The City of Orlando has been a favourable tourist location for families over the years. However, the Orange County area is also considered a hotspot for paranormal activity, with several locations rumoured to be haunted.

Some of the most notable spots include the Orange County Regional History Centre, the Elijah Hand Building, and a former Orlando restaurant known as Hamburger Mary’s.

With that said, let’s get into Orlando’s most haunted places!

Orange County Regional History Centre

Georgia Guercio, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Orange County Regional History Centre is a great asset to local residents and tourists alike. It offers a broad range of programs and exhibits that help to honour the area’s history while shaping the future of Orange County at the same time.

The centre is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute as well as a member of the American Alliance of Museums. It is home to an extensive research library, a museum store, and a beautiful park, as well as a completely renovated courtroom.

The renovated courtroom appears as if it were taken out of the 1920s and brought here for visitors to explore.

While it is a great place to learn more about Orlando’s past, this location is believed to be haunted by various spirits.

Over the years, there have been several reports from locals, staff members, and visitors to the history centre who have claimed to see the ghost of none other than the ruthless serial killer Ted Bundy lurking around inside.

Was Ted Bundy Convicted in this Orange County Courthouse?

Although the history centre is located inside an old Orange County courthouse, Ted Bundy’s trial was not held at the Orange County Regional History Centre itself.

Bundy’s trial for the murder of Kimberly Leach, for which he was convicted, took place in the courthouse annexe, a separate building that has since been demolished.

The reason why so many believe Bundy’s trial took place at the History Centre is because of the exhibit inside that focuses on his case.

In the exhibit, there is a table with Ted Bundy’s name carved into it, but the carving was not done by Bundy himself, and the table was not in the annexe during his trial.

However, the history centre’s exhibit remains a popular attraction for those who are interested in the case since it has several relics from the trial on display.

Ghostly Encounters inside the History Centre

The Orange County Regional History Centre holds several ties to Ted Bundy’s story, and that could be why there have been so many sightings of his ghost in the building.

Several people have witnessed his apparition in the museum, stalking in the shadows much like he did with his victims in real life.

But Bundy isn’t the only ghost who haunts this Orange County museum. There are also rumours of the spirit of a young girl named Emily who frequents the history centre.

Emily is the spirit of a 12-year-old girl who is believed to be Bundy’s last victim. She is most often spotted in the courtroom and will make her presence known using an old patched-together stuffed rabbit.

The toy rabbit will appear and disappear as Emily’s ghost enters and leaves the room.

She’s been known to dart around the courtroom sometimes playfully, other times fearfully.

She will often appear in the background of photographs taken there, which is why photography is prohibited in some parts of the museum.

Haunting Activity at the History Centre

Staff members say that every morning when the first employees arrive to open the doors of the courthouse exhibit, they are met with a cool gust of icy cold air from inside.

The courtroom exhibit is the longest running at the museum, and there are many relics inside that may be working as conduits for spirits who want to cling to this world.

There have been reports from people who have seen objects levitate into the air and fly across the room.

Visitors have heard screams in the distance or witnessed visions of ghosts dressed in professional attire standing around the old, renovated courtroom.

Many believe they are ghosts of lawyers who are waiting for their trials to begin.

Elijah Hand Building

Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Elijah Hand Building, which is now a popular nightclub in Orlando, was once owned by a man with a Building occupation; he was the first undertaker in Florida.

Skilled carpenter Elijah Hand moved to Orlando in the late 1800s. He set up shop for his furniture business on Building Street, which did very well serving homeowners throughout the community.

But Elijah had another business that had an even greater impact on the residents of Orlando; he was the town’s very first undertaker.

Before Elijah arrived in town, the dead would have to be buried within one or two days before the process of decay began.

With the invention of embalming, a practice performed by undertakers, burial could be delayed for several days, allowing loved ones from out of town to pay their respects.

Elijah set up both his furniture and funeral businesses in the downtown Orlando area.

The old Elijah Hand Building has gone through several renovations since it was a funeral home many years ago.

It had served as a daycare and a school before it was bought in 1983 and transformed into the nightclub it is known as today.

