Florida’s restaurant and bar scene serves up more than good food and drinks — at some places, it comes with a side of spirits of a different kind.
From a Tudor-style eatery haunted by a murdered young woman to a downtown Sarasota bar with bootlegging and brothel lore, these famously haunted hangouts blend history, mystery and maybe even a ghostly encounter or two.
Whether you’re drawn by curiosity or cocktails, this list of eight haunted Florida restaurants and bars offers road-trip-worthy destinations across the state where the lights flicker, footsteps echo, and the past refuses to rest.
Ashley’s Restaurant | Rockledge
Details: 1609 U.S. 1; 321-636-6430, facebook.com/AshleysofRockledge
Ashley’s Restaurant & Bar in Rockledge is more than just a Tudor-style eatery with stained-glass windows and antique charm — it’s also one of Brevard County’s most famously haunted spots.
The chilling legend dates back to 1934, when 19-year-old Ethel Allen was last seen at what was then Jack’s Tavern. Days later, her mutilated body was discovered on the banks of the Indian River. Since then, unexplained phenomena have plagued the building.
Patrons and staff report swinging doors opening on their own, flickering lights and alarms sounding without cause. The women’s restroom is said to be especially active, with sightings of a woman and ghostly reflections in the mirror. Some have even felt invisible hands push them on the stairs.
Whether you’re there for the food or the fright, Ashley’s offers a uniquely eerie dining experience steeped in local lore. — Amber Olesen, FLORIDA TODAY
Blue Anchor Pub | Delray Beach
Details: 804 E. Atlantic Ave.; 561-272-7272, theblueanchorpub.com
Step inside this 19th-century London pub, where parts of the original building were shipped across the Atlantic, and you might meet Bertha, the resident ghost.
Peggy Snyder, who purchased the pub with her husband Marc in 2017, recalls her first eerie encounter: during a cleaning party, she shut off the main breaker, plunging the tavern into darkness, yet one ceiling fan kept spinning. Moments later, a copper mug flew off a shelf, narrowly missing her nose. Mediums say Bertha dislikes the old tradition of ringing the pub’s bell at 10 p.m., so it’s now reserved for birthdays and anniversaries. Guests report sudden chills, unexplained noises and even Peggy’s pup reacted a la “Poltergeist” to unseen presences.
The Blue Anchor’s spectral reputation has earned it spots on four TV shows, including “Ghost Hunters International” and “America’s Most Haunted Pubs.” Whether you come for fish and chips or a pint, you might leave with a ghost story of your own. — Diana Biederman, The Palm Beach Post
Cracker Barrel | Naples
Details: 3845 Tollgate Blvd.; 239-455-6588; crackerbarrel.com
Nearly 30 years ago, in November 1995, Collier County sheriff’s deputies made a gruesome discovery at the Cracker Barrel off Collier Boulevard near Interstate 75. Three of the restaurant’s employees were dead in the walk-in freezer with their hands tied behind their backs and their throats slit.
Former grill cook Brandy Bain Jennings sat on death row for the murders until he died of cancer on May 18, 2025. Jennings’ accomplice Charles Graves is serving a life sentence in prison.
According to websites like hauntedplaces.org, employees and customers report strange occurrences in the freezer and women’s restroom, including seeing things move, items switched around overnight, lights dimming for no reason, toilets flushing at random, and the sense of being watched. ― Kendall Little, Naples Daily News
The Gator Club | Sarasota, Florida
Details: 1490 Main St.; 941-366-5969, thegatorclub.com
Located in downtown Sarasota near the city’s famed Bayfront, The Gator Club is a two-story bar and nightclub boasting more than 110 years of history, including bootleg whiskey, illegal gambling, an upstairs brothel and the kind of spirits that can’t be contained by a glass.
Upon entering, guests encounter two bars and an elevated stage frequented by bands such as the beloved reggae act Jah Movement. Patrons are advised to proceed with caution up the rickety old staircase to the second floor, where DJs transform a former living room into a pulsating dance floor.
