Haunted Places in Lakeland, Florida



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    Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

    Lakeland, Florida

    Florida Southern College's chapel, one of the campus's famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings, may be home to the ghost of Wright himself. Rumor has it that the chapel's choir screen was installed incorrectly, and Wright's apparition has been seen in the chapel, poring over the improperly placed choir screen.


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    Florida Southern College

    Lakeland, Florida

    Vague tales from the night staff saying "eerie presences" touched or breathed on them.


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    Scotty's Distribution Center

    Winter Haven, Florida

    10.2 miles from Lakeland, FL

    No longer a Scotty's Distribution Center, but back in the day there was supposedly the ghost of a forklift driver that would continually haunt this area - particularly on the 4th of March.


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    JPV Woods

    Winter Haven, Florida

    10.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Locals say if you go on the old dirt trail around midnight of August 13th, every year, you'll hear children screaming and crying for help.


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    Old Polk County Courthouse

    Bartow, Florida

    11.8 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The Old Polk County Courthouse in Bartow was built in 1909 on the foundations of the original courthouse, which dated back to the early 1880s. There are many claims here, including: - Screams from the basement (supposedly from a worker killed in an explosion on the site) - Apparitions appearing on ...


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    The Stanford Inn

    Bartow, Florida

    12.1 miles from Lakeland, FL

    A "noisy" apparition, believed to be a former owner named Lee Meriwether, is said to inhabit this quaint modern-day bed and breakfast. Doors also allegedly close on their own, and disembodied footsteps can be heard on the staircase. The Stanford Inn was featured the 1991 film "My Girl," starring Dan ...


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    James McCabe Theatre

    Valrico, Florida

    20 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Reports say that paranormal groups have offered ghost tours as fund-raisers here. The 1915 building, once the Valrico Civic Center and then a woman’s club, is rumored to have more than a few haunts. Witnesses have seen apparitions and heard strange sounds, and experienced other odd occurrences.


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    Center Place

    Brandon, Florida

    21.9 miles from Lakeland, FL

    A spirit called (for some reason) "Matilda" is said to haunt this building. She was seen by at least one witness, and others claim to have either felt her presence or actually seen paintings and other objects move without explanation. Allegedly at one point local news reporters came ...


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    Spook Hill

    Lake Wales, Florida

    24.1 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Spook Hill is a gravity hill (an optical illusion where cars appear to roll up the spooky hill) in Lake Wales, Florida. Spook Hill is located on the Lake Wales Ridge, a geologically significant range of sand and limestone hills, which were islands from two to three million years ago, when ...


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    The Edwinola Hotel

    Dade City, Florida

    26.9 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Although this 1912 hotel is no longer in operation, the building remains in use to this day. Staff and tenants at living quarters in the current establishment have reported elevators operating by themselves, ghostly voices coming from empty rooms, and the smell of cigar smoke. Others working the night ...


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    St. Leo University

    St. Leo, Florida

    27.7 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Not much information on this one - just that some stories have it that the ghost of a young woman is seen on campus, often walking through walls.


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    Myrtle Hill Cemetery

    Tampa, Florida

    27.9 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The mausoleum here is supposedly haunted by a girl named Stephanie, who was killed in a car crash.


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    HMS Architecture Building - USF Tampa

    Tampa, Florida

    28 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The fourth floor of this building - particularly room 469 - is considered to be haunted by a malevolent-feeling spirit by the late-night staff. Voices are heard, and on at least one occasion a wind-chime started jangling all by itself. One worker saw a spectral German Shepherd dog ...


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    University of South Florida Library

    Tampa, Florida

    28.2 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Ghostly legend here tells of a young woman named Gottlieb, an English major who worked on the library's fourth floor, was found hanging from an oak tree. Foul play was suspected, and after that, strange things happened at the library. Book carts moved by themselves, automatic doors opened without being ...


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    Crown Colony House

    Tampa, Florida

    28.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Built in 1964, the Crown Colony is a four-story building offering both a full-service restaurant and quick-serve café. If the stories are true, the building also harbors a few ghosts. In 2008, officials at Busch Gardens invited Haunted South and select members of the media to explore the park’s Crown Colony ...


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    Webber International University - Camilla Hall

    Babson Park, Florida

    29 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Camilla Hall, one of the girls-only dormitories at Webber International University, supposedly has a shadowy figure haunting the second floor.


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    Ybor City Museum

    Tampa, Florida

    30.3 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Kim Cool mentions this haunting briefly in her book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." The claim revolves around the Ybor City Museum gift shop, and a particular book that frequently moves to different places around the shelves, and sometimes even flies violently to the floor when no one is ...


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    Carmine's

    Tampa, Florida

    30.3 miles from Lakeland, FL

    At least one waitress at Carmine's Restaurant in Tampa is convinced the place is haunted, according to Kim Cool in her book "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." She swears she hears ghostly footsteps on the second floor, and every time someone goes up to investigate, no one is there.


