangles, and flashes of light, all of which they claim to be alien activity.
Photo via dragonral/Flickr
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