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Located in Sebring, Florida, Kenilworth Lodge is a gorgeous old building with a long history and a haunted reputation. Many of the stories told about the hotel date back to the early 1910s. Paranormal groups and investigators came to the hotel in the hopes of capturing proof of its haunted past, but even ordinary guests experienced some otherworldly things while staying there.

Some guests spotted George Parker standing in the lodge. That might not be so odd if not for the fact that Parker died in the 1950s. Parker spent several years working as the manager of the lodge and seems happy to stick around and ensure things go smoothly for new guests. Most witnesses reported seeing Parker’s ghost in the lobby and in other public parts of the lodge, and a few employees spotted him as well.

The sounds of ghostly conversations are also common. One guest spent a restless night tossing and turning in his bed. Every time he started to fall asleep, he would hear people whispering, laughing and generally just having a good time right outside his door. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he walked down to the desk and demanded that the workers do something about the noise. That was when he learned that there was no one else staying on his floor that night.

Guests also seem uncomfortable on the main staircase. They claim to feel someone watching them or people brushing by them. Dozes of guests reported similar experiences while staying at the Kenilworth Lodge.

Featured on the popular TV show, America’s Most Haunted, the Casablanca Inn in St. Augustine is located in what is often referred to as the “Nation’s Oldest City.” The city itself has a long and rich history, and there are several documented cases of hauntings and paranormal activity throughout St. Augustine. The Casablanca Inn is among the most elegant places in the city to supposedly be haunted.

Paranormal Activity at Casablanca Inn in St Augustine, FL

People traveling the seas or walking nearby are said to have witnessed a light waving back and forth from the second floor of the inn. It is said that the widow who owned the inn would do this to warn bootleggers smuggling alcohol in when it wasn’t safe to enter the harbor. She procured alcohol from the bootleggers because many of her guests wanted it, and she made much money in doing so. In addition to seeing a waving light, others have reported seeing strange, wispy, fog-like apparitions in and around the inn, hearing creaks on the floorboards when no one’s there, sounds of people talking and sounds of children playing.

From Boarding House to Inn

The Casablanca Inn was originally built in 1914, but back then it was known as the “Matanzas Hotel” because it overlooked the beautiful, tropical Matanzas Bay. Later, it became known as the “Bayfront Boarding House,” a name change that the widow who bought the property in the 1920s initiated. A few years later, she again renamed the establishment, this time calling it the “Casablanca Inn,” the name that it still retains today. During its time as a boarding house, many children resided in it, which is perhaps why sounds of children playing have reportedly been heard there.

Is the Jameson Inn in Crestview, Florida Haunted?

No one knows exactly what occurred in room 208 of the Quality Inn (formerly the Jameson Inn) in Crestview, Florida. The only thing that is certain about the room is that it has become a hotbed for paranormal activity and grisly sightings. Years ago, William Blair was enjoying a tranquil slumber in the room when he was suddenly awoken by a stirring around him and an unknown presence “ruffling his hair.” When Blair opened his eyes, he was greeted by the ghastly sight of a decapitated woman. ” I saw this headless woman in a long white nightgown walking towards me. There was blood dripping from her neck and her veins were sticking out,” he stated. “Then all of a sudden, she vanished through the wall and into the attic as inexplicably as she appeared.” A self-proclaimed skeptic when it came to the paranormal, Blair quelled his shock by promptly downing a shot of whiskey. “I have never believed in ghosts,” he said. “But on that particular night, I saw one.”

The headless woman isn’t the only ghostly presence taking up residence in room 208. Throngs of guests have left the room over the years with reports of seeing their luggage and other objects levitate along with the pungent smell of cigarette smoke permeating the walls, even though it is a non-smoking room. Stories of paranormal activity in room 208 are old hat for general manager Teresa Davis, who hears them on a semi-regular basis. She and the staff have even coined one of the ghosts as “Fred”. It is said that the spirit of a man can be seen roaming the second floor hallways and lingering by the elevators. “When the elevator randomly opens, we joke, ‘Oh, Fred’s coming.'” Although Davis herself remains a skeptic about the hauntings, guests continue to experience phenomena. Many guests who choose to vacate room 208 for a night, many have been reported to be so terrified by the experience that they will “change rooms in the middle of the night” and several members of the cleaning staff abstain from ever cleaning the room alone.

Established as recently as 2000, the Quality Inn lives up to its namesake with clean, modern amenities, friendly staff and a truly quality experience. If you’re brave enough to allow a few ghosts to punctuate a top-notch visit, don’t hesitate booking one of the best rooms along the Emerald Coast.

In the much-anticipated horror sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining, there’s an early scene in Doctor Sleep which showcases a white, two-story hotel that is revealed to be in Florida. As the character Danny Torrance remarks, he and his mother moved to Florida after the events in The Shining because “we both hated snow.” Filming was completed at the Riverview Hotel in St. Mary’s, Georgia which sits less than two miles from the Atlantic Ocean coastline. However, there is something unusual about filming scenes for a horror movie at a hotel that is actually reputed to be haunted itself.

The area of St. Mary’s itself is considered quite historic with original inhabitants to the area around the future hotel site being the Timucuan Native Americans. Later in the 1500s the area was explored by the French and eventually Spanish explorers as well. The Riverview Hotel was originally built back in 1916 by the Brandon Family, a trio of goodnatured sisters who developed a reputation for being hostesses that wowed visitors with a combination of southern charm as well as fine southern cooking. Situated right on the banks of the St. Mary’s River, a bustling ferry is nearby to shuttle those curious to Cumberland Island.  Over the many decades of operation, there have been guest stays at the hotel where people have walked away with tales of the paranormal.

Is the Riverview Hotel Haunted?

Room Number 8 is said to be one of the most active rooms at the Riverview. Interest was piqued by a guest during a threatening coastal storm and the entire hotel lost all power except for Room Number 8 where no known technical explanation could ever be found. In fact, a hole was actually cut into the wall next to the bedside lamp because electricians could not figure out how a corded bedside lamp was getting power despite the rest of the hotel being powerless. The spirit in this room has manifested to some guests over the years and is believed to be a predominantly male spirit, though confirmations are fleeting as he disappears as soon as approached.

Room Number 8 isn’t the only paranormal activity witnessed though, shadows have been seen all over the entire hotel. Guests have noticed certain travel toiletries being stacked, arranged, and moved in unusual positions, and even sometimes have had the feelings that there’s a spirit watching them in the room. And in something straight out of the horror film Paranormal Activity, a woman staying at the hotel said the bed covers were pulled off her multiple times during the night despite nobody else in the locked room and even at one point an unseen spirit fully tugged at her leg shaking her awake!

The historic and small town area of St. Mary’s has enjoyed a recent boom in coastal tourism and stays at the Riverview Hotel are said to be quite pronounced during the holiday times especially. Given the probably poltergeist activity at the Riverview, it sounds like the producers of Doctor Sleep chose the ideal place to shoot scenes from their film there.