© 2025 WGCU News
PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ghoulish tales are spirited good fun in Downtown Fort Myers

Florida is the land of sunshine and good vibes, but when the sun goes down on Downtown Fort Myers, something ghastly takes over. The waterside community is home to spiritual abnormalities that have caused spine-tingling reactions for decades.

WGCU’s Samuel Brucker took part in a Historic Downtown Tour to learn the horrific stories that have turned into urban legend and have given a taste of the macabre to Southwest Florida.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.

Trusted by over 30,000 local subscribers

Local News, Right Sized for Your Morning

Quick briefs when you are busy, deeper explainers when it matters, delivered early morning and curated by WGCU editors.

  • Environment
  • Local politics
  • Health
  • And more

Free and local. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

More from WGCU
  • The boardwalk connecting Florida Gulf Coast University’s South Village residential area to the academic core is temporarily closed to pedestrian use from dusk to dawn. The closure is due to an act of vandalism that damaged the lighting system, creating hazardous conditions overnight.
  • FGCU graduate 22-year-old Zoey Carter walked for her mother Wednesday.Jessica Carter -- her mother -- died at age 49 from breast cancer. “I'm walking here today in honor of my mom. She passed away last year after battling breast cancer for four years," she said. "We came here together two years ago, and she did the walk. So I'm finally back, just in her honor.” Zoey Carter fought back tears but gathered the strength to attend the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. She joined along with several thousand Southwest Floridians, awash in a sea of pink, at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Collier County.
  • The Florida International Air Show Board of Directors says that due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo & Heritage Demo Teams will be unable to perform at this weekend’s Air Show, November 1–2.
  • SWFL’s population continues to boom with Charlotte County seeing a nearly 19% increase in new residents since 2020. One of the struggles the region is facing is access to clean water.
  • Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday directed the state university system to end using what are known as H-1B visas to hire employees from other countries.During an appearance at the University of South Florida in Tampa, DeSantis questioned why state universities had staff members on H-1B visas such as a public-policy professor from China, a psychologist and counselor from the United Kingdom, an athletics operations and communications coordinator from Trinidad and Tobago and an assistant swim coach from Spain.
  • An unnamed investor and the Captiva Island Fire Department have made an offer to purchase Bob Rauschenberg’s 22-acre compound from his foundation. To persuade the foundation to accept that offer, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has initiated a letter writing campaign. It is encouraging people to tell the Foundation how important the property’s conservation is to islanders and to honoring the late artist’s memory.