As Halloween gets closer and closer, things around us start turning orange and the smell of pumpkins and spices permeate the air. That’s explainable. For everything that isn’t, check out these 23 places that could inspire your next creepy costume.
Ma Barker’s House
Ocklawaha, FL
Ma Barker was called “Public Enemy No. 1” at the time of her shootout with the FBI, when 1,500 rounds were shot into the house. Even though they’ve been plastered over, they’re still visible. She and her son Fred died in the house, and some say their ghosts still haunt the place.
Photo via kwesterman1/InstagramElijah Hand Building
West Pine Street, Orlando
Ever felt like someone is watching you as you past this building on Pine Street? Has a small object hit you in the head as you walked by? If so, then you may have felt the presence of the 19th-century undertaker Elijah Hand who kept bodies from his booming business in his upstairs furniture store. (And, bonus: It’s next door to the Orlando Weekly office.)
Photo via dwntwn_orlando/TwitterThe I-4 “Dead Zone”
Interstate-4, at the south end of the interstate bridge across the St. Johns River, Seminole County
According to legend, this part of I-4 was built on a Swedish settlement plagued by yellow fever. The graves, the story goes, were plowed over to build the highway. People have reported seeing pioneer ghosts standing on the road and hearing voices ask “Who’s there?” and “Why?” on truck radios. There have also been a huge number of accidents here, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 since it opened, depending on the source.
Photo via Doug Kerr/FlickrCassadaga
Volusia County
Once called the “psychic center of the world”, this town is home to tons of mediums, as well as the Cassadaga Hotel. The hotel is supposedly haunted by a man named Arthur, an Irishman who stayed in Room 22. Guests have reported smelling the cigars and alcohol that he was fond of, and feeling someone tapping them on the shoulder near the room that was his.
Photo via floridayalta/InstagramCastillo de San Marcos
1 Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine
This Spanish was fort built in the 1600s and was never taken in battle. However, many did lose their lives here. Visitors have reported hearing the noise of boots walking in the soldiers’ quarters, and a staff member once reported seeing the full indentation of a soldier’s body lying on a bed.
Photo via seanbeleele/InstagramApollo 1 Launch Complex 34
Cape Canaveral
In 1967 the Apollo 1 craft caught fire, killing all three men aboard. Since then, the three astronauts have been rumored to haunt the launch site. Visitors to the site have reported hearing loud screams from the launch pad, and feeling an overwhelming sense of fear and sadness.
Photo via brrydeepolefit/InstagramNew Smyrna Beach Sugar Mill Ruins
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
According to the Volusia County website, this sugar mill was once part of the Cruger-dePeyster Plantation. Built in the early 19th century, the 17-acre historic site contains the ruins of the coquina sugar factory that was raided during a war between the Seminole Indians and the United States. Seminoles are said to haunt the grounds.
Photo via dgrtrv/InstagramBrewster
Southwest Polk County, FL
Originally founded in 1920 as a phosphate mining town, Brewster’s mine was shut down over environmental damages and awarded to the state. Ruins of the old town can still be seen and include a smokestack.
Photo via farrell4c/InstagramOrange County Regional History Center
Downtown Orlando
Weird things happen here. Things move, and some blame it on the ghost of serial killer Ted Bundy, who was famously tried here for the murder of Kimberly Leach in 1980. His name is carved at the table he was sitting in. Other inmates are also reported to be roaming the buildings.
Photo via jsamps79/InstagramSunland Mental Hospital
Phillips Road, Tallahassee
This children’s hospital for the mentally ill is one of the scariest local spots we’ve come across. Police reported that a man who was curiously seeking ghosts in this abandoned building fell three stories down an elevator shaft. It’s said his ghost, and those of screaming children and lost boys, still haunt the playground where the hospital once stood.
Photo via girlswithabandonmentissues/InstagramEldora
7611 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach, FL
A once-prosperous orange grove community in the 1800s saw its demise after a freeze destroyed the crops. The Volusia county house is one of two remaining structures and now holds a museum.
