How can you plan a meaningful Black history road trip with kids?

A little planning turns these sites into powerful family lessons rather than just another stop on the highway. Start with closer destinations in Fort Myers and Naples, then add longer trips as your kids get older and more curious.

• Check hours and events for each site before you go, and watch for special programs on the Neapolitan Family events calendar.
• Pair a heavy stop with downtime – plan a park, beach, or playground afterwards so kids can process big feelings.
• Talk in the car about what you saw, what felt unfair, and how people worked together for change.

What can your family see at McCollum Hall in Fort Myers?

Fort Myers Mural Society Murals at McCollum Hall
NE corner of Cranford Ave. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33916

McCollum Hall was once a thriving commercial center in Fort Myers’ historic Dunbar community. On the second floor, a large dance hall with a raised stage hosted legendary performers such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. During World War II, the hall also served as a USO for African American troops stationed at Page and Buckingham Fields, and white residents and soldiers came when big bands played.

Today, the Fort Myers Mural Society has transformed the outside of the building with vibrant murals celebrating famous figures from Black history. Kids can walk around the building and spot musicians, community leaders, and scenes from the Dunbar neighborhood, painted by artists Erik Schlake, J.P. Almonacid, and Roland Ruocco.

Why visit Fort Mose Historic State Park with kids?

Fort Mose Historic State Park – “African-American Community of Freedom”
15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine, FL

• Fort Mose was the southern destination of the Underground Railroad to freedom.
• It is the site of the first legally sanctioned free Black community in what is now the United States.
• It served as a safe haven for enslaved people who escaped the English colonies.

The state park includes a museum, visitor center, and interpretive exhibits throughout the grounds. As you explore, your family can learn how people risked everything to reach this community and secure their freedom, long before the Civil War.

What makes the Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center so powerful?

Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center and Lincolnville Historic District
Lincolnville Historic District, St. Augustine, FL

“If you haven’t been to the Lincolnville Museum, then you haven’t been to St. Augustine,” the elderly Black museum guide stated at the door of this impressive collection of artifacts and information about the history of Black Americans.

Located in the heart of the Lincolnville Historic District, which was settled by freedmen after the Civil War, the Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center tells more than 450 years of Black history. Exhibits trace stories from the empires of West Africa and early Black presence in colonial Florida through the Civil Rights era.

Your family will see jars of sediment and soil preserved from beneath sites of lynchings of innocent Black men, an actual Woolworth’s lunch counter where a sit-in took place, and the fingerprints of Martin Luther King Jr. taken after his arrest during a peaceful protest in St. Augustine. The museum is housed in the historic Excelsior School Building, the first public Black high school in St. Johns County, opened in 1925.

• The surrounding Lincolnville Historic District was founded in 1866 by formerly enslaved people.
• It became known for Black-owned businesses created in response to segregation.
• It served as a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement in St. Augustine.

What will kids notice at Kingsley Plantation in Jacksonville?

Kingsley Plantation
12713 Fort Caroline Rd., Jacksonville, FL

Kingsley Plantation, part of the National Park Service, sits on Fort George Island and includes the plantation house, kitchen house, barn, and ruins of 25 original slave cabins. The island’s history stretches back more than 1,000 years to the Timucuan Indians, but the preserved buildings date to the plantation era.

The plantation was named for Zephaniah Kingsley, who operated it from 1813–1839. Kingsley used a “task” system, in which enslaved people were given specific daily tasks and could then work at a craft or tend their own gardens. They often kept the proceeds from selling their produce or handmade items. His wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was purchased as a slave, freed in 1811, and became a successful businesswoman who owned property and helped manage the plantation.

When Florida became an American territory, new laws discriminated against free Blacks and placed harsh restrictions on enslaved people. Those laws eventually led Kingsley to move his family, including Anna and their children, to Haiti (now the Dominican Republic), where their descendants still live today. Walking among the cabins and buildings gives older kids a concrete sense of how people lived, worked, and resisted on this land.

How does the Wells’ Built Museum share Orlando’s Black history?

Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture
511 W. South St., Orlando, FL

The Wells’ Built Museum is housed in what was once a hotel and entertainment venue for Black visitors who were not allowed in many other establishments because of segregation. It was built by one of Orlando’s first practicing Black physicians.

• Famous performers such as Bo Diddly, Ella Fitzgerald, and B.B. King stayed and performed here.
• Exhibits include Civil Rights memorabilia, art, and artifacts.

This is an especially good stop if your family enjoys music. Kids can imagine the energy of a packed nightclub while learning how Black travelers relied on safe places like this hotel.

What can you explore on DeLand’s Black Heritage Trail?

African American Museum of the Arts and DeLand Black Heritage Trail
325 South Clara Ave., DeLand, FL

The African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand holds more than 150 African-related artifacts and a rotating exhibition space for Black artists. It’s a small museum with a big impact, especially for children seeing familiar and new stories told through art.

Outside the museum, the DeLand Black Heritage Trail offers self-guided cycling or walking routes connecting local Black heritage sites. Highlights include the museum’s own Dr. Noble “Thin Man” Watts amphitheater and the Moses Sun mural celebrating the joy of jazz. The mural was painted by Moses Sun, artist-in-residence with Stetson University’s Creative Arts Department.

• Check ahead before visiting – thanks to a $1 million renovation grant, exhibits and access may change.
• Older teens interested in the arts may want to explore internship opportunities at the museum.

How does the Riley Museum and Smokey Hollow honor a lost community?

John G. Riley Center & Museum for African American History and Smokey Hollow Commemorative Site
419 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.rileymuseum.org

The Riley House was built around 1890 on the edge of a thriving Black neighborhood called Smokey Hollow. Its owner, John Gilmore Riley, was formerly enslaved and later became a respected educator, civic leader, and one of the few African Americans in Tallahassee to own property at the turn of the century.

Riley acquired seven major downtown parcels, including the land where he built his home. Today, the Riley House stands as a legacy of the growing Black middle class of his time. Next door, the Smokey Hollow Commemorative Site tells the story of the surrounding community of Black-owned homes, whose residents were forced to relocate in the 1950s when the Apalachee Parkway was built.

• The park features three “Spirit Homes” – frames of shotgun-style houses typical of Smokey Hollow – each with maps, photos, and history.
• There is a community garden, remembrance fountain, and fruit and vegetable trees.
• Tours of Smokey Hollow are included with Riley Museum admission.

Through tours, events, and history trails across Tallahassee, the Riley Center & Museum guides visitors from the antebellum period through Reconstruction and the Civil Rights era from the often untold perspective of African Americans.

Should families visit Rosewood today?

Rosewood, Florida
Near Cedar Key, less than an hour west of Gainesville, FL

In 1923, Rosewood was the site of a devastating racial massacre. After a white woman accused a Black man of attacking her, white residents and others formed a mob that hunted Black residents, lynched several people, and drove survivors to flee to nearby towns. The town, including all Black-owned homes and businesses, was burned and destroyed.

The land was later unlawfully sold or given to remaining white families. Today, almost nothing remains of Rosewood except a sign marking the historical site, erected more than 70 years after the massacre. This stop is best for older teens who are ready to discuss hard truths and the lasting impact of racial violence.

Can a college visit to FAMU be a history lesson?

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU)
1601 S. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307
www.famu.edu

FAMU is a public, historically Black university founded on October 3, 1887, and has been rated the #1 HBCU by U.S. News & World Report for four years in a row, out of 103 HBCUs. A campus visit can double as both a history lesson and an early college tour for teens.

What sets FAMU apart is its legacy of providing access to high-quality, affordable education. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. In addition to the main Tallahassee campus, FAMU has a College of Law in Orlando and pharmacy and public health programs with sites in cities including Crestview, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami.

Walking the campus, your family can talk about how education has opened doors for generations of Black students – and how your child’s own goals might fit into that story.

What will the Naples Depot Black History Baggage Car offer local families?

