If you hop in your car and drive 90 minutes northeast, you’ll run right into the sleepy town of Cassadaga, Florida — the psychic capital of the world.
The small, unincorporated town in Volusia County is the center of local lore. Since its inception in 1875 by George P. Colby, the town’s roots lie in the tradition of spiritualism, “a movement based on the belief that departed souls can interact with the living.” The belief system was popular at the time in Colby’s northeastern upbringing.
Upon the town’s founding, George opened the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, which still exists today, for spiritualists from around the world to gather and learn about its foundation.
Today, the camp is more of a community than a regular campsite and is regarded as the largest in the United States. It became a historic district on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1991.
Who are the residents of this camp? Mediums, healers, psychics, and spiritualist church members, to name a few. Some claim the land exists in an “energy vortex” with a thin veil separating the living from the dead, making it prime real estate for those of the spiritualist faith.
Take a seat, if you dare, in the Devil’s Chair.
Photo by @sugarmagnoliapup
Cassadaga is, ironically, without a cemetery. Residents are buried half a mile north at the Lake Helen-Cassadaga Cemetery, which is notorious for the “Devil’s Chair.” Many have claimed to see the devil himself when sitting in the chair, as well as many other unexplained phenomena.
Guests have reported ghostly sightings in the nearly century-old hotel.
Photo by @travel_with_cherryl
Want to visit? Check in at the Hotel Cassadaga, which is notoriously haunted. Upon receiving your room key, you can opt into spiritualism classes — just keep an eye out for its ghostly guests.
To learn more about this piece of haunted Florida, check out the “Cassadaga Nights” episode of local podcast “Florida Men on Florida Man.” If you’re not too scared, plan your visit with our Great Escapes guide.
