Look alive, Lakeland. We’re telling some scary stories. Keep reading for four of the most haunted spots + terrifying tales in and around Lakeland. Read on… if you dare.
The Mann House | 1424 Lakeview Rd., Lake Wales
If you’ve ever watched Unsolved Mysteries, you might have recognized a familiar spot on Season 6, Episode 6 — the Mann House. The Mann family was haunted by a female spirit in the 1990s and soon began suffering from headaches, hearing strange voices, and even had paranormal investigators visit. You can watch the full episode here; it starts at the two-minute mark.
The Stanford Inn Bed & Breakfast | 555 E. Stanford St., Bartow
Remember the house from “My Girl?” It was once believed that a “noisy” apparition of the former owner inhabited the former b&b. Doors would also allegedly close on their own, and disembodied footsteps had been heard on the staircase.
Allen Spivey Hall, Florida Southern College | 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr., Lakeland
“My freshman year at FSC living in the Allen Spivey dorm building we heard a few things go bump in the night. The rumor was that a little boy haunted the building and was in the attic…at night you could hear something up there like someone was playing.” — Reader Jessica L.
Old Polk County Courthouse | 100 East Main St., Bartow
Built in 1909 on the foundations of the original courthouse, the Old Polk County Courthouse’s history dates back to the early 1880s. Haunted claims at this location include screams from the basement, apparitions on the second-floor rotunda, a “Lady in White” on the second floor, and numerous cold spots on the first floor.
Have another scary story we should tell in the dark? Send it our way, we’re feeling brave.
