WIRE AND STAFF REPORTS
Florida might not have frost on the pumpkins or colorful falling leaves, but Floridians take their ghoulish pleasures seriously. Of course, theme parks go all out for Halloween. But aside from man-made events, Florida's genuine haunts are open year-round, just waiting for the adventurous and unsuspecting visitor.
St. Augustine
Take a ghost tour in St. Augustine. Considered one of the country's most haunted cities, St. Augustine is host to some of the best ghost tours around. Guides in period dress carrying lanterns lead the popular nightly walks.
Walking over the brick-paved streets, participants will hear stories of old soldiers, women who gave refuge to smugglers during the Prohibition, a woman who was buried alive, scorned lovers and an assortment of others -- like the man who wore a scarf over his face, whose ghost hangs out at one of the old cemeteries. That curious fellow, tour guides say, would go around at night, kill women and strip them of their skin. When cops finally nabbed him, his scarf was removed to reveal the face of his last victim.
The Ancient City Ghost Tour begins at 8 p.m. at the Old Drugstore. The 60- to-90-minute tours are
G-rated, so feel free to bring the kids along. Cost is $10 for adults and free for children under 7. Call (904) 827-0807 or visit www.ancientcity tours.net. Reservations are recommended. Trolley ghost tours are $24 for adults and $10 for kids.
Prefer to ride in an old hearse? The tour offered by GhoSt Augustine, which includes visits to an old cemetery and the very haunted lighthouse, is approximately 90 minutes. Cost is $20 per adult and $10 per child age 6 to 12. Tours begin at 9 p.m. Call (866) 266-6641 or see www.ghostaugustine.com.
Key West
Tiptoe through the cemetery in Key West. Whitewashed, above-ground tombs and cherubic statues in Key West's historic cemetery stand as testimonials to the island's history and wit. Walk through the gates of the 1847 graveyard and find epitaphs like "I told you I was sick" and "Devoted Fan of Singer Julio Iglesias."
Another marker not to miss is Thomas Rover's, which reads, "He was a good man for 65 of his 108 years."
Also notable is the memorial to the victims of the battleship USS Maine. The ship sank in Havana Harbor on Feb. 15, 1898, and the memorial is the most stately display in the cemetery.
The plot is surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. In the center, a bronze statue of a sailor overlooks the white marble markers honoring 27 sailors who died on the ship. Some of the markers don't have names, since many of the sailors were never identified.
For an online guide, see www.seekeywest.com/cemetery. The main entry gates are at the corner of Margaret and Angela streets.
Ghost tours are popular in Key West, too, and an entertaining way to spend an evening. Tickets for the 90-minute Key West Ghost Tours, which meet nightly at the haunted La Concha Hotel at 430 Duval St., are $18 for adults and $12 for kids 2 and under. They are often sold out, so be sure to make reservations. Call (305) 294-WALK (9255).
Micanopy
Spend the night in a haunted room in Micanopy. Some brave souls staying at Herlong Mansion, one of the state's best-known and beloved bed-and-breakfasts, seek out the ghost of Inez. She was a schoolteacher who fought her siblings for ownership of the family mansion for 18 years after their mother died. When she finally got it, Inez climbed the stairs to one of the bedrooms (known as Mae's Room), suffered a diabetic coma and died a month later.
Construction workers who helped turn the home into a B&B in the late 1980s, and some guests who have stayed in Mae's Room, reported strange happenings like rattling doorknobs and apparitions floating across the room. The room remains one of the most popular at the B&B, although ghostly encounters are not guaranteed.
Micanopy is worth a visit, regardless of its haunted history. Old oak trees draped with Spanish moss line the streets of this small town between Gainesville and Ocala. Visitors stroll through antiques shops full of books, ceramics, stained glass and jewelry. The pace is slow, relaxed..
Room rates for Mae's Room range from $119 to $139. Other rooms range from $79 to $269. For reservations or more information, call The Herlong Mansion, (800) 437-5664, or see www.herlong.com.