Naples Depot Museum and the Naples Depot Black History Baggage Car
Naples Depot Museum, Collier County Museums
1051 5th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102
www.colliermuseums.com/Locations/Naples-Depot-Museum

The Naples Depot baggage car was built in the 1920s and once carried mail, suitcases, and trunks on southern train routes. It was purchased from the Atlantic Coast Line by Southern Railway and later donated to Southwest Heritage, Inc. After a careful refurbishment, the Depot became a popular local venue and, in 2004, was turned over to Collier County to become part of the museum system. The Naples Depot Museum opened on January 7, 2011, in the restored Seaboard Air Line Railway passenger station.

Today the museum welcomes about 16,000 visitors each year, telling the story of how generations of Southwest Floridians used transportation and technology to build communities in what was once a remote frontier. It is also the perfect home for Collier County’s first space dedicated specifically to its Black history.

The Tenth Street/Goodlette Road corridor near the Depot has traditionally been home to Naples’ early Black communities, and the railroads were a significant employer and source of social mobility for African Americans locally and across the country. The new Black History Baggage Car will share stories of the African Americans whose contributions were essential to the development of Collier County, in the very neighborhood many Black residents have called home for more than a century.

For more background on this project, you can also read our feature on the Naples Depot Black History Baggage Car.

How can Collier and Lee County families keep the conversation going?

These Florida Black history trips are just a starting point. Keep stories alive at home with books, activities, and local experiences that highlight Black leaders and communities year-round, not only in February.

• Choose age-appropriate reads from 25 books for kids that celebrate diversity and Black History Month.
• Try hands-on learning from STEM activities for kids inspired by Black innovators to connect history with science.
• Plan more local adventures using our best day trips for families in Collier and Lee Counties guide.

Whether you start with a quick drive to Fort Myers or a longer journey to St. Augustine, each stop gives your child another piece of Florida’s full story – and a deeper understanding of how Black history shapes the world they live in today.     

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First on list: Deliver a fresh supply of my family guidebooks* to Bailey’s General Store, Sanibel. Check!

Second on list: Head to Jensen’s Marina on Captiva Island to confirm that Joey’s Famous hot dog and ice cream boat is good to go for another winter season. It is! The iconic pontoon boat cruises from Pine Island Sound, around the tip of Captiva and along the gulf beaches between South Seas Island Resort and the Mucky Duck restaurant. Fans queue up knee deep in the surf for grilled and chilled treats. P.S. There’s no Joey. That’s Captain Tommy at the grill. Check! 

Shiny Object. A skeleton in a fisherman’s cap is lounging on a bench near the bait cooler. It’s the Jensen family’s inside joke on fishermen who think they must wait for big shrimp for a successful catch. The elderly skeleton that had waited around like a boss for over a decade (minus various ribs, arms, and feet) has retired. The spiffy new guy, still young enough to have all his appendages, is my favorite Captiva selfie spot. 

While I’m greeting the skeleton, there’s a buzzing overhead. A sleek white seaplane makes a frothy landing in the bay near the end of the dock. Shiny object alert! A seaplane on Captiva? I don’t know who owns that one, but Google directs me to the Lucky Lindy Adventure, a vacation package at Tween Waters Island Resort & Spa, just around the bend. The hook is that Charles Lindbergh supposedly landed his plane a few times on the beach in front of the historic inn. So for just $2,799 you get three days and nights in the quaint seaside cottage bearing his name, plus a $100 dining card, kayak adventure and … drumroll, please … a private 45-minute Salt Island Seaplane journey over Captiva and the barrier islands (October-April only). 

In full pursuit of this newest shiny object, I now search Salt Island Seaplanes, which turns out to be headquartered in Naples. I ask Jon Rector, the CEO/pilot, if he offers perhaps a teensy bit less expensive seaplane experience. Yes, he does! For just $350 I can take up to three of my besties on a 30-minute flight aboard one of his bright orange and white Cessna amphibious seaplanes over the Naples/Marco coastline, complete with a water landing. Or, for $700, we’d get a 90-minute adventure, flying over the Ten Thousand Islands with a water landing and picnic time on White Horse Key. BYOP (bring your own picnic). Note to self: add to must-do list.

