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Bigelow-Helms Mansion
Tampa, Florida
12.4 miles from Ruskin, FL
This home dates to the early 1900s and is known as the "Bigelow-Helms Mansion", though lately it is used as office space for various businesses. People often claimed they heard screams and yelling from the building at odd hours of the night, and in general just got really weird vibes from ...
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Comfort Station
St. Petersburg, Florida
12.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
This lovely octagonal building in Romaesque Revival style is a public restroom that was built in 1927 by the same architect that designed the Vinoy Hotel (also reported to be haunted, by the way). It was originally called "Comfort Station One," and actually received national press when it was ...
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Vinoy Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida
12.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
Now owned by Marriott, the Vinoy Hotel is a favorite place for major league baseballers to stay while in town. Several claim to have seen a man in a top hat and long coat standing over their bed. One claims to have felt like someone pressed on his ...
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The Spontaneous Combustion of Mary Reeser
St. Petersburg, Florida
12.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
OK, this is not really a ghost story, but is perhaps the most famous case of human spontaneous combustion. It happened to Mary Reeser at 1200 Cherry St. on July 2, 1951, at about 8 a.m. The incident was first witnessed by Reeser's landlady Pansy Carpenter, who was attempting to ...
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Beach Drive Inn Bed and Breakfast
Saint Petersburg, Florida
12.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
Guests staying in the Montego Room at this circa 1910 bed and breakfast have reported a rocking chair that rocks by itself, as well as hearing ghostly music and disembodied footsteps in the night. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Hotel Indigo - Martha Washington Hotel
St. Petersburg, Florida
13 miles from Ruskin, FL
This hotel dates back to 1926, but has had several names - "Martha Washington Hotel," "Heritage Hotel," and now, most recently, "Hotel Indigo". A 1987 renovation seems to have led to the appearance of a ghostly little girl, seen on the third-floor landing. Later, the figures of an ...
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The Cordova Inn
Saint Petersburg, Florida
13 miles from Ruskin, FL
This 1921 boutique hotel is supposed to be haunted by the apparition of a well-dressed man in an old-fashioned suit. Employees believe this is the ghost of a former butler, who has saved the building from demolition and despair on several occasions. (Submitted by Callum Swift)
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Palm View Cemetery
Palmetto, Florida
13.1 miles from Ruskin, FL
This is listed on several paranormal websites as a "haunted location," but without a single story to back it up. If you happen to know of anything odd that's happened here, please let us know. Otherwise, as far as we're concerned, it's just a normal graveyard!
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St. Petersburg Coliseum
St. Petersburg, Florida
13.3 miles from Ruskin, FL
This venue has been around since 1924 and is reputed to be haunted, but we don't currently have any more information than that. If you know more, please tell us via the comments section below!
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Britton Cinema
Tampa, Florida
13.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
Staff and visitors alike have reported several strange occurrences. Toilets flush on their own and doors mysteriously get locked in the ladies room. Apparitions have been seen in one of theatres. Ghostly voices were heard in the hallway outside theatre #5, and an usher swears someone called ...
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Academy of the Holy Names
Tampa, Florida
13.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
Academy of the Holy Names was established in 1881 and the current building opened in 1926. The school is run by the sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Ghosts of nuns have been seen walking around on the 4th floor, where the sisters used to ...
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Haslam's Book Store
St. Petersburg, Florida
14.4 miles from Ruskin, FL
At least as old as the 1920s, the building that houses the bookstore (est. 1933) is said to have literary poltergeists in residence. Books have flown off the shelves, mostly those in the metaphysical section or those by author Jack Kerouac, who often visited the store during his lifetime. Cold ...
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Royal Palms Apartments
St. Petersburg, Florida
14.4 miles from Ruskin, FL
Some who live at the Royal Palms Apartments claim there's a ghost that likes to pull pillows from under their heads... violently at times. A few have actually seen an apparition of a man standing by the side of their bed.
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Madira Bickel Mound
Terra Ceia, Florida
14.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
This state park was the first Native American location to be designated a "State Archaeological Site" in all of Florida. Occupation here goes back to around the 1st century AD. The mound itself is about 20 feet high and as wide as 170 feet, made of shells, sand and general ...
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St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg, Florida
14.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
The third floor of the school seems to be the home of at least one ghost who moves things and makes strange noises. Janitorial staff have claimed to see odd phenomena in the auditorium as well.
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Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Terra Ceia, Florida
15.3 miles from Ruskin, FL
The most iconic bridge in Florida is beautiful... but it is also deadly. It replaced a bridge that partially collapsed in 1980, killing several people. But its best-known as one of the most popular places in Florida to commit suicide. More than 200 people have jumped ...
