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So you’ve made it to Fort Myers — land of sunshine, stunning beaches, and apparently, a fair number of restless spirits who simply refused to leave. Honestly, can you blame them?
If you were going to haunt somewhere for eternity, a gorgeous Southwest Florida city isn’t the worst choice. Whether you’re a die-hard ghost hunter or just someone who enjoys a good spooky story between beach days, Fort Myers has plenty of supernatural flavor to keep things interesting.
Pack your ghost-detecting app (yes, that’s a thing), grab a flashlight, and let’s take a tour of some of the most famously haunted spots in the area. Better yet, let a knowledgeable tour guide handle it for you. Fort Myers Ghosts tours are one of the best ways to explore the haunted side of Fort Myers, weaving together history, mystery, and stories of paranormal activity on a 90-minute walking tour through the city’s most atmospheric streets and landmarks.
Whether you’re seasoned ghost hunters or simply curious visitors looking for an informative tour with a deliciously spooky twist, there’s something here for everyone. It’s basically the best way to spend an evening — unless you’re easily startled.
PRO TIP: Some of these sites are included in the Fort Myers Ghosts tour, others are perfect to discover on your own. I don’t want to spoil everything you’ll see on your tour!
The Burroughs Home & Gardens
Let’s start with one of the prettier stops on this list. The Burroughs Home is a Georgian Revival mansion built in 1901 right on the Caloosahatchee River, and it’s the kind of place that makes you stop and stare before you even get to the ghost part. The Burroughs family lived here for generations, and depending on who you ask, a few of them are still around.
People who’ve toured the home — and staff who work there — have talked about footsteps on the staircase when no one’s there, doors doing their own thing, and what sounds like a woman in old-fashioned clothing moving through the rooms. Most fingers point to Mona Burroughs, daughter of the original owners, who by all accounts was devoted to this house. Honestly, looking at the place, you get it.
This home is deeply woven into the fabric of Fort Myers history, and it’s one of those stops that earns its place on any haunted history tour of the city. Tours are available, so you can go see for yourself. Just maybe stay with the group if someone starts mentioning footsteps upstairs.
The Bradford Hotel Building
Downtown Fort Myers — and specifically the River District — has a lot going for it, and the Bradford Hotel building is one of those places that pulls you in before you even know why. It went up in the 1920s during one of the city’s early growth spurts, and it’s been collecting history — and apparently guests who never left — ever since.
The stories around the Bradford aren’t dramatic so much as persistent. Flickering lights, cold spots, that creeping feeling of being watched from somewhere you can’t quite identify. Nothing that screams headline, but enough that people keep talking about it. The building’s been around long enough that there’s no shortage of material, and the architecture alone makes it worth a look even if nothing strange happens while you’re there.
The Old Lee County Courthouse
The Old Lee County Courthouse has been standing in the middle of downtown Fort Myers since 1926, and in that time it handled decades of trials, disputes, and decisions that changed people’s lives. That kind of history has a way of sticking to a place.
People who’ve spent time inside report the usual — shadows that don’t quite belong, temperature drops in empty hallways, the sense of being watched. It’s not hard to imagine why, given everything that played out within those walls over the years. Some places just hold onto things.
The Mediterranean Revival architecture makes it a solid stop on any Fort Myers tour regardless of your feelings on the paranormal. But pay attention when you step inside. Sometimes you notice something that’s hard to explain away.
PRO TIP: The banyan tree out front has its own dark history — it was the site of public punishments. Worth a look, and worth wondering about.
The First National Bank Building
The First National Bank Building is one of those downtown Fort Myers landmarks that looks important even if you don’t know what it is. Built during the city’s early twentieth-century boom, it’s part of the core fabric of Fort Myers history — a reminder of when the city was finding its footing and building something meant to last.
The reported activity here runs the usual range — strange sounds, flickering lights, things moving when they shouldn’t be. Old building or something else? That part’s up to you. What isn’t up for debate is that it’s a genuinely striking building, the kind you slow down for on the sidewalk. Ghost hunters tend to like this one a lot, partly for what they might find and partly because the building itself sets the mood perfectly.
The Arcade Theater
The Arcade Theater on First Street has been part of Fort Myers since 1915, and over a century of performances have left their mark on the place — some more literally than others, if you believe what people say.
Footsteps in an empty auditorium. Seats that shift on their own. Cold spots during shows. The feeling that someone up in the darkened balcony is watching, even when you know it’s empty. Performers and staff have been talking about it for years.
The haunted history of the theater runs deep, and the Arcade earns its place among the most talked-about locations on any Fort Myers haunted history tour. Old theaters almost always have a ghost story attached, and this one fits right into that tradition. Whether you’re there for a show or just walking past on First Street, it’s worth a look. A good local guide will have plenty to tell you. The curtain may come down, but apparently not everyone takes that as their cue to leave.