In the back of the same floor, a cozy bar offers high-end hooch, the madam’s teller’s cage, and the setting for The Gator Club’s scariest ghost stories. Want to hear the tales? Talk to bartender Johnny Hernandez, who has been pouring drinks at The Gator Club for more than 30 years. — Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Ginger’s Place | Jacksonville Beach
Details: 304 South 3rd St.; 904-249-8711, gingers-place.net
Ginger’s has been a staple in Jacksonville Beach since the 1950s. It was run as a neighborhood bar since the mid-’70s by Darlene Edith Payson, a burlesque dancer known to friends as Ginger, and her family still runs the place.
Ginger passed away in 2003, but family members and bar patrons swear they can still feel her presence in the bar. It’s nothing malevolent, they say, but there’s a sign that keeps moving itself for no reason and people report hearing voices and seeing shadows moving and doors closing inexplicably. They keep an old vodka bottle behind the bar to collect the dimes that mysteriously materialize around the bar. — Tom Szaroleta, The Florida Times-Union
Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Company | Melbourne
Details: 1002 E. New Haven Ave.; 321-821-4052, hellnblazesbrewing.com
Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Company in downtown Melbourne may be known for its craft beer, but its 120-year-old building carries a haunted history.
Once home to Melbourne’s first bank, a hardware store, a funeral home and even a TV studio, the space has seen more than its share of strange happenings. Owner Don DiFrisco says motion-activated lights often flicker on when no one is around and employees have reported seeing and feeling supernatural activity in the stairwells and hearing whispers in empty rooms.
The brewery’s layered past, especially its time as a funeral home, adds to the chilling atmosphere. While the beer is brewed with precision, the building’s haunted legacy continues to brew curiosity. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, Hell ‘n Blazes offers a pint of history with a side of the paranormal. — Amber Olesen, FLORIDA TODAY
Intermission | Pensacola
Details: 214 S. Palafox St.; 850-433-6208, facebook.com
Before there was lively downtown Pensacola dive bar Intermission, there was Child’s Restaurant, a long-loved restaurant often frequented by lawyers and well-to-do businessmen. The historic restaurant left a lasting impact on the downtown area, from the “hungry” tilework imprint on the sidewalk to the alleged ghosts it leaves behind. The restaurant was considered the longest-operating family-owned restaurant in Florida until it closed in 1987.
When Pensacola historian Wesley Odom, owner of Go Retro Tours, recalls his conversations with Intermission’s founder Mike Ashby, there was one night that Ashby couldn’t shake when he heard his name in the bar at 2 a.m., when he and a bartender were counting the register and working on paperwork. About a year later, he heard his heavy, 70-pound metal-frame doors open and slowly shut on their own, leaving him and his employee to marvel at each other in disbelief. Upon bringing psychic Sharon Renae back with Odom to the bar, she detected a presence invested in the bar’s success, a female who “doesn’t like competition.” Could it be the strong-willed matriarch of Child’s Restaurant, Mrs. Padakis? Odom seems to think so. — Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal.
The Veranda | Fort Myers
Details: 2122 Second St., Fort Myers, 239-332-2065, verandarestaurant.com
The structure housing this longtime restaurant has been part of downtown Fort Myers’ history for more than a century. Manuel Gonzales, one of the city’s first residents, built two houses on the southwest corner of Second Street and Broadway. The first — circa 1902 — was for him and his family, while the second — in what is now the restaurant’s parking lot — was for his mother. Six-plus decades later, Herbert “Peter” Pulitzer, grandson of the famed publisher, joined the homes. When Paul Peden bought it all in 1978, he turned it into The Veranda. And some feel it’s haunted.
“There’s a presence, a friendly one,” Denny Genge, the general manager for 26 years, said. “I haven’t felt it, but customers have told me. It’s more in the back of the house, where the main dining room is. It’s usually back there.”
And it’s not just a random one or two reports.
“It’s not just a few,” Genge said. “It’s dozens telling me this. It’s been consistent over the years.” — Robyn George, The News-Press
Wade Tatangelo is the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Audience Director and Florida Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ghosts, grub, and booze: 8 haunted Florida restaurants and bars worth the road trip
Reporting by Wade Tatangelo, Diana Biederman, Amber Olesen, Robyn George, Tom Szaroleta, Brittany Misencik and Kendall Little, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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