Shiny Object. Before heading home, I decide to tool around Sanibel to see what new artistic mailboxes have sprouted up lately. The first one I notice is a manatee. Manatee mailboxes are fairly common, but there’s a mystical aura around this one. She’s painted a soft ocean blue and draped in flowery vines. There’s also some kind of script. I hop out of the car and read: 

Write your secrets in the sand and trust them to a mermaid.

The manatee/mermaid backstory is that ancient mariners, at sea for months on end, are said to have spotted manatees through rum-bleary eyes and mistaken them for mermaids. I’m so enchanted by the art on this mailbox that I almost miss the faded hand-scrawled message taped to the letter door: Open this mailbox to write something to the Magical Mermaid. Inside are two clear plastic boxes and some pens. One box holds small blank squares of notepaper and the other one is packed with notes already written. The one I pull out at random reads: Dear Mermaid, please keep our island safe from Hurricane Elsa. She did! Others are more personal, and I suspect there are some true secrets here. I choose a pen and write my own secret, placing it deep in the center of the stack. I’m not revealing the location of the Magical Mermaid, because the joy is in the discovery. I hope you find her.

Shiny Object. Now it’s late afternoon, but with manatees on my mind, there’s nothing to be done except drive 30 minutes north to Manatee Park in Fort Myers. Hundreds of manatees, like snowbirds, start migrating into the Orange River and the cozy lagoon warmed by the Florida Power & Light Co. power plant when gulf temperatures drop. 

The park is beautiful with its spreading oak trees, picnic areas, playground, winding trails, vegetation, manatee observation decks and well-placed displays throughout. The manatees apparently are tucked in for the night; only a few noses pop up here and there, but several human families are enjoying the peacefulness as the sun begins its descent. 

The best way to see the manatees up close is by kayak. I plan to come early one morning, rent a kayak on site, and spend the day hanging out with the mermaids. I mean manatees. It’s already on the list.

*Travel Editor Karen T. Bartlett is the author of “A (mostly) Kids’ Guide to Naples, Marco Island & The Everglades” and “A (mostly) Kids’ Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands and the Fort Myers Coast.”

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During Nights of Lights, businesses and organizations light up St. Augustine, with a particular focus on the waterfront buildings. Exploring this illuminated town in temperatures milder than our own will quickly put you in the holiday spirit. My top tip for experiencing the lights—ditch your car in favor of one of the many tours available. You’ll enjoy the experience much more if you are not dodging the heavy traffic and many pedestrians.

To experience the lights from the water, I booked a one-hour boat tour on Scenic Tours. Tickets were $20 each (plus $5 booking fee for a total of $45 for two adults), and included hot chocolate and cookies. The lights were beautiful and festive, but after about the third circle of the waterfront area, my 16-year-old and I would have gone ashore happily. Still, it was a pleasant night, and peaceful out on the water, and we had cookies. https://scenic-cruise.com

Next time, I would book a trolley tour rather than the boat. There also are tours by carriage, golf cart—you name it. Visit www.visitstaugustine.com to find them all.

What to do

Viewing the lights will not consume much of your time. Luckily, there is much to do in St. Augustine. We spent the first day exploring the area by Old Town Trolley (www.trolleytours.com ). This gave us a feel for the layout of the town, as well as a brief history of St. Augustine from the trolley drivers.  We also took a Ghosts & Gravestones tour with Old Town Trolley. Like St. Augustine, it’s fun and quirky. It’s not scary, so appropriate for all ages. Passengers disembark at a few stops along the way, including a graveyard and the Potter Wax Museum.

