Toast with the ghosts in Key West’s best haunted bars!
General Horseplay
Brick buildings made great ice houses, and ice houses made great temporary morgues. Old-timers claim the General Horseplay building did just that after a hurricane swept over Key West leaving more dead than the regular morgue could handle. The men’s room has a urinal unlike any other in Key West. It’s rumored that this is the real urinal Ernest Hemingway took from Sloppy Joe’s. The ghost of Hemingway’s sometimes fishing Captain, Red Williams, surprises guests in the bathroom to this day, making this one of the most haunted bathrooms in Key West. The haunt is known for great cocktails and tomfoolery.
Shots & Giggles
Tennessee Williams’ gardener wasn’t giggling when he was shot at the door of his home in 1979. Now a popular and intimate local drinking hole, the ghost of Frank Fontis still makes his presence known at Shots & Giggles. Animals steer clear of the place when Frank’s ghost is in a mood, and people know when he is not happy. It is believed Fontis’ ghost still haunts the Key West bar and the area of Ann Street directly in front of it because his murder was never solved. One of the local ghost tours stops here and lets you attempt to solve the murder using a spirit pendulum.
Captain Tony’s Saloon
Some of Key West’s greatest legends reside between the walls of Captain Tony’s Saloon. Is that really the original hanging tree growing inside the saloon? Is Elvira really buried beneath the floor in the pool room? Captain Tony knew how to spin a yarn, so you will have to decide for yourself. The building is one of the oldest bars in Key West. Hemingway drank here when it was the original location of Sloppy Joe’s, and countless visitors have reported seeing a spirit known as the lady in blue. A human skeleton hangs behind the bar, and past managers tell strange tells of things that happened when they were in the bar alone at night. Several Key West ghost tours include stories from Captain Tony’s on their tour.
Bull & Whistle
Longtime bartenders at the Bull & Whistle in Key West believe it is one of the most unusual haunted locations on the island. A man who looks like a pharmacist sometimes sits at the bar as if he is expecting a drink. A shot of vodka poured in his honor seems to satisfy him. But the strangest phenomenon takes place at the Whistle Bar on the second floor where a disconnected telephone built into the wall during a remodel sometimes rings. The cremated remains of past employees are hidden here too, and at least one of those spirits is fond of practical jokes.
Fogarty’s
Before it became a bar, Fogarty’s was home to Key West Mayor, Dr. Fogarty. The location used to be a Hooters restaurant with the third flood used as a dormitory for several of the waitresses. Shortly after moving in, they noticed that the resident spirit had a fascination with their shoes. Any stray shoes were organized into a straight line while the employees slept. Lines of organized shoes were moved to the other side of the room. One staff member woke up to someone rubbing her feet. When she pulled her foot away, the person vanished before her eyes.
First Flight Brewery
Multiple spirits haunt the bar at First Flight Island Brewery. The bar is located in a building that was the original ticket office for Pan Am. Cleo Musick, the widow of one of Pan Am’s star pilots, appears in the bar wearing a long dress lined with buttons. A mystery man in a zoot suit sometimes appears around happy hour moving from table to table as if he wants to join in. Neighbors report a tall figure who roams the property after the bar has closed. First Flight is the southernmost brewery in the continental United States.