Folklore and Legends

The sweltering heat of the Florida sun breaks as a chill runs down your spine. A dark shadow looms from a nearby tourist trap - you didn't expect to find this kind of shade in Florida.

If only there was some sort of travel guide to steer you through the spookier locales. Well, you're in luck. Check in at The Biltmore in Coral Gables to spot the ghost of slain Fatty Walsh roaming the thirteenth floor. Sit down for a meal with the spirit of Ethel Allen at Ashley’s Restaurant in Rockledge. Visit haunted graveyards, museums, parks and battlefields. Hear macabre stories of spectral pirates, gangsters, witches and madmen. From phantasmagoric packs of Madam McCoy’s girls on Pensacola streets down to the ghostly clacking of Hemingway’s typewriter in the Keys, Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz lead brave readers through the darkest locations in the Sunshine State.

Storyteller Caren Neile, PhD, shares myths, legends and folktales that reflect the diversity of characters and cultures that make Florida such a fascinating place.

Florida boasts mysterious tales that stretch back more than twelve thousand years. Dive into the lives of the proud Wakulla Pocahontas and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge. Meet local lawbreakers like John Ashley, as well as transplants like Ma Barker and Al Capone. Stalk stumpy gators or Hogzilla as they prowl Florida's swamps and suburbs. Discover the quintessential Cracker cowboy and the Barefoot Mailman, plus the origin of names like Boca Raton and Orlando.

Author Heather Leigh guides readers on a swashbuckling journey into the ghostly remnants of Florida pirates. From the legendary Blackbeard to the infamous Captain Kidd, the tales of Florida pirates have captivated readers for generations--hidden treasure, daring escapes, larger-than-life personalities. But, of course, the ghost stories are just as intriguing. From haunted ships to spectral pirates still searching for their lost loot. Florida is full of history and mystery, and the tales of its pirates are some of the most exciting parts of that legacy.

Does the restless ghost of a murder victim haunt a Gulfport home? Does a doomed pirate search for his lost treasure at John's Pass? Are sea captains and Civil War soldiers still combing the area, years after their deaths?

With wit and style, the Queen of Haunts, Deborah Frethem, calls upon years of experience as the general manager and guide of Tampa Bay Ghost Tours to present legends of sinister deeds and whispers of the past from Florida's haunted peninsula.

Millions of people flock to Florida for its beaches and tourist attractions. Most never learn about the strange locations just off the beaten path.

In the beautiful Florida Caverns, a second Rip Van Winkle was woken from one hundred years of sleep. The Green Swamp is home to murders, monsters and mysteries galore. A shining castle made of recycled material, built by an artist like no other, gleams within a Florida swamp. A spectral horse heralds tragedy and caused a notorious scandal in a central Florida city. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they share tales of Florida's myths, monsters, massacres and legends and the hidden history behind them.

A haunting collection of spooky tales from one of America's first cities, Pensacola.

Pensacola may boast the world's whitest beaches, but the sands of time reveal a dark history in America's first settlement. It's no surprise that one of the nation's oldest cities is also among the most haunted, with culturally diverse spirits from the ages of the Spanish founders and British settlers through the turbulent era of the Civil War. Author and expert Alan Brown presents a survey of unexplained mysteries at Pensacola's eerie landmarks. The infamous haunted lighthouse, the ghosts of St. Michael's Cemetery and the tale of the headless woman of Ramona Street are just a few of the chilling stories recounted in Haunted Pensacola.

The Scary Side of Paradise

The Florida Keys may be a tropical paradise, but behind the swaying palms and ocean breeze lies a haunted past that refuses to rest. From the ancient spirits of the Timucuan Indians to the restless ghosts of pirates, rumrunners, wreckers, and smugglers, these islands are alive with eerie legends and spine-tingling tales.

Did you know the dead in Key West Cemetery outnumber the living by over 44,000 souls? Or that Robert the Doll, one of the world’s most infamous haunted artifacts, still resides in his island home? In Haunted Florida Keys, authors Elizabeth and Bob Randall explore the ghostly folklore and paranormal hotspots scattered from the Everglades to Key West—a region long known as a refuge for outlaws, artists, and the eccentric. Enter the Artist House, where the haunted legacy of Robert Gene Otto still lingers. Smell unexplained smoke in a historic Key West theater. Discover the tragic suicide atop a shipwreck museum’s lookout tower. And beware the mysterious spirits said to live within the roots of the rare Kapok tree. Perfect for fans of haunted travel books, true ghost stories, Florida history, and the paranormal, this book takes you deep into the supernatural soul of the Keys. The sun may shine bright—but the shadows are darker than you think.

The Scary Side of Paradise

The Florida Keys may be a tropical paradise, but behind the swaying palms and ocean breeze lies a haunted past that refuses to rest. From the ancient spirits of the Timucuan Indians to the restless ghosts of pirates, rumrunners, wreckers, and smugglers, these islands are alive with eerie legends and spine-tingling tales.

Did you know the dead in Key West Cemetery outnumber the living by over 44,000 souls? Or that Robert the Doll, one of the world’s most infamous haunted artifacts, still resides in his island home? In Haunted Florida Keys, authors Elizabeth and Bob Randall explore the ghostly folklore and paranormal hotspots scattered from the Everglades to Key West—a region long known as a refuge for outlaws, artists, and the eccentric. Enter the Artist House, where the haunted legacy of Robert Gene Otto still lingers. Smell unexplained smoke in a historic Key West theater. Discover the tragic suicide atop a shipwreck museum’s lookout tower. And beware the mysterious spirits said to live within the roots of the rare Kapok tree. Perfect for fans of haunted travel books, true ghost stories, Florida history, and the paranormal, this book takes you deep into the supernatural soul of the Keys. The sun may shine bright—but the shadows are darker than you think.

Shiver with these eerie stories of the Sunshine State after dark.

Surrounded by golden beaches, sparkling Atlantic waters, and palm trees as far as the eye can sea, Florida can give the appearance of a tropical paradise, but the Sunshine State is home to numerous eerie legends and mysterious creatures. From reports of an elusive Skunk Ape skulking around the Everglades, to an uncanny doll said to be cursed with a life of its own sits inside a glass case in the Florida Keys to welcome any tourists brave enough to come near, and even the tale of a man in South Florida who constructed his own castle by ways still unknown. Join Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz as they uncover the history behind the state's creepies stories and unusual locations.