About Me
SARASOTA COUNTY
Sarasota Opera House
16 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota
Architecture : Mediterranean Revival
Roy A Benjamin, Architect
Four and a half stories
Steel frame, masonry, stucco
Auditorium has plaster and beamed ceiling, ornamental plaster cartouches
Building included shops and apartments
1500-seat auditorium
Opened 1926
Also called "The Florida Theater" , "Edwards Theater" , "The Temple of Silent Art and Make Believe"
Has played host to Will Rogers, Tommy Dorsey and Elvis.
Established to accommodate vaudeville acts and silent films
The theater also premiered Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth in 1951, parts of which were filmed in Sarasota.
Employees attribute things that go bump in the night to a phantom theatergoer who is still trying to collect his friend after a performance.
The Golden Apple Dinner Theatre
25 N Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota
Separated from the Opera House by a pavilion, also claims the same ghost as The Sarasota Opera House
Opened December 11, 1971
Florida Studio Theatre
Corner of North Palm Avenue and Cocoanut in downtown Sarasota, 1241 North Palm Avenue
Built in 1915
Was haunted by several troublesome spirits until it was officially exorcised.
Longboat Key
Old Ritz Carlton
John Ringling purchased considerable acreage on the south end of the island during the early 1920's
A golf course was constructed
Construction of a luxurious hotel, the Ritz-Carlton on New Pass, began, but was never completed.
Lore states that a construction worker brought his young son with him to the site, but for some reason or another, he left the child unattended for a short time. The boy was killed when he fell down the unfinished elevator shaft.
Construction ceased, the site was abandoned.
It was torn down in 1962.
Currently : a shopping center and a chart house restaurant occupy the original site. The restaurant employees often report seeing a small boy playing with a ball. Sometimes seen in the men's room, or the seating area after closing.
It is reported that a faint scream is often heard as well.
Palms of Sarasota
Until its demolition in 2003, there was an abandoned mental hospital near the interstate.
At night people could be heard swimming in the pool, even though the pool was filled in with rocks.
Screaming could also be heard, sometimes laughter, some people saw shadows, and many photos taken there had unexplainable objects appear
The Ringling Towers
Was located : Ringling Blvd at Hwy 41
Formerly known as "El Vernona Hotel"
Building was completed in 1926
Designer : Dwight James Baum
Built by : Owen Burns
Named "El Vernona Hotel" in honor of Mr.Burns' wife.
John Ringling purchased the hotel in 1930, and renamed it "The John Ringling Towers"
This hotel housed the rich, presidents, movie stars
The hotel was converted into private apartments in the mid-1960's.
The building was closed in the early 1980's, and sat vacant until its demolition in 1998.
During the period of time it sat vacant, satanic worship, rituals, and black masses were known to be held there.
The stairs still retained their red carpet, but no railings, until it was demolished
The top penthouse floors had many cold spots, freezing room temperatures (even in the Florida summer)
Feelings of being watched were common.
The lobby retained a very evil aura until it was demolished.
The new Ritz-Carlton now occupies the site.
The Rose Garden at the current Ritz-Carlton uses 2400 of the original rose red bricks from John Ringling's unfinished Ritz-Carlton Hotel project on Longboat Key : they lay in the circular garden, surrounded by cherubic sculptures amid colorful Knockout roses, Mable Ringling's favorite flower.
CÃ d'Zan
Mable Ringling's spirit is said to roam here, on the terrace or in the courtyard
The Bay Haven Hotel
Became The Ringling College Of Art And Design in 1931
originally named The Ringling School
Legend has it that a young woman who roomed at the hotel met an untimely death in the stairwell. The building eventually became the Keating Center, where the woman's ghost, it's said, is inclined to walk the corridors or stir the paintbrushes in rinse cups on many an art student's desk.
The Keating Center
see The Bay Haven Hotel
MANATEE COUNTY
Bali Hai Beach Resort
6900 Gulf Drive N
Anna Maria Island
Holmes Beach
An urban legend says a newlywed couple was staying at the Bali Hai Beach Resort. The bride lost her husband to the sea, and now she can be seen walking the beach in her wedding gown. Once you glance in her direction after catching her out of the corner of your eye, she will disappear.
She appears in early August only.
Coquina Beach
Southern end of the island, just before the bridge to Longboat Key
This is now a picnic area of a public beach right where a hotel once stood
A male figure dressed in black walks the beach, from the picnic area to the water, then vanishes
Although this area has many spirits at night, this male figure has been seen during the day.
Rogers Road Cemetery
South-east of Willow, FL
The graves at this cemetery are shallow
Orbs and other glowing lights can be witnessed here
CHARLOTTE COUNTY
Captiva Island
South Seas Island Resort
Employee housing, Room 51
A baker died there, and still haunts the room
Orb sightings in pictures, footsteps heard, presence detectable.
The resort is located on the original grounds of an old Key Lime plantation.
August 13, 2004 (Friday The 13th) : Hurricane Charley forced the iconic resort to close its gates for more than 18 months, reopening in February of 2007 after a $140 million renovation.
Captiva Island
North end of the island
The King's Crown Restaurant
A former manager died on premises, and still haunts the site
He plays the piano after hours, and when employees here the piano, and go to see who is there, they find nobody
If the silverware is not rolled right, employees sho have left the room for a moment will return to find the bucket dumped out
Employees will also find all of the silverware arranged in a zig-zag pattern down the rows of tables
The resort was once a plantation where many slaves wetre killed and still walk the ground
There is a small, historic cemetery one block from the resort
Port Charlotte
Restlawn Memorial Gardens
The first house built in Port Charlotte is located adjacent to the cemetery.
The house is said to have been owned by a farmer who murdered his wife.
After the structure fell into a state of disrepair, the county decided to condemn it. Since that time, many have reported hearing eerie noises coming from the area in which the house is located.
A ghostly figure has also been spotted roaming around the cemetery late at night.
The sound of swarms of bees has plagued neighbors around the area for years, even though there are no bees present when the noise is heard. This is known as "The Killer Bee" phenom.
JACKSON COUNTY
Graceville
Graceville Bridge
On Highway 2, there is a bridge that you can pull up to and stop in front of, put your vehicle in park. It is said that the girl who died there will drive you across.
