Halloween is fast approaching, and as the calendar pages turn, we know Panama City locals are looking to get into the spirit of the season. With Halloween comes the idea to explore haunted houses and other scary attractions. Fortunately, the area in and around Panama City offers some amazing opportunities for spine-chilling fun.
Whether you’re looking to visit real haunted places or you’re seeking out a fun interactive experience, this list has you covered. Panama City Toyota rounded up some spooky places close to home, plus some ideas for a haunted house-inspired road trip. Get ready for Halloween by planning your visit to the haunted places on this list.
Haunted Places In Panama City
Image via flickr under CC BY 2.0 by Lunchbox Photography
When it’s time to get into a spooky mood, you can visit some haunted spots around your hometown. Panama City features a few of them ready to transform how you think about haunted houses, and they’re easily accessible with a short drive. First up? Confetti’s Nightclub/El Potosino, known as a real haunted house (well, bar/nightclub, in this case!) in Panama City.
Though you can’t go in today, you can drive around the area that once housed Confetti’s Nightclub at 5101 W. Highway 98. Some past visitors complained about objects being thrown at them, not to mention strange sounds coming from the restrooms and toilets that flushed by themselves. The site was J. Malone’s Nightclub, then El Potosino, then Wingin’ It Sports Bar later on. Some folks even said they saw a nebulous apparition wandering around the premises, so you never know what you may see when you drive here.
If you think haunted houses are cool, just wait until you visit a haunted beach. It should come as no surprise that Florida and the Panama City area gets into the Halloween spirit beyond regular old houses and takes the hauntings to the shore. Camp Helen State Park, a peaceful spot at Panama City Beach’s western edge just off Highway 98, is the stuff of local legend with three ghosts said to haunt the grounds.
Between 2006 and 2013, the Friends of Camp Helen State Park even held “ghost walks” at the park. Though the organized walks are no longer available, you can visit the park yourself and see if any specters come your way. Spirits include Rose, a young enslaved girl who had been on a ship that ran aground during a storm on New Year’s Eve and was later killed by Native Americans.
Then there’s the ghost of Margaret Hick’s grandson, a little boy called Gigi who drowned in Lake Powell after wandering off to the boat dock. His ghost was first spotted in 1996 by a passing fisherman, who saw the little boy playing on the beach. Finally, the ghost of Captain Phillips (nearby Phillips Inlet’s namesake) once appeared to a guest at the former Hicks family lodge. So, if you want to check out some legendary haunted places, you’ll find sites to visit right in Panama City.
Pier Park’s XD Darkride Experience
If your idea of visiting a haunted house includes an interactive adventure, you’ll want to add the XD Darkride Experience in Pier Park to your list of local places to check out. That’s right, you can have a fun Halloween experience, complete with zombies and werewolves, right in Panama City Beach. This interactive, immersive movie and video game adventure delivers tons of spooky thrills. You’ll get to choose from a few different experiences depending on what ghouls and monsters you’re in the mood to encounter.
You can’t go wrong by participating in ZOMBIES!, which takes you on your first night out of the police academy to a patrol where you find the undead roaming the earth on a stormy night. Or, go for WEREWOLVES!, which finds you fighting off ferocious beasts turned by a poisonous gas and decimating the city. Then there’s ROAD FIGHTERS!, transporting you to a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland, and LOS BANDITOS!, which pits you against an army of robot cowboys.
All in all, XD Darkride Experience lets you choose the fright level you want to indulge in, with some experiences suited to kiddos and other left to the adults in your group. The best part? It doesn’t have to be Halloween for you to enjoy a spooky activity thanks to this local attraction.
Take A Road Trip To Pensacola For More Real Haunted Houses
Plan a road trip from Panama City to Pensacola in your new or used Toyota to visit more houses many think are haunted. Here are a few local places to put on your itinerary when you want to visit haunted sites:
- Dorr House: Built by Clara Barkley Dorr in 1871, the Dorr House serves as an example of Greek Revival architecture in west Florida. According to legends, something unseen tugs on women’s short skirts in the formal sitting room, and sometimes the smell of freshly cut roses appears. People have also heard soft crying from the sick room in the house.
- Fort Pickens: Head over to nearby Pensacola Beach to visit Fort Pickens and the surrounding area. The fort was used as a prison for Apache chief Geronimo and his braves, and some have claimed to see or hear the spirits of Native Americans.
- Lear/Rocheblave House: The Lear/Rocheblave House is two-story house that’s an example of Folk Victorian architecture. But it’s also the site of a haunting, with legend stating that a ghost girl likes to dance across a locked room here.
- Pensacola Victorian Bed & Breakfast: Take your haunted house road trip to the next level with a stay at the Pensacola Victoria Bed & Breakfast, said to have some strange happenings. The building was built in the 1890s by ship captain William Northup. Visitors have heard sounds like classical music and children giggling with no apparent explanation, and have even see the apparition of a woman in a Victorian nightgown.
There you have it! Panama City Toyota just gave you some great options when you’re looking to explore haunted houses, sites, and other spooky experiences in and around Panama City. Do you know of a local haunted house we missed? Contact us with your recommendation so we can add it.
