18/10/2024
Featured Friday Destination... Keeping it spooky 👻💀
Freaky Florida
While it might seem that the scariest thing Florida has to offer is the infamous “Florida Man” stories that are always circulating on the news, the Sunshine State has plenty of creepy stories to pique any curious traveler’s interest.
St. Augustine Lighthouse
As the oldest brick structure in the city, the St. Augustine Lighthouse has witnessed many tragedies. The impressive structure stands 164 feet tall and dates back to the mid-1500s when it was erected to stand watch above the ruthless waters of the Atlantic Ocean. During its prime, the lighthouse housed various keepers who came and went over the years. However, it’s now clear that while many called this place home, some souls never truly left.
Despite a strict no-smoking rule, travelers may detect the smell of ci**rs as they ascend the structure’s foreboding iron staircase. As they continue their climb, they might feel that someone, and not a nice someone, is watching, the shadow of a too-tall dark figure fluttering past just outside of view. This ghoulish being is referred to as “The Man” and is known to walk the spiral staircase adorned in a blue jacket and a mariner’s cap, none too fond of the lighthouse’s many visitors. In the distance, the ominous sound of children’s laughter echoes throughout the grounds, a reminder of a young girl who passed on the property in the 1870s. But the scares don’t end there, Maria Mestre de los Dolores, the first woman to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard and the first Hispanic American woman to command a federal shore installation, is also said to haunt this place, peering over the railing looking down at the very same place her husband met his fateful end.
The Biltmore Hotel
Glamour and war make for an unlikely duo, but so is the history of Miami’s historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Constructed in 1926, this massive hotel began its life as an epicenter for some of the U.S.’ most glamorous fashion shows, golf tournaments, galas and impressive water shows that took place in what was once the largest pool in the world. The Biltmore was a place to see and be seen attracting big names over the years including infamous gangsters such as Thomas “Fatty” Walsh who met his gruesome end when he was shot and killed on the hotel’s 13th floor. Then, in the 1940s, usage of the grounds took an unexpected twist when the federal government transformed the hotel into a military hospital. The grounds served several additional uses — a medical school, a veteran’s hospital, an abandoned building — before finally assuming its final, current form in the late 1980s.
Today, the Biltmore Hotel is on the National Registry of Historic Places, and it has plenty of historic ghouls to match. Doors open on their own, mysterious messages appear on mirrors and bizarre items like lampshades go missing. The elevator is a particular oddity, sending guests to the wrong floors and acting out of sorts despite a clean bill of (elevator) health. A woman in white roams the property and a phantom couple is said to waltz in the ballroom, a never-ending ode to their devotion to each other.
If you are interested in this or any other destination, reach out!
❤ Michelle - Best Day Ever Vacations / Main Street Duo
Travel Advisor, [email protected]
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