Photo via gracie_gows/InstagramAtsena Otie Key
Cedar Key, FL
Officially becoming a town in 1858, this barrier island near what is now Cedar Key is the original location of the settlement. The island held a thriving lumber mill and fish industry, until a hurricane in 1896 destroyed the town. The location now holds a swimming area, trail, and the ruins of the Faber pencil mill.
Photo via mandabear30/InstagramSpook Hill
Lake Wales
Many legends surround the optical illusion of this “gravity hill,” including the locally promoted folklore that it’s a gator trying to protect its land. The hidden horizon makes it seem as if your car is rolling backwards uphill if you put it in neutral. It’s an interesting experience, and the nearby elementary school has adopted Casper the Friendly Ghost as its mascot, following the popularity of the “Spook Hill” nickname.
Photo via clarkoor/InstagramThe May-Stringer House
601 Museum Court, Brooksville
Legend has it that this old home is haunted by the ghosts of the family that used to inhabit it. Volunteers who restored the 160-plus-year-old house into a museum reported hearing footsteps and voices, and hearing children’s laughter. The rumor is that it’s Jessie Mae, a child born in the house who died at 3 years old of unknown causes. Curious visitors can take a ghost tour on Fridays and Saturdays.
Photo via jampton/InstagramThe Koreshan State Historic Site
Estero, FL
Settling back in 1894, this religious community believed that the Earth was hollow and humanity lived on the inside of its shell. Visitors are still able to visit the sight and the historic grounds; some may even dare to stay on its campground.
Photo via naplesnews/InstagramOviedo Lights
Snow Hill Road, Oviedo
The best place to see the lights has been reported as the bridge on Snow Hill Road over the Echolockhatchee River. Some call it swamp gas, but many say they’ve been chased by the lights, and that they’ve seen them racing down the street.
Photo via Orlando WeeklySt. Augustine Lighthouse
100 Red Cox Drive, St. Augustine
Urban legends about children falling victim to senseless accidents and suicides being committed here surround this landmark. Visitors and workers have reported all sorts of creepy occurrences, such as music boxes turning on by themselves and chairs being rearranged with no one there.
Photo via lotsoblots/InstagramPicture City
Hobe Sound, FL
Initially this neighborhood was intended as a picturesque Greek-style town to be used as a background in motion pictures. The land boom crashed whatever plans were intended and the city went back to being Hobe Sound. You can still see a few remaining structures and signs.
Photo via brad790/WikipediaHarry P. Leu Gardens
1920 N. Forest Ave.
People who have toured the mansion on the property have reported frequent apparition sightings – not just of any old ghosts but of the owner himself, Harry Leu, and his wife, Mary Jane. The couple have been spotted on the second-story porch, and the sound of footsteps can be heard around the house when no one is around.
Photo via madison-buettner/InstagramArcadia Opera House
Arcadia, FL
This 1906 building was creepy enough to be featured in one of those haunt-hunter shows on Bravo, and the themed restaurants and antique stores surrounding it add an extra sense of eeriness to the whole thing. The stage inside looks deserted, as if it had been abandoned in the middle of a performance. Its adjacent buildings look like old Western storefronts. If you want to be scared AND taken back in time, you’ve found your destination.
Photo by Stan ParegienThe Miami Biltmore Hotel
1200 Anastasia Ave., Coral Gables
The murder of a gangster by the name of Thomas Walsh on the 13th floor has led to persistent rumors that this hotel is haunted by his ghost. Oh, and if that’s not enough of a creep factor, it also used to be a hospital.
Photo via sarahinpolkadot/InstagramStiltsville
Key Biscayne, FL
Beginning as several offshore clubs in the 1930s, this cluster of stilt houses was a popular hangout for wealthy folks looking to misbehave. Gambling and drinking took place in the community before it was destroyed beyond repair by a hurricane in 1965. The last seven houses can only be seen from a distance, and are maintained and protected by the National Park Service.
Photo via isismasoud/InstagramYamato Colony
Boca Raton, FL
In what is now Boca Raton, the Yamato colony was an attempt at a Japanese farming colony early in the 20th century. For multiple reasons the colony did not succeed. The last member to remain, George Morikami, continued to farm in Delray Beach and donated his land; it became a park in memory of the colony and continues to educate the community about the Yamato Colony.
Photo via serpentmagick/Instagram