Fort Myers City Cemetery
Every city with a ghost tour has a cemetery on the list, and Fort Myers has a good one. The Fort Myers City Cemetery is one of the oldest in the area, and during the day it’s genuinely peaceful — shaded, quiet, and full of local history.
At night, it’s a different story. People report orbs showing up in photos, shapes moving between the headstones, sounds that don’t have an obvious source. Even if none of that convinces you, there’s something about Spanish moss moving overhead and old weathered stones that does something to the atmosphere. It’s atmospheric in a way that doesn’t require any supernatural explanation, though ghost tour regulars will tell you the explanations start adding up the longer you stay.
PRO TIP: If you’re on TikTok, look up “The Grave Maid” — she posts videos of cleaning and restoring headstones here, and it’s genuinely worth watching.
The Veranda Restaurant
Most haunted locations don’t come with a full dinner menu, so The Veranda has a built-in advantage. It’s one of Fort Myers’ most well-regarded restaurants, set inside two connected early twentieth-century homes right in the heart of the River District, and the atmosphere is warm and comfortable in a way that makes it easy to linger.
It’s also, according to a fair number of people who’ve worked and eaten there, occasionally occupied by someone who isn’t on the reservation list. Glasses moving. Cold spots. The feeling of someone passing through the room when the room is clearly empty. The leading theory is that a former resident of one of the original homes decided to stay on permanently, which — given the food and the setting — is hard to argue with.
If your candle flickers for no good reason while you’re there, go ahead and raise a glass. You might be sharing the table.
The Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Thomas Edison spent decades wintering in Fort Myers, and by most accounts he loved the city deeply. The estate he kept here — which Henry Ford also used — is one of the most visited historic sites in Southwest Florida, and it sits at the very heart of the history of the center of Fort Myers’ identity as a city. It’s worth every minute even before you get into the ghost stuff.
The reports from staff and visitors are mostly subtle. Equipment behaving oddly (which, for an inventor’s home, almost feels fitting). Sounds without a clear source. A presence that some people describe feeling more than seeing. Ford’s garage in particular gets mentioned by ghost hunters as a spot where the air feels off in a way that’s hard to shake.
Haunted or not, this place is extraordinary. The banyan tree alone is worth making the trip.
The Fire Dance Sculpture
NNo Fort Myers ghost tour wraps up without a mention of the Fire Dance sculpture in Centennial Park. During the day it’s a striking piece of public art — bold, dynamic, the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-stride. After dark, with shadows moving across it and the park quieting down around you, it takes on a completely different energy.
It’s become a natural gathering spot for haunted history tours of the city, and for good reason — it captures something about Fort Myers that’s hard to put into words. Whether anything truly unexplained has happened near it is something visitors tend to disagree on. But it’s the kind of place where you wouldn’t be surprised if something did — and that’s more than enough to make it a perfect place to end the night, and the tour.
A Few Tips for Your Haunted Fort Myers Adventure
Before you channel your inner ghost hunter, a few friendly reminders. Always be respectful, particularly at the cemetery and historic sites — these are real places with real history. If you really want to experience the haunted side of Fort Myers in style, consider booking one of the excellent ghost tours through Fort Myers Ghosts.
A talented tour guide can bring the city’s spooky history to life in ways that no article ever could, and there’s something undeniably magical about a 90-minute evening-into-night stroll through downtown Fort Myers as the sun goes down and the shadows start to lengthen. Our guide, Rachel, was interesting, funny, and so knowledgeable. It’s an informative tour that doubles as an adventure — equal parts history lesson and spine-tingling entertainment.
PRO TIP: Tours are conducted rain or shine (and it rained almost the entire time of our tour!), so make sure you are prepared for what Mother Nature may throw at you! And get the extended tour – worth every penny!
One of my favorite ways to explore a city is by hiring a professional guide who will share local legend and narratives of local history. Having visited Fort Myers for most of my life, I never knew about some of this incredible history.
Fort Myers is warm, welcoming, and wonderfully weird. Whether the ghosts are real or simply the product of overactive imaginations fueled by Florida humidity, one thing is certain — this city knows how to keep things interesting. Happy haunting!
I want to thank U.S. Ghost Adventures and Fort Myers Ghosts for hosting my tour. As always, my posts accurately reflect my experiences and opinions.
Check out these related posts:
- Best Things to Do in Fort Myers, Florida
- Top Places to Watch the Sunset in SW Florida
- Ultimate Guide to Bonita Springs, Florida
- What to Do in Sanibel Island Other Than Beaches
Happy travels,
Annick, The Common Traveler
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.