Spooked in Style!

Great places to sleep with ghosts!

Hysterical or historical, ghostly spirits make themselves as comfortable in America’s B&Bs as living guests do. No one’s sure if it’s the great breakfasts, the warm hospitality, or the atmosphere of these historic homes, but friendly spirits simply can’t get enough of America’s B&Bs.

Once again, www.BedandBeakfast.com, the online B&B directory and reservation network worldwide, has compiled a of B&Bs and inns where ghost seekers will enjoy spirited gatherings and potentially close encounters with the other world, bed-and-breakfast style.

Although innkeepers are often afraid to share stories for fear of scaring guests, these B&Bs dare to reveal their ghostly happenings. Here is the list of colorful ghost stories from some of Florida’s B&Bs.

1872 John Denham House, Monticello, FL: Not only is this 130-year-old National Historic Register B&B certifiably haunted, guests can explore another dimension during October Teen and Parent Ghost Hunting Weekends. Enjoy a ghost tour and seminar and learn hands-on skills for ghost tracking, plus how to record orbs and vortexes, in audio, video, photographic and temperature formats. The course covers following the standards and protocols of the International Ghost Hunter’s Society; official Ghost Tracker Certificates will be presented. Call for rates and dates.

Avera-Clarke House B&B, Monticello, FL: Located in one of ABC-TV’s Most Haunted Small Towns, this B&B is a popular stop on the local walking tour. Take this historic stroll, and you just might see ghostly vestiges of Honorable Judge Thomas Clarke, a local banker, appear in unusual ways.

Casablanca Inn , St. Augustine, FL: This inn’s haunted heritage began to take its shape during the early 1930s when it was a boarding house. A widow who ran the boarding house would stand watch on the balcony, swinging a lantern back and forth to warn rumrunners when government revenuers were in town. The widow has long been dead, but anglers and shrimpers passing through the inlet say they often see the swinging lantern atop the Casablanca Inn.

Penny Farthing Inn , St. Augustine, FL: Ghost busters, guests, and the innkeeper have said that plenty of playful spirits hang around here. Occurrences include midnight tugs-of-war with the blankets, and glasses leaning over and clinking on sherry bottles. One college professor described a young lady sitting on the daybed in his room when he woke up. Then, a few days later, the four-year-old daughter of the owners asked if the lady in the doorway of the dining room was a guest; the little girl described the lady she saw exactly as the college professor had.

St. Francis Inn , St. Augustine, FL: The St. Francis is the oldest inn in St. Augustine. The inn was built in 1791, and you can count on a few of its former residents still making an appearance from time to time. According to former guest Dave Lapham, shortly after he and his wife checked in, strange things began to happen. Another visitor at the inn described seeing a young African American girl, dressed in white, floating down the hallway. Later, just before going to bed, she said she saw the girl again in her room. Another guest reported that each time they tried to fill the bath with water, it kept getting hotter and hotter, no matter how much cold water was added.

Casa de la Paz , St. Augustine, FL: A young woman carrying a small suitcase and wearing a long, narrow skirt, a traveling jacket and a wide-brimmed hat is often seen here. As the story goes, she came to the inn many years ago as a guest of the original owners with her new husband on her honeymoon. On the last day of their honeymoon, the young husband decided to take a boat out for a day of fishing.

He told his bride to pack and wait for him at the house because he did not know exactly when he would return. During the day a terrible storm developed and the boat capsized; he never returned. She was so distraught that she stayed in St. Augustine and died of her grief. Her spirit has never left the house, waiting for his return. Reports of hearing a knock on the door and a voice saying, “Is it time to leave yet?” have been noted. Others guests have heard a door shut and seen a figure walking down the hall. She’s often seen at the top of the stairs with her bag packed, ready to depart.