Get into the Spirit of Spooky Season With These Sarasota Ghost Tours

With its long history and otherworldly vibe, the Sarasota area abounds with ghostly tales. This Halloween season, get the lowdown on spooky local stories and haunted places – and, perhaps, dabble in a little ghost-hunting yourself – with local experts on these ghost tours, or set your own pace and explore the creepier side of Sarasota’s most famous haunts on your own.

Haunted Sarasota

All aboard this spellbinding trolley tour along Sarasota’s most haunted spots. The fun starts with at the Trolley Cottage Tiki Bar, where you’ll savor complimentary beer or wine before embarking on this lively adventure, led by the enchanting Ghost Hostess. You’ll hear all about haunted buildings, unsolved mysteries and other fascinating pieces of local history and lore on this 90-minute tour. There might even be a surprise or two along the way. Bonus: be sure to don your best costume; you might win a prize. Learn more here.

Ghosts & Gruesomes

Get an up-close look at Sarasota’s scariest spots – and get your steps in – on this 75-minute walking tour, led by a captivating guide who’ll let you in on some of Sarasota’s most intriguing local secrets, from centuries-old tales of murder to mysterious sightings. Tours are available Wed-Fri year-round, and Wed-Sun during spooky season. See more info here.

Venice Haunted History Walking Tour

Join Venice Florida Tours on October 30 at 7 pm for a spooky exploration of downtown Venice.

This 75-minute walking tour delves into local history and supernatural lore. You’ll also learn the basics of ghost hunting and get to check out the tools paranormal investigators use to detect and record otherworldly entities. It gets spookier: You even have the chance to hear the chilling sound of a “disembodied voice” recorded inside a Venice building. Find more details here. 

Self-Guided Spooky Tours

If exploring Sarasota County’s bone-chilling lore is more your thing, it’s easy to do here. From the massive indigenous burial mounds at Spanish Point in Osprey to the mysterious “Ghost Hotel” in Longboat Key, here are some of Sarasota’s spookiest spots.