Tampa Bay’s Most Haunted Places

Boo! That may not have scared you, but our list of Tampa Bay’s most haunted places sure will! Hillsborough County has quite a few spooky spots. Halloween is not the only time of year to check out some of Florida’s spookiest spots. Round up your friends, get out of your apartment and hit these scary sites around Tampa. There are plenty of fun things to do around Tampa and going on a good old-fashioned ghost tour is one of them.  Don’t forget to leave a light on for when you get home! 


Don CeSar Hotel

Source: Tampa Bay Times

 

Built in 1928, this beautiful hotel is considered to be a monument to the builder Thomas Rowe’s long-lost love. Legend has it that when Rowe was young, he traveled to Europe and attended the opera Maritana, where he met his soul mate, Lucinda. The raven-haired beauty’s parents did not approve of their love and refused to allow them to send letters to each other. As an adult, Rowe moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he decided to build this amazing piece of architecture in honor of Lucinda.  

 Some say that Rowe still haunts the halls of this architectural masterpiece. Guests have even said that a man greeted them as they entered the foyer with a welcoming smile and disappeared before their eyes. Other guests claim seeing a man in a white suit walking in the gardens or along the beach with a black-haired beauty.   


Tampa Theatre

Source: Tampa Theatre

 

A city landmark in downtown Tampa, the Tampa Theatre was designed and built by John Eberson. This historic theatre palace opened on October 15, 1926. It has a unique décor that has impressed moviegoers since it opened with gargoyles, tapestries and a ceiling that looked like stars with the 10,000 bulbs and more. Apparently, in 1930 the projectionist died in the projection booth and has simply never left! Theatre-goers claim that they have heard doors slamming and, even spookier, that the power goes off suddenly all by itself.  Sounds like the perfect place to watch a horror flick.  


Ybor City

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Source: Wikipedia

Ybor City is an historic neighborhood just northeast of downtown Tampa. Founded in 1880 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor and various other cigar manufacturers, the founders mainly came from Cuba and Italy. In daylight, Ybor City is bustling with shoppers and diners; but at night, partygoers come out of the woodwork and spice things up.  But even while people are dancing and drinking the night away, they claim they can see and hear ghosts.  

According to legend, some of the ghosts you’ll see roaming the streets are soldiers who took shelter in Ybor City during the wars, immigrants that worked in the cigar plants, people that died in the infamous fire of 1908, and even gangsters who lived and worked there many moons ago.  Tampa’s historic Cuban Club is Ybor City’s oldest building and people say they can hear a lady wailing inside. Apparently, a woman was shot during some type of political debate. In fact, it was police officers who reported seeing a woman running away and screaming.  


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