THE STORY
Reported Haunting
The Belle Haven Inn (originally built in 1887 as the DeSoto Hotel) was a historic lower Main Street landmark demolished in 1926. Its primary hauntings and paranormal folklore include:The Phantom Newlyweds: Local urban legends claim a newlywed couple checked into the luxury resort in the early 1900s but mysteriously vanished from their room, leaving behind floating orbs.The Ghost Hotel Confusion: Because it was razed to make way for a skyscraper, local folklore frequently conflates its history with John Ringling's nearby uncompleted Ritz-Carlton shell on New Pass, which stood in ruins for 30 years and was explicitly nicknamed the "Ghost Hotel".
Orbs and full body apparitions have been reported here. One report says that flashes (on cameras) routinely fail while investigating this location.