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Ghost of Irene Randall
Tampa, Florida
15.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
According to legend, Irene Wengel came to Tampa in 1902 to get an illegal abortion in a building that once stood near the parking garage. A couple days after Dr. Frederick Weightnovel performed the abortion, Irene became very ill with blood poisoning; she died shortly thereafter. Irene’s uneasy spirit is said ...
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Fort Brooke Parking Garage
Tampa, Florida
15.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
Built in 1980, this municipal parking garage was built over a cemetery. The bones unearthed during the construction were deemed to be the remains of soldiers and Native Americans. Although the bones were removed and properly placed, some say they have heard the ghostly sounds of Native Americans drumming and ...
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Falk Theatre
Tampa, Florida
15.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
Once the Park Theatre, now called "Falk Theatre." Back in the "Park Theatre" days an actress named Bessie Snavely supposedly hung herself in her third floor dressing room. Her ghost is said to haunt the entire theatre.
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Plant Hall
Tampa, Florida
15.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
Onetime Tampa Bay Hotel servants are said to haunt the Science Wing. Witnesses have felt something watching them and had an eerie feeling. Apparitions have been seen all over the campus; in fact, folks say ghosts abound in this University of Tampa hall after hours—and there are quite a few ...
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Old City Hall
Tampa, Florida
15.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
According to Deborah Frethem in her book "Haunted Tampa," strange ghost lights have been seen along the hallways and clock tower of the Old City Hall. She speculates they may be related to Donald Brenham McKay, who served two non-consecutive terms as mayor of Tampa in the early 20th ...
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Kennedy Blvd and Marion St
Tampa, Florida
15.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
Tim Reeser mentions this "haunted intersection" in his book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Florida". Apparently Kennedy and Marion was the site of the old "Florida House Hotel". This hotel burned to the ground in Victorian times, and one of the victims was a little girl who was asleep ...
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Old Tampa Book Company
Tampa, Florida
15.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
This quaint used bookstore might be haunted, according to Deborah Frethem in her book "Haunted Tampa." The owners say a couple of chairs they inherited from a previous owner tend to move all on their own. One night the store's alarm went off, but the store was still ...
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Ghost of Charlie Wall - Old Federal Courthouse
Tampa, Florida
15.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
Charlie Wall was an infamous gangster based out of Tampa of the 1930s and 1940s. He dabbled in all the usual rackets - gambling, prostitution, numbers, etc. What made him truly infamous was when he was called to testify before a federal committee investigating organized crime in 1950. He held ...
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Old Tampa Theater
Tampa, Florida
15.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
A projectionist from the 1940s supposedly haunts this theatre. Staff hear his footsteps and chains rattling in the hallways and behind the stage. Some claim to even see him up in the projecting room when it is supposed to be empty. There are reports of weird "bad ...
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Jackson House
Tampa, Florida
16 miles from Ruskin, FL
Deborah Frethem writes of this house in her book, "Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay." According to Frethem, this building dates back to 1901 and was a boardinghouse once used by a number of African American greats during the days of segregation, like Ray Charles, Count Basie and even ...
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Hopewell Church Cemetery
Tampa, Florida
16.1 miles from Ruskin, FL
Although its called the "Hopewell Church Cemetery", no church stands here anymore. And don't confuse it with the American Legion Cemetery just next door. The one you want is surrounded by an old brick wall and has two wrought-iron gates at either end. The caretaker of the ...
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Oaklawn Cemetery
Tampa, Florida
16.2 miles from Ruskin, FL
A number of famous Tampa residents are buried here, and there are vague reports of ghosts haunting the grounds. Many feel uneasy as they walk the cemetery, as if someone is watching them.
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Braden Castle
Bradenton, Florida
16.4 miles from Ruskin, FL
This mid-1800s castle-like structure, now protected ruins, has had a long history of being haunted due to its years as a dilapidated, abandoned building. One amusing story centers on three men who set to explore the haunted site. They went through some harrowing scares before they were brave enough to ...
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Tampa Florida Brewery Building
Tampa, Florida
16.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
Ybor City has a rich history, and with it comes several ghost stories, including one about the drunken Cuban ghost at the Tampa Florida Brewery. Now the Swope Law Group’s law offices, rumor has it that at the old brewery's opening ceremony, where free beer was available, two drunken men ...
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Blake High School
Tampa, Florida
16.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
A cold spot is felt in the exact place in the auditorium where a teacher died years ago of a heart attack. The back of the library has a similar cold spot where people get "eerie feelings". The main theatre sometimes has strange lights appear in the wings, ...
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Gaspar's Grotto
Tampa, Florida
16.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
Haunted bars are a dime a dozen, but how many of them actually provide photographic proof that they're haunted? Gaspar's Grotto does - they proudly display two photos on their wall that may show the ghost of ... someone. No one's really sure what it shows, really, or if there's ...
