While it is mostly sunshine and good vibes in the 305, Miami also has a dark side. With the Halloween season fast approaching, the paranormal comes out to play. If you are looking to get your frights in, here are five haunted destinations to explore in the Magic City.
See Also: 5 Family-Friendly Fall Activities In South Florida
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169 East Flagler Street Miami / Website
Despite the building’s undeniable beauty, the Alfred I. Dupont Building has a history of paranormal activities. Many chilling stories surround this lavish hotel built on an old hotel's bones from 1937 to 1939. Most famously, Grant Stockdale, a close friend of President John F. Kennedy, died falling from the 13th floor just ten days after JFK’s assassination. No one is to say whether Stockdale fell or was pushed–visitors say they feel an eerie presence in that particular room. Word of running faucets in abandoned bathrooms and quick glances of a mysterious man’s face define the building’s haunted history. Today, the space is a prime wedding venue, but some floors are prohibited from use. Some say noises can be heard often from the unoccupied levels.
1040 Lincoln Road / Website
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This 1935 Miami Beach picture house is home to a particularly furry spirit. Many visitors to the Colony Theatre have reported witnessing the spirit of a tiny white toy poodle roaming through the hallways. However, the ghostly dog isn't the only one haunting the theatre; performers and crew have also reported hearing unexplained footsteps behind the main stage.
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1800 NE 2nd Ave / Website
This eerie cemetery was opened in 1987 in Miami and is the only graveyard in the county. The cemetery contains almost 9,000 burials and is the resting place of Julia Tuttle, the "Mother of Miami," the founder of the Burdines department store company, and Miami's first and third mayors. Many visitors have described spooky mists sneaking up from nowhere, unexplainable cold spots, and the unnerving impression of being watched. There have also been accounts of unusual animal sacrifices. However, the peculiar burial of Carrie Barrett Miller is perhaps the most haunting aspect of the Miami City Cemetery. Her husband buried her remains and poured concrete over her when she died. The tombstone reads, “The body of Carrie Barrett Miller was molded in this solid block of concrete. December 4th, 1926. After the body has gone to dust, her sleeping form will remain.”
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1200 Anastasia Ave / Website
Built in 1926 by Coral Gable's founding father, George Merrick, the Biltmore Hotel was privy to many high-rollers. Stories of the paranormal began after gangster Tomas Walsh was shot and killed during a gambling dispute. Rumors of his ghost have since been spread to this day. Visitors claim that the bar area is incredibly haunted, where sounds of clinking glasses and shaking bottles have been heard. Walsh was known for his affliction with Cuban cigars; some say the lingering scent can be smelt throughout the hotel.
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5811 N Miami Ave / Website
Villa Paula was Miami’s first Cuban Consulate, built in Little Haiti in 1926. This beautiful building’s haunted story began after the death of the original owner, Domingo J Milford’s wife, who mysteriously died at a young age after a leg amputation had gone wrong. The wife, Paula Milord, was then buried in the back garden. Since her death, people have reported hearing piano music and a lingering smell of coffee, her alleged favorite things. Visitors have even claimed to see a one-legged floating lady in the hallway. The villa is currently for sale, so guests cannot go inside, but its beauty and hearsay are worth a drive-by!
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16701 SW 72nd Ave / Website
The Deering Estate is located in Palmetto Bay and is a prime spot for spooky spirits. The stone house was once the 1920s estate of Charles Deering, who mysteriously died there in 1925. On top of Deering’s homebound death, the property was built on tribal burial grounds. Colleen Kelley, a ghost hunter, recorded 60 ghost voices from the mansion in 2009. The most common activity experienced by guests is the voice of a woman pleading to save her drowning child. The estate now offers historic ghost tours through the months of September and October.
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3506 Main Highway / Website
Known originally as the Player’s State Theater, the Coconut Grove Playhouse was opened in 1927 as a movie hall for Paramount Pictures. At its prime, the theater was known to have the largest Wurlitzer organ in the U.S. and eventually became a live theater in the 1950s before its eventual closure in 2006. Since its termination, gossip surrounding ghostly presences has taken over its image. No one is permitted inside the building, but it is said many trespassers come to perform dark rituals. Visitors may stop to observe through the windows, but be careful as they are said to have ectoplasm!
Photography by: Courtesy Geerati/Getty
