The 24 most haunted places in the Orlando area

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.

Elijah Hand Building

13-25 W. Pine St., Orlando
Ever felt like someone is watching you as you pass 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 (father of Carey Hand), who kept bodies from his booming business in his upstairs furniture store.

Greenwood Cemetery

1603 Greenwood St., Orlando
Greenwood Cemetery was stablished in 1880 by eight men — some with last names Orlandoans would recognize: Robinson, Boone, Livingston, Delaney — who bought the land to consolidate burial space in the area. The cemetery houses some of Central Florida's most prominent residents, including T.G. Lee, Harry P. Leu, Mayor Bob Carr and Joseph Bumby. Today, tales of children playing with flashlights and Confederate soldiers roaming the fields have been reported by those who dare to go there after dark. The site is also often visited by the Orlando-based tour agency American Ghost Adventures.

The former spot of Hamburger Mary’s

110 W. Church St., Orlando
For years, Hamburger Mary’s staff reported sightings of little girl dressed in Victorian clothing. They said she had a tendency to tap on the windows and wave at guests, as well as skip down the street late at night. Now that the burger and drag hub has shuttered, there's no way to tell whether the lingering spirits left with it.

Kiene Rogers Building

37-39 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando
Originally an English gentlemen's club first opened by Gordon Rogers in 1886, the Kiene Rogers Building is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Orlando and now hosts CityArts. Employees and visitors have reported strange occurrences (like the sound of laughing and talking) inside the building for years, but the most notable ghost thought to be haunting the spot is Rogers’ wife. As the story goes, she was upset that only wealthy men were allowed in the club and continues to haunt its patrons to this day. Today, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens

633 Osceola Ave., Winter Park
This museum in Winter Park, founded in 1961, features more than 200 Albin Polasek sculptures, and some of the staff believe that the artist’s spirit continues to loom over the art. Years ago, one guest took a picture of Polasek's "Stations of the Cross" and in the photo was a tear suspended on the sculpture's cheek. To this day, the staff has no idea how it got there.

Church Street Station

Downtown Orlando
Visitors report seeing a 19th-century woman standing in front of an antique mirror at the bar and feeling hands tugging at their clothes. Additionally, a priest’s soul supposedly lingers outside the building. The site has historically been home to ghastly, albeit gimmicky activity like theTerror on Church Street and plenty of ghost tours.

Floor and Decor

3113 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando
This particular building was part of a much larger shopping plaza that housed a mall back in the 1970s. After the mall's decline, however, it was torn down in the 1990s, save for this building. Rumor has it that as one of the construction workers made his last rounds before demolition, he was halted by voices telling him not to tear down their home.

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Florida Southern College, Lakeland
Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel in Lakeland, and it's believed that his ghost still haunts the building. The choir screen was reportedly improperly placed and an apparition of Wright can now be seen in the screen. Lesson learned: Don't mess with his buildings, or he definitely will come back to haunt you.

Pritchard House

424 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
Some say that one of the former owners, Lola Pauline Smith Pritchard, still walks the halls of her 1891 home in Titusville. You don't want to go trespassing in Miss Lovie's house, but if you do find yourself inside, prepare yourself for some spooky voices, flickering lights and a grandfather clock that pings even though it's broken.

Hyatt Regency Orlando

9801 International Drive, Orlando
This hotel, formerly known as the Peabody, was once the second-highest building in Orlando. According to its story, the hotel claimed several lives, too. After reports of suicides, the ghosts of these lost souls can are seen roaming around the hallways.

Maitland Art Center

231 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland
The Maitland Art Centre is rumored to have its very own friendly gallery ghost. Look out! As the building’s founder, architect and resident artist, Andre Smith was the guiding spirit of the studio, it’s no wonder he still roams the place. Local artists who work here claim to see Smith standing or sitting in various areas.

Ma Barker House

13279 SE 115th Ave., Ocklawaha
This house in Ocklawaha once hosted Ma Barker and her four sons, all gangsters. As the story goes, officers used more than 2,000 bullets to take out the family, and the house still holds these hardened criminals’ ghosts. You can now book a tour of the historic site of the longest FBI shootout in history.

Lakeside Inn

100 Alexander St., Mount Dora
This ancient bed and breakfast in Mount Dora reportedly houses a total of four harmless ghosts: two small girls who roam the Inn looking for some fun, a small top-hat-wearing man and the specter of a gangster wearing a suit and fedora.

Highland Manor

604 E. Main St., Apopka
Located in Apopka, this house passed through several owners including the McBride family and the Townsend family before becoming a wedding event location. Strange noises are said to happen in the attic and ghost-like presences get a little bit too friendly with guests.

Boot Hill Saloon

310 Main St. Bridge, Daytona Beach
Bikers just can't get enough of the Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach. Even in death, some bikers make a pit stop at their favorite watering hole and have a riotous time. The spirits here make the jukebox play even when unplugged, hurl items across the bar and turn on the faucets in the bathroom when no one is around, as the stories go.

Kress Building

130 S. Orange Ave., Orlando
The Kress building is one of Orlando’s greatest hotspots for paranormal activity. The building, which is now home to Kres Chophouse, has been host to just about every kind of haunting, from mysterious footsteps when no one is around to ghostly apparitions.

Inside Outside House

112 Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs
This home-turned-gift shop was built by Captain W. Pierce, who later became director of Orlando’s National Bank. Some believe that Captain Pierce’s spirit still lives there with his beloved cat, Brutus, as evidenced by strange cold spots and mysterious voices.

Wops Hops Brewing

419 S. Sanford Ave., Sanford
Mediums have reported five spirits in the vicinity of this Sanford brewery, the town's very first microbrewery. Jennifer and Claudia haunt the connected buildings, Stephen stalks the bathroom, David lurks in the beer garden and the fifth spirit is a bit of a mystery, but it's been speculated that it could be a child.

Cassadaga

Cast as Florida’s most spirited settlement, this quaint town is quite normal ... if you don't count all the mediums that live here, the haunted hotel and the creepy cemeteries. If you’re in the mood to talk to a dead relative, you might want to consider taking a trip to old spirit land. Get your future read and take a seat (if you dare!) in the Devil's Chair.