Coral Gables
Listen to ghost stories at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. The Biltmore's impressive lobby with its vaulted ceiling has been the backdrop for music videos for singers Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera, as well as the site for the filming of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" commercials. But on Thursday nights at 7, it's the shadowy setting for ghost stories.
And here's good news: You don't have to be a paying guest to sit in on the ghost-story sessions beside the huge fireplace. They're free and open to the public.
The most famous "ghost" at the Biltmore is Thomas "Fats" Walsh, a gangster who ran an illegal casino on the 13th floor and was shot to death there in 1926. He's mischievous, says storyteller Kathy Gathercole, mainly bugging guests by messing with the elevator and lights.
The hotel was converted into a Veterans Administration hospital during World War II and boarded up from 1968 into the '80s. During that time, many neighbors reported eerie sounds and lights from within its peeling walls, Gathercole said. More spooky stories were reported between 1990 and 1992, when the hotel closed once again. One woman said she was greeted on the 13th floor by a lady in white. The ghost was transparent and her feet were 3 feet off the floor, the woman said.
Today, the Everglades Suite is on the 13th floor. It's where former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton stay when they're in town.
For more information, call (800) 727-1926.
Cassadaga
Circle the s?ance table in Cassadaga. If you're looking for an encounter with the dearly departed, why not make it someone you know? You'll have a chance to do just that at this Spiritualist Camp between Daytona and Orlando.
Mediums give spiritual readings by day and lead s?ances by night (not every night, though; call for details and reservations).
Benevolent and mischievous spirits roam the halls of the historic Cassadaga Hotel, and mediums lead discussions in the lobby.
The community's popular B&B, the Ann Stevens House, offers a s?ance package (includes tour, dinner and s?ance) for $69.95 per person. Room charges and taxes are extra. Room rates range from $175 for single occupancy to $290 for triple occupancy.
For more information or reservations at the B&B (between Daytona and Orlando), call (800) 220-0310. For information on readings ($50-$60), s?ances or events at Cassadaga, call (386) 228-2880.
St. Petersburg
Choose from two candlelight walking tours in St. Petersburg. The nightly Haunted Downtown Tour starts at First Street and Second Avenue Northeast (across from the Baywalk shopping complex) and lasts approximately 90 minutes.
The Jungle Prada Ghost Tour starts at 1700 Park Street (next to Saffron's Caribbean Restaurant) on Friday only. Join the tour on the other side of St. Pete for stories of buried treasure, bootleggers and haunted houses.
Tours are $15 for adults, $8 for children 4 to 12.
Call (727) 894-4678 or visit www.ghosttour.net.
Daytona Beach
Tours blending history, scientific data and haunting tales are conducted by a company owned and operated by a certified ghost hunter and active certified paranormal researcher, according to information at hauntsofdaytona .com. Tours begin at 7:30 p.m. and last 90 minutes. Call (386) 253-6034 or visit the Web site.
New Port Richey
According to its Web site, Haunted History Tours of New Port Richey will take you on guided walking tours through the eerie streets of New Port Richey during evening hours and provide electromagnetic field detectors to detect ghostly presences.
Tours begin at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and last 90 minutes. Cost is $10, cash only. Reservations: www.haunted npr.com/aboutus.htm.
Orlando
Orlando Ghost Tours' downtown two-hour walking tour focuses on paranormal investigation.
The company's Web site says the first half of the tour is spent walking in different buildings, telling stories and history associated with each property.
During the second half of the tour, visitors conduct a paranormal investigation of a building using special equipment.
Tours are Monday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Times may vary.Cost is $25 for adults; $20 for college students, senior citizens and military personnel; and $15 for children ages 7 through 12. Children under 7 are admitted free.
Reservations: (407) 247-0452 or e-mail haunted orlando@hotmail.com.
For more information, see www.hauntedorlando.com/tours.html
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