But this club offers more than drinks and good times to Orlando residents.

Several visitors have heard disembodied voices in the shadows as well as phantom footsteps following them around the second floor.

Bands waiting in the upstairs lounge before their performances have talked about a heavy, unsettling presence in the air.

There have also been some reports of a Lady in White seen on the second floor, as well as apparitions of small children playing in the halls.

Ghostly Encounters at the Elijah Hand Building

One of the employees at the club mentioned that she became friends with a young child who was one of the club owner’s kids.

The little boy would run up to her cheerfully whenever she’d call his name. One day, she called out for him, and he didn’t respond.

Alarmed, she started searching the building for him, calling out his name, on the first floor, and then the second, searching from room to room.

She found him in one of the second-floor offices, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a sinister smile on his face.

She scolded him, demanded to know why he didn’t answer he. He replied in a voice that didn’t sound like his own, and simply said he was “Just playing.”

After some questioning, the boy told her that he was playing with an imaginary friend known as Mr. Robert. He was never allowed to play on the second floor again.

A psychic once did a walk-through of the building on the second floor of the former funeral home.

She interacted with several spirits and confirmed that one of them was named Robert.

It’s important to note that the Elijah Hand Building is not the same as the Carey Hand Building, which belonged to Elijah’s son, Carey.

However, both locations are rumoured to be haunted.

I-4 Dead Zone

qwesy qwesy, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The quarter-mile stretch of roadway in Florida that connects Tampa to Daytona Beach is also known as The Dead Zone by locals.

People have claimed to see all kinds of strange things in the area, including floating orbs, apparitions of ghostly hitchhikers, and even phantom trucks.

Who Haunts the I-4 Dead Zone?

The legend goes back as far as the late 1800s, when the head of the Florida Land and Colonisation Company, Henry Sanford, planned to start up a Roman Catholic community known as Saint Joseph’s Colony.

An outbreak of Yellow Fever killed four German immigrants of the colony, and their bodies were buried in the woods with no last rites given since the only priest was away in Tampa at the time.

The bodies of two adults and two children were buried in an unmarked grave in the area.

Although future owners of the land tried to maintain the area where they believed the bodies were buried, when the government built the new highway, their warnings fell on deaf ears.

The graves were roped off and marked for removal in 1960, but they were never removed. Instead, fill dirt was dumped on top of them to elevate the new highway.

The carelessness for the dead left a mark on the area that remains dark and haunting.

“There have been more accidents per year in such a small quarter-mile section of highway than all the other sections of highway between Daytona and Tampa,” according to local historian Charlie Carlson.

The Dead Zone was also struck by Hurricane Donna, with the storm’s eye supposedly moving directly over the gravesite. Some have also claimed to have seen wispy balls of light that zigzag just above the pavement. It is also very common for travellers to lose their cell phone service in this area.

Hamburger Mary’s

Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hamburger Mary’s is a chain restaurant that has locations throughout the country. In Orlando, the restaurant was located inside the historic Bumby Building on West Church Street.

The building was once home to a family-owned hardware store, but over the years was converted into one of the liveliest burger joints in town with a spooky twist.

The Ghost of the Victorian Girl

Visitors and staff members alike have reported seeing the ghost of a little girl dressed in Victorian-era clothing wandering around outside the building.

She was often seen skipping along the brick road and popping up in windows, smiling and waving at patrons as they enjoyed their food.

She would often tap on windows to get the attention of customers before vanishing into thin air.

It is believed she’s the ghost of a little girl who was alive in the 1800s and likely died due to an incurable disease or illness of the era.

The little ghost appeared at the West Church Street location for many years until the restaurant was shut down in 2024.

No one is sure if the ghost will remain at her former location or reappear at the new Hamburger Mary’s restaurant, set to open soon in the former Capone’s Dinner & Show venue on US-192 in Kissimmee.

Booking A Ghost Tour In Orlando

Orlando, FL, may be home to some of the most infamous theme parks and family-friendly attractions in the country, but that doesn’t mean it is lacking when it comes to spooky spots and haunted locations.

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