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L'Unione Italiana - The Italian Club
Tampa, Florida
16.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
In this building, over a century old, folks say a ghost named Virginia sometimes makes an appearance on the front staircase. Reports say Virginia was once a member of the cleaning staff.
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King Corona Cigars and Cafe Bar
Tampa, Florida
16.5 miles from Ruskin, FL
Dave Lapham recounts the story of King Corona Cigars in his excellent book, "Ghosthunting Florida." The owner was renovating the store one night when he saw a huge, hulking figure in the back. He was about to run for the front door when the figure just dematerialized into thin air. ...
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Carmine's
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
At least one waitress at Carmine's Restaurant in Tampa is convinced the place is haunted, according to Kim Cool in her book "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." She swears she hears ghostly footsteps on the second floor, and every time someone goes up to investigate, no one is there.
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La France
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
Apparently there's said to be a ghostly presence in this vintage clothing shop that likes to move items around on the racks, according to Kim Cool's excellent book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay."
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El Centro Espanol - The Spanish Club
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
The 1912 El Centro Espanol building is home to some strange occurrences. Folks say that the sound of crying babies can be heard in the building when there are no babies around. Also, when candles are blown out, they sometimes re-ignite.
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Island Flowers
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
This flower shop got a quick mention in Kim Cool's "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." The ghost here, if it is a ghost, likes to swing the front door back and forth, ringing the security bell each time.
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Don Vicente Inn
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
Staff report a ghost in the lady's basement bathroom. The Travel Channel once ran a TV special on this hotel.
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Trelles Clinic - Ybor Resort and Spa
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
The former Trelles Clinic, now the Ybor Resort and Spa, is housed in a 1904 building. Witnesses say the many ghostly phenomena here include a child that tugs on people's clothing, unexplained slamming windows, and an apparition of Conchita, a deceased wife of a doctor. TV's Ghost Hunters featured the ...
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Ybor Factory Building - Ybor Square
Tampa, Florida
16.6 miles from Ruskin, FL
This factory was built in 1886 by Vicente Martinez-Ybor - at the time it was the largest cigar-factory in the world. It changed hands a number of times through the 1950s, but always remained in the cigar business, until it became Ybor Square in the 1970s. Now it ...
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Ybor City Museum
Tampa, Florida
16.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
Kim Cool mentions this haunting briefly in her book, "Ghost Stories of Tampa Bay." The claim revolves around the Ybor City Museum gift shop, and a particular book that frequently moves to different places around the shelves, and sometimes even flies violently to the floor when no one is ...
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Sugar Palm Ballroom - 1550 E. Palm Ave
Tampa, Florida
16.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
For a short time in the late 1990s, this building housed the "Sugar Palm Ballroom". Guests at the Sugar Palm would occasionally see a ghostly figure wandering the hallways. During renovations in 2000 workmen complained that they were constantly harassed by unseen entities.
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Cuban Club - Circulo Cubano de Tampa
Tampa, Florida
16.7 miles from Ruskin, FL
The Cuban Club, now a site rented out for events, was built in 1917 to serve the Cuban community. It has been the site of two deaths: One was an actor who committed suicide on the stage, the other was a murder in which one board member shot another in ...
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La Cote Basque Winehouse
Gulfport, Florida
16.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
This restaurant was started in 1972 by Ernest Frohme, and is still in operation today under the watchful eye of his daughters, Carmen and Simone. According to Deborah Frethem's "Ghost Stories of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Pinellas County" the restaurant is haunted by a playful spirit. She speculates ...
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Morris the Casino Cat
St. Petersburg, Florida
16.8 miles from Ruskin, FL
The Gulfport Casino is now owned by the City of Gulfport, and is rented out as a ballroom for weddings and special occasions. Back in 1970 a cute little cat wandered in and was so loved by the staff that he decided to make the casino his home. ...
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Historic Peninsula Inn and Spa
Gulfport, Florida
16.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
This hotel dates back to the turn of the 20th century. It was, at times, a military hospital, boarding house, and now, a hotel and spa. The resident ghost is named "Isabelle" - she is said to have lived and died here in the 1950s. She is ...
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Manatee Avenue
Bradenton, Florida
16.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
A single claim here dates back to 1992, from a law enforcement officer who was patrolling the 1700-1800 block of Manatee Avenue in Bradenton. He claimed to see a Victorian-era man in all black clothing, with a very pale, white face for about 2-3 seconds, who then disappeared and ...
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Center Place
Brandon, Florida
16.9 miles from Ruskin, FL
A spirit called (for some reason) "Matilda" is said to haunt this building. She was seen by at least one witness, and others claim to have either felt her presence or actually seen paintings and other objects move without explanation. Allegedly at one point local news reporters came ...
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