Haunted Florida: St. Augustine, Key West and the Ghost Towns Between

The two cities we cover in Florida

Florida's haunted reputation concentrates at its two ends: the country's oldest city at the top of the coast and an island of sailors' stories at the bottom.

St. Augustine

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine has had longer than any other American city to accumulate restless history, and it shows around the old city gates, the fort and the narrow colonial lanes. Our St. Augustine guide ranks the walks, the trolleys and the cemetery routes.

Key West

At the end of the Overseas Highway, Key West mixes shipwreck lore, historic forts and cisterns with legends of their own, and a bar scene that keeps the stories circulating. The Key West guide covers everything from easygoing walks to late-night ghost hunts.

Florida's ghost towns, for the quiet kind of haunted

Between the theme parks, Florida keeps a surprising roster of abandoned towns. Ellaville, in Madison County, was a lively general-store town of about a hundred residents in the late 1800s; today a church, a cemetery and a historical marker dated 1895 keep watch over what is left. Kerr City, in Marion County, grew up around the JM Griffin Lumber Company and its citrus groves before fading. Fort Dade began as a military outpost and now stands empty, drawing the occasional ghost report along with the history buffs.

Most of these places emptied for ordinary reasons. The Great Freeze of the late 1800s wrecked citrus fortunes, the lumber mills cut themselves out of work, and the Depression finished the job. That is part of the appeal: the history is real, the markers are legible, and you will often have the site to yourself.

Questions people ask

What is the most haunted city in Florida?

St. Augustine takes the crown in most conversations, simply on seniority. More than four and a half centuries of pirates, fires, sieges and fevers leave a long ledger. Key West partisans would argue the point, and the honest answer is that both reward an evening walk.

Is Key West worth visiting for ghost tours?

Yes. The island is walkable, the stories are distinct from the mainland's, and the options run from trolley tours to a proper ghost hunt with equipment. See our Key West picks before you book.

When should you go?

Ghost walks in both cities run year-round in the evening. Winter and spring bring the kindest weather, summer walks are warm but fine after sundown, and October is the busiest stretch, so book those dates early.

Browse the rest of our haunted city guides to plan the next stop, or come walk with the team that writes them on our Arizona tours in Flagstaff, Tucson and Prescott.