Urban Legends in Florida

Florida is famous for its pristine beaches and theme parks, but it also has a reputation for its quirky charm and a general weirdness, which is not necessarily a bad thing. These urban legends are a pretty good example.

The Florida Skunk Ape

The Skunk Ape is basically Florida's version of Bigfoot, with the addition of a terrible odor. Its leading researcher is Dave Shealy, who has spent his entire life living in the Everglades, searching for the mysterious beast.

Lovebugs

On to a bug that most of us wish was a myth: the lovebug. There's a legend that lovebugs were somehow developed by the government to stem the mosquito problem you're all probably very aware of down here in Florida. Supposedly, they were trying to create only a female bug that would attract male mosquitoes, distracting them from actual reproduction. Unfortunately, they accidentally created a male as well, and the things bred like crazy.

The Fountain of Youth

You've probably heard stories that conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon was positive that the mythical Fountain of Youth could be found somewhere in Florida. The truth is that these rumors were only recorded after the explorer's death, but let's hope there still remains something that Florida's water possesses some magical powers to slow the effects of aging.

The Fairchild Oak

The Fairchild Oak sits in Bulow Creek State Park in Ormond Beach, and it has for centuries. I knew about this great old live oak, one of the largest trees of its kind in the South, but I hadn't heard about its urban legend. Apparently a man named Norman Harwood who owned the property a long time ago, before James Ormond II bought it, killed himself under the tree. Ormond also killed himself under the tree a few years after purchasing the property. It's possibly haunted, and supposedly fills anyone who stands beneath it with a great sadness.

Pensacola Lighthouse

Supposedly an unhappy couple lived here in its early days. Many years later, the woman eventually chopped up her husband, but was never convicted due to lack of evidence. These days, the place is supposedly haunted, with reports of visions, sounds and a spot of blood that returns no matter how many times the floor is cleaned.

Toilet Spiders

There have long been rumors of women in Florida killed by some mysterious species of spiders that loves nothing more than hiding out in toilets and biting unsuspecting victims where the sun don't shine. It turns out this is just a good old-fashioned scary SPAM e-mail story that snowballed over time. Remember those?

The Mexican Pet

In this urban legend, a family vacationing in Florida buys or finds what they believe is a (very ugly) dog, possibly a chihuahua, and when they bring it home it immediately eats their cat. They take it to the vet and discover that it's actually some kind of giant rat. I'm guessing this story was invented by a local who wanted to keep more people from moving here.

Spook Hill

A lot of people know about this hill in Lake Wales where cars in neutral seem to roll uphill. The legend states that a huge battle with a Native American chief and a giant gator took place in this spot, ending in the death of both parties. A sinkhole formed in the area, and when the road was later paved, people noticed this strange phenomenon.

The Devil's Chair

Rumor has it that there is a chair in the cemetery in the spiritualist town of Cassadaga, where the Devil will visit you if you sit in it late at night. Apparently, he enjoys a good brewski. It's said that if you leave a beer on the seat overnight, when you return in the morning it will be empty...possibly without ever being opened.

Can you still visit Florida after reading these stories?!