Haunted Tales From One Of Tampa’s Most Spookiest Sites
It wouldn’t be spooky season without a ghost story or two. Did you know Tampa has some of the most haunted spots in the country? Not as many as St. Augustine, but there are plenty of haunted sites across Tampa Bay that attracts all kinds of visitors, ghost hunters, and more. A few University of Tampa students and alumni have shared some creepy details of the school’s spooky past and events in a recent Reddit thread.
Before we dive into some ghost stories, did you know about all of Tampa’s haunted landmarks? Visit Tampa Bay highlights some tales of ghosts that live in Ybor City’s Cuban Club, The Tampa Theatre, University of Tampa’s Falk Theatre, and the old Florida Brewing Co. building.
Hair-Raising Hauntings At The University of Tampa
There are a few eerie locations around UTampa. But the one most talked about is Plant Hall. Quick backstory: Plant Hall originally opened as the Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891 built by railroad magnate Henry Plant. According to tampaterrors.com, the hotel quickly became a luxury resort for the social elite including President Teddy Roosevelt, Prince of Wales, Winston Churchill, Babe Ruth, and more. The rooms cost a steep*FIFTEEN DOLLARS* a night! The hotel ended up closing in the 1930’s due to the Great Depression, and today it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains one of Tampa’s most unique and iconic landmarks.
It’s still rumored today that Plant Hall is haunted by several spirits from its days as a luxury resort, but most notably by Henry Plant aka “The Brown Man”. There have been multiple “encounters” of students seeing a man dressed in a brown suit and “floating” white hair. Reddit user recalls “I swear I saw a man in a suit standing down the hallway, but after a double take no one was there. He looked like he was from the 20s or something.”
Another Reddit user, theEmbossedRichard shared a few ominous tales from Plant Hall. He recalled the small spiral stairway leading up to the math/science wing where allegedly a student fell down the stairs. He claims that students have felt a “tug on their leg, or a push” when going down the stairs. There’s another story of the hotel era regarding an opera singer who jumped off the ballroom roof after having her heartbroken. Rumors have it that sometimes people will still hear her scream.
Plant Hall isn’t the only haunted location at UT. Other stories from Reddit recall stories from late night in the art studios, Falk Theater, and McKay Hall. Even Reddit user Mysterious_Run_134 shared a story from the 80s. They said that there’s a walkway above the Fletcher Lounge where party-goers have experienced seeing a woman dressed as “flapper style” looking down at everyone during a wedding.
Interested in experiencing the phenomenon yourself? There are multiple ghost tours available in Tampa! Click here to see how you can get a chilling inside look at some of our most haunted places!