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    Gaspar's Grotto

    Tampa, Florida

    30.3 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Haunted bars are a dime a dozen, but how many of them actually provide photographic proof that they're haunted? Gaspar's Grotto does - they proudly display two photos on their wall that may show the ghost of ... someone. No one's really sure what it shows, really, or if there's ...


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    L'Unione Italiana - The Italian Club

    Tampa, Florida

    30.4 miles from Lakeland, FL

    In this building, over a century old, folks say a ghost named Virginia sometimes makes an appearance on the front staircase. Reports say Virginia was once a member of the cleaning staff.


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    La France

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Apparently there's said to be a ghostly presence in this vintage clothing shop that likes to move items around on the racks, according to Kim Cool's excellent book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay."


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    El Centro Espanol - The Spanish Club

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The 1912 El Centro Espanol building is home to some strange occurrences. Folks say that the sound of crying babies can be heard in the building when there are no babies around. Also, when candles are blown out, they sometimes re-ignite.


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    Island Flowers

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    This flower shop got a quick mention in Kim Cool's "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." The ghost here, if it is a ghost, likes to swing the front door back and forth, ringing the security bell each time.


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    King Corona Cigars and Cafe Bar

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Dave Lapham recounts the story of King Corona Cigars in his excellent book, "Ghosthunting Florida." The owner was renovating the store one night when he saw a huge, hulking figure in the back. He was about to run for the front door when the figure just dematerialized into thin air. ...


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    Trelles Clinic - Ybor Resort and Spa

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The former Trelles Clinic, now the Ybor Resort and Spa, is housed in a 1904 building. Witnesses say the many ghostly phenomena here include a child that tugs on people's clothing, unexplained slamming windows, and an apparition of Conchita, a deceased wife of a doctor. TV's Ghost Hunters featured the ...


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    Sugar Palm Ballroom - 1550 E. Palm Ave

    Tampa, Florida

    30.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    For a short time in the late 1990s, this building housed the "Sugar Palm Ballroom". Guests at the Sugar Palm would occasionally see a ghostly figure wandering the hallways. During renovations in 2000 workmen complained that they were constantly harassed by unseen entities.


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    Cuban Club - Circulo Cubano de Tampa

    Tampa, Florida

    30.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The Cuban Club, now a site rented out for events, was built in 1917 to serve the Cuban community. It has been the site of two deaths: One was an actor who committed suicide on the stage, the other was a murder in which one board member shot another in ...


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    Don Vicente Inn

    Tampa, Florida

    30.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Staff report a ghost in the lady's basement bathroom. The Travel Channel once ran a TV special on this hotel.


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    Ybor Factory Building - Ybor Square

    Tampa, Florida

    30.7 miles from Lakeland, FL

    This factory was built in 1886 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor - at the time it was the largest cigar-factory in the world. It changed hands a number of times through the 1950s, but always remained in the cigar business, until it became Ybor Square in the 1970s. Now it ...


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    Tampa Florida Brewery Building

    Tampa, Florida

    30.8 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Ybor City has a rich history, and with it comes several ghost stories, including one about the drunken Cuban ghost at the Tampa Florida Brewery. Now the Swope Law Group’s law offices, rumor has it that at the old brewery's opening ceremony, where free beer was available, two drunken men ...


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    Sulphur Springs Tower

    Tampa, Florida

    31.1 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Stories say the historic tower was often used as a landmark on pirates' maps, a tale that may support the fact that a ghostly pirate is said to roam the area. Another story told around these parts is that of a marine monster who lives in the waters adjacent to ...


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    Hardee Correctional Institution

    Bowling Green, Florida

    31.2 miles from Lakeland, FL

    There are vague reports of "voices" and a feeling like someone's walking just behind you at this correctional institution... though I'd venture to say its not uncommon to experience either in a high security prison!


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    Jackson House

    Tampa, Florida

    31.2 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Deborah Frethem writes of this house in her book, "Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay." According to Frethem, this building dates back to 1901 and was a boardinghouse once used by a number of African American greats during the days of segregation, like Ray Charles, Count Basie and even ...


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    Oaklawn Cemetery

    Tampa, Florida

    31.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    A number of famous Tampa residents are buried here, and there are vague reports of ghosts haunting the grounds. Many feel uneasy as they walk the cemetery, as if someone is watching them.


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    Kennedy Blvd and Marion St

    Tampa, Florida

    31.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Tim Reeser mentions this "haunted intersection" in his book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Florida". Apparently Kennedy and Marion was the site of the old "Florida House Hotel". This hotel burned to the ground in Victorian times, and one of the victims was a little girl who was asleep ...


