Overview
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.
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Well I stayed there in the offseason , wintertime on January 23-25. I can honestly say the food was amazing, and the bar where I spent most of the first night until 12 pm, was an awesome small-time bar with loaded drinks. Anyway, I went to my room to get some sleep for I had business to attend before our probate hearing that was upcoming. When I finally fell asleep, I turned the television on to watch Futurama, which by the way was on for the rest of the night, marathon. I remember watching a few minutes then out like a light. I didn’t even pull any covers over me, and in the state I was, nothing was going to bother me or wake my drunk ass up. I also have sleep apnea, VERY SEVERE OBSTRUCTIVE , sleep apnea. Snoring is ridiculously loud, but hey I’m sleeping and cannot hear it So….
I have no idea what happened at or around 4:45 a.m. I was awakened, I don’t know how or by whom, but usually in a drunken state like I was, I’d usually wake up around noon at best .. But this was not the only thing that was odd, I believe I was either in room 6 or 7, don’t matter at this point, the loud knocking and the television in the room adjacent to me was full throttle open. I thought wow someone’s getting lucky, because the knocking sounded like the headboard hitting the wall in a loud but steady beat. I also notice my television channel has been changed to the hotel’s info channel. So I get up and bang on the wall to let them know I’m here and I can hear you through the wall. Well, the banging stopped, but the television remained volume 100%. I then lay back down thinking they heard me knocking and soon will turn that shit down. Well, 10 or so minutes go by, still wide open volume. So I call the front desk and tell them to either call the room or come up to tell the “Couple” to cut the volume down. Here is the most fucked thing, she said sir, you are the only occupant on the entire floor. I then told her to come up because there obviously was someone in that room. I then stick my head out the door, still, on my cell phone, she then comes up after about 1 minute, I then meet her in the hall. She produces the keep to room, then opens it. The television is on and the volume is wide open. The bed didn’t even have a wrinkle in the covers. So the light gets turned on, and the remote is on the floor, under the bed. The television gets unplugged, she then apologized and said this happens every once and a while.
So now that I was thoroughly awake, I then go back into my room and get dressed for the day, freaked out actually, and I couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to. Finally, the sun starts to come out, and I’m down in the lobby, the shift changes, and the day crew takes over. I asked the woman behind the desk, how many people did yall have in the hotel last night, she looks and said it looks like it was just you.I then proceed to tell her why I asked the question. Her answer kinda took me aback, she said,” that’s why I went to the day shift.”
Day two, after getting a mountain of paperwork filed, and accounts merged and closed, I then retire back to my room at 5:30 in the afternoon. I take a shower, change clothes, and then head back down into the bar which is right beside the receptionist’s desk. 4 p.m. I start all over again, I order the Steak and vegetables once again. Also, have roughly 5 double Beam and Cokes. Roughly around 8:30 p.m. the bar started getting in Locals, and the weather was in the 30s and the wind was blowing. Needless to say, the bar was ice cold so I ventured up to my room, when I entered all my clothes we pulled from the shutter and…
Room 14 only one with a day bed my son was 9 at the time but kept smelling cigars. I was like foreal babe my man u smoking 🚬 wtf you talking about my son said raised up out of the bed said mother please don’t upset him I was like wow I got to go outside I’m tripping went on the balcony rocking chair had a light pointing to the orange hall mansion. Now people are going to think I’m crazy but I wasn’t scared it was a girl probably around my son’s age but weird was she would not pass the stairway from the St. Mary’s Riverview hotel?