Haunt Bound, a website billing itself as "a field guide to America's most haunted places," has bestowed a particular honor on Sarasota: We're home to the No. 1-most haunted place in Florida.

That scary space? Keating Hall (now the Keating Center) at Ringling College of Art & Design. 

Haunt Bound claims it creates its rankings by "documentation, not reputation," and calls this year's top 10 an "evidence-ranked index of the state's most haunted places."

For the uninitiated—or blissfully unaware—Keating Hall's lore as a haunted spot goes way back. Originally opened in 1925 as the Bay Haven Hotel, the Spanish Mission Revival property fell into a spot associated with gambling and prostitution during the Florida land bust. In 1931, circus magnate John Ringling bought the hotel for classrooms and a women's dormitory at his new art school.

That's when the frightened students who'd just moved in heard the weeping start. Allegedly, the sobs come from Mary, a "woman of the night," who fell in love with a client and hanged herself when he didn't reciprocate her feelings. The authorities covered up her death, and Mary—now twice cheated—found herself in vengeful limbo. When the bravest students crept out to investigate the crying,  some reported the lingering smell of stale perfume, and others found themselves crying, too, overcome by a crushing sadness, shortness of breath and a racing heart. Cursed to spend eternity with a lonely heart, Mary is known for rearranging the contents of rooms, place phantom phone calls to security and pinch those who have doubts that she’s there. 

Florida's other most haunted places, after Keating Hall, have a heavy concentration in St. Augustine, with several in Key West: Casa de Solana in St. Augustine, the St. Augustine lighthouse, the May-Stringer House in Brooksville, Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville, Artist House (formerly Otto Family Home) in Key West, the González-Álvarez House in St. Augustine, Flagler College (the former Hotel Ponce de Leon) in St. Augustine, TacoLu Baja Mexicana (Alpha Paynter Homestead) in Jacksonville Beach and Captain Tony's Saloon in Key West. 

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go," Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound, said in a press release announcing the ranking. "We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work." HauntBound's 2026 index reflects sources identified and classified as of Sept. 15, 2026; the site has documented 6,041 haunted locations across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. You can see all of Florida's 282 haunted spots here. 

To read more about Sarasota's haunted places—including the Gator Club, Rosemary Cemetery and Ca d'Zan—click here.