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    Ghost of Charlie Wall - Old Federal Courthouse

    Tampa, Florida

    31.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Charlie Wall was an infamous gangster based out of Tampa of the 1930s and 1940s. He dabbled in all the usual rackets - gambling, prostitution, numbers, etc. What made him truly infamous was when he was called to testify before a federal committee investigating organized crime in 1950. He held ...


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    Fort Brooke Parking Garage

    Tampa, Florida

    31.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Built in 1980, this municipal parking garage was built over a cemetery. The bones unearthed during the construction were deemed to be the remains of soldiers and Native Americans. Although the bones were removed and properly placed, some say they have heard the ghostly sounds of Native Americans drumming and ...


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    Old City Hall

    Tampa, Florida

    31.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    According to Deborah Frethem in her book "Haunted Tampa," strange ghost lights have been seen along the hallways and clock tower of the Old City Hall. She speculates they may be related to Donald Brenham McKay, who served two non-consecutive terms as mayor of Tampa in the early 20th ...


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    Ghost of Irene Randall

    Tampa, Florida

    31.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    According to legend, Irene Wengel came to Tampa in 1902 to get an illegal abortion in a building that once stood near the parking garage. A couple days after Dr. Frederick Weightnovel performed the abortion, Irene became very ill with blood poisoning; she died shortly thereafter. Irene’s uneasy spirit is said ...


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    Old Tampa Theater

    Tampa, Florida

    31.7 miles from Lakeland, FL

    A projectionist from the 1940s supposedly haunts this theatre. Staff hear his footsteps and chains rattling in the hallways and behind the stage. Some claim to even see him up in the projecting room when it is supposed to be empty. There are reports of weird "bad ...


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  • Field Guide To Haunted Orlando
    David W. Whitehead

    Haunted Monticello, Florida
    Betty Davis and Big Bend Ghost Trackers
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    Old Tampa Book Company

    Tampa, Florida

    31.7 miles from Lakeland, FL

    This quaint used bookstore might be haunted, according to Deborah Frethem in her book "Haunted Tampa." The owners say a couple of chairs they inherited from a previous owner tend to move all on their own. One night the store's alarm went off, but the store was still ...


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    Blake High School

    Tampa, Florida

    32 miles from Lakeland, FL

    A cold spot is felt in the exact place in the auditorium where a teacher died years ago of a heart attack. The back of the library has a similar cold spot where people get "eerie feelings". The main theatre sometimes has strange lights appear in the wings, ...


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    Plant Hall

    Tampa, Florida

    32 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Onetime Tampa Bay Hotel servants are said to haunt the Science Wing. Witnesses have felt something watching them and had an eerie feeling. Apparitions have been seen all over the campus; in fact, folks say ghosts abound in this University of Tampa hall after hours—and there are quite a few ...


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    Falk Theatre

    Tampa, Florida

    32.1 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Once the Park Theatre, now called "Falk Theatre." Back in the "Park Theatre" days an actress named Bessie Snavely supposedly hung herself in her third floor dressing room. Her ghost is said to haunt the entire theatre.


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    Ghost Lights of Heard Bridge Road

    Wauchula, Florida

    32.7 miles from Lakeland, FL

    People have been reporting ghost lights since the 1950s on Heard Bridge Road in Fort Meade, as well as on Keller road, past Disong. We've marked the Keller Road location on the map below.


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    Ghost Lights of Bereah Road

    Fort Meade, Florida

    33.6 miles from Lakeland, FL

    You may have to wait for a while, but supposedly if you hang about at night near the four-way stop of W. Bereah Road and County Line Road in Frostproof, you'll see some eerie "Ghost Lights" approach your car.


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    Academy of the Holy Names

    Tampa, Florida

    34.2 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Academy of the Holy Names was established in 1881 and the current building opened in 1926. The school is run by the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Ghosts of nuns have been seen walking around on the 4th floor, where the sisters used to ...


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    Disney World - Pirates of the Caribbean

    Orlando, Florida

    34.3 miles from Lakeland, FL

    Almost everyone's been on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World... but did you know that many believe the ride is haunted? According to employees, a welder named George died while the ride was originally under construction in the 1970s. His ghost still lingers according to ...


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    Bigelow-Helms Mansion

    Tampa, Florida

    34.3 miles from Lakeland, FL

    This home dates to the early 1900s and is known as the "Bigelow-Helms Mansion", though lately it is used as office space for various businesses. People often claimed they heard screams and yelling from the building at odd hours of the night, and in general just got really weird vibes from ...


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    Disney World - Haunted Mansion

    Orlando, Florida

    34.5 miles from Lakeland, FL

    The Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion is said to be haunted by several entities including a ghostly man in a tuxedo and a limping pilot with a cane said to have crashed his plane on this spot in the 1940s. Urban legend tells of a little boy who was cremated ...


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  • Ghosts of Key West
    David L. Sloan


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