5 Unbelievably Creepy Haunted Locations in Florida

In 1893, Cyrus Teed moved from Chicago to Southwest Florida. He brought 200 people with him and dubbed their new home “New Jerusalem.”

Teed was one of the first cult leaders to make Florida a hotspot, and his followers turned the inhospitable swampland into a community flourishing with gardens, power generators, and the performing arts. All the while, the followers hailed Teed as a messiah for a new religion called Koreshanity.

The Koreshan religious sect followed a celibate lifestyle and ascribed to the hollow-Earth theory, which asserted that the whole of the universe existed within a large, hollow sphere. Koreshans also believed that immortality was achieved through reincarnation.

When Teed eventually died years after settling in Florida, his followers lay his body in a bathtub for five days waiting for him to rise again. He, of course, did not.

At the urging of health inspectors, Teed was eventually moved to a beachside grave. But some say that his spirit—as well as the spirits of his followers—still loyally populate the area, which is now a state park.

St. Augustine is considered to be the oldest city in the United States, founded back in 1565. Given its long history, it's no surprise it's also considered the most haunted city in Florida.

The most haunted landmark in this most haunted city happens to be the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Standing at 165 feet tall, the lighthouse was constructed in 1874.

Though some are fascinated by the 219 spiral steps it takes to bring them to the top, the lighthouse's most interesting feature is the disembodied footsteps and laughter of children heard bouncing off the walls. Upon their visit, some have even reported strange voices, lingering cigar smoke, or a shadowy figure known as the “Man in Blue.”

Those invested in the history of the lighthouse believe the laughter and footsteps to be attributed to the two young daughters of lighthouse keeper Hezekiah Pittee, who both drowned in the nearby bay while playing with a building cart.

Visitors believe that the cigar smoke follows the spirit of Joseph Andrew, the very first keeper who fell to his death while painting the tower.

In 1934, a Tudor-style restaurant and bar opened in Rockledge under the name of Jack's Tavern. One year later, one of the tavern regulars, 19-year-old Ethel Allen, was brutally murdered nearby at Indian River.

It seems that even in death Ethel hasn't wanted to give up her favorite watering hole. Staff and visitors report a wide array of ghostly activity that they attribute to Ethel.

A classic staple of any haunting, the lights are often seen flicking on and off. Glasses and dishes are known to mysteriously break, while the burglar alarms blare at random intervals.

More unsettling, some diners claim that they've been pushed by an unseen entity. Staff say that voices can be heard whispering long after closing time.

In the restroom, if you're lucky—or unlucky, depending on your nerve—you might catch the sight of Ethel glaring back at you from the mirror.

Though the restaurant has gone through a series of name changes—Cooney’s Tavern, the Mad Duchess, the Loose Caboose, Sparrow Hawk, Gentleman Jim’s, and most recently Ashley's—it seems that Ethel is a permanent fixture.

Coral Gables's Biltmore Hotel first opened in 1926. A hulking luxury hotel, the establishment saw saw an array of notable guests, from celebrity gangster Al Capone to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A place of lavish revelry, The Biltmore soon became a hotbed for spiritual activity when, in 1929, it saw its first death. Gangster Thomas “Fatty” Walsh was shot to death on the 13th floor over a gambling dispute, and it seems he was content to make the hotel his permanent home in the afterlife.

Staff says that Fatty hangs around shaking glasses at the bar, opening doors, apparating in the bathroom mirrors, and chasing attractive women.

Considering the hotel became a military hospital during World War II and functioned as a VA hospital for decades after, it's safe to assume that Fatty isn't the only spirit kicking around the grounds. Other paranormal activity includes flickering lights, elevators taking guests to the wrong floors, and cryptic messages scrawled across the mirrors.

After it's time as a VA hospital, the building was turned into a medical school before ultimately reverting back to a luxury hotel in 1987. The Biltmore is waiting for your visit…

The Cuban Club—also known as Circulo Cubano de Tampa—was built in 1917. Once a popular and lively spot for Cuban immigrants to gather, the club is now identified as one of the Travel Channel's “Top 10 Most Haunted Places.”

This space, now used for special events, has a number of spirits haunting its ground. Among them is an actor who allegedly committed suicide on stage, a murdered member of the theater board, an elegant woman in a misty dress, and a young boy playing ball.