The area that centers on St. George’s Street is a bustling little city with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. While there are lots of the usual tourist traps selling t-shirts and souvenirs, there also are plenty of unique stores. Our favorite shopping, as well as a Luli’s Cupcake & Bakery (well worth a stop) was on San Marco Avenue. Shops, including vintage and thrift, line the route between the historic district and the location of the Oldest Store Museum Experience and the Old Jail Museum (which offer interesting tours with older kids, but would skip with little ones). My teenager spent the bulk of her time at Declaration & Co. at 63 San Marco Ave., partly because of its stock of Gilmore Girls items and clothes that she drooled over, but also because she won a $50 gift card in their Black Friday giveaway (www.shopdeclaration.com). We devoted the rest of our shopping budget to Second Read Books, a tiny second-hand book store at 51D Cordova Street.

For younger kids who dislike shopping, head over to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (www.alligatorfarm.com). Other kid-friendly attractions include: Colonial Quarter (https://colonialquarter.com), The Fountain of Youth (www.fountainofyouthflorida.com), and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (www.nps.gov/casa).

No matter the ages of your kids, the campus of Flagler College worth a visit, especially when it is lit up at night.

Where to eat

There are many dining choices in St. Augustine. We visited The Columbia, the Florida-based Spanish restaurant chain at 98 St. George Street, for a delicious dinner with attentive service. (The Tampa location is Florida’s oldest restaurant, and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world).  It was harder to find open spots for breakfast, but we did stumble across Schmagel’s Bagels at 69 Hypolita Street. Schmagel’s serves bagels (obviously) and breakfast sandwiches, as well as coffee and hot chocolate. Schmagel’s limited indoor seating was closed, but its large patio was very comfortable, and the food and service both were excellent. Dessert options, however, are wide and plentiful. We were in town for just two days, so we were able to sample only Luli’s (as mentioned above) and fantastic ice cream sandwiches at Peace Pie World at 8 Aviles Street (https://peacepieworld.com).

Where to stay

I stumbled across the Pirate Haus while searching for a hotel. It was cheap, but I was little leary—maybe it’s too cheap and too quirky. In the end, I decided we could deal with quirky for two nights. It turned out to be a wonderful decision. We couldn’t have landed in a better location. It’s smack in the middle of the historic district. Parking is very limited (we managed to snag one of the hotel’s three spots for $10 a night), but there are lots very close by for $10-$20 a day. A pancake breakfast for everyone is included in the room rate. We enjoyed coffee, tea, and our names written in pancake batter. The pancakes are massive and will fuel your kids all day.

It’s a family-oriented hotel (bachelor and bachelorette parties are banned), and kids will love the brightly decorated rooms and roof deck. I knew going in that it might be noisy, and it was, but it was not excessive. I normally travel with a noise machine, but forgot it on this trip, and had no trouble sleeping.

The beds and pillows were comfortable. We only were in the the room to sleep, but the location was so perfect that we would stop back during the day to use the bathroom or drop off jackets and shopping. There is no individual temperature control in the rooms. The hotel guide provides advice on adjusting the vents, or how to contact staff if you want a different temperature. The entrance to the hotel is a steep flight of stairs, so it would be a bad choice for someone with mobility issues, and I also wouldn’t want to haul a stroller up and down the stairs. The hotel guide states that they buy the cheapest possible soap and shampoo, and this is accurate, so just bring your own.

Pirate Haus is old and unique. If you go in wanting luxury and perfection, you will be disappointed. But if you want a bargain and have some fun, it’s the perfect spot.

Pirate Haus Inn.  32 Treasury Street, St. Augustine.

Another option:  Casa Monica Resort & Spa.  95 Cordova Street, St. Augustine.

Originally built in 1888, Casa Monica is nestled in the heart of St. Augustine’s Historic District and within walking distance to popular sites such as Flagler College, Lightner Museum, Castillo de San Marcos and St. George Street. 

Getting there

The drive from Naples “should” take about 5 hours. Our trip north took more than 7. My advice: no matter what Waze tells you, just stay on I4 and deal with the traffic around Orlando. The side roads are congested, too, and even more frustrating.

A final note: If Verizon is your cell provider, plan for lots of frustration in St. Augustine. Our phones would occasionally have reception, but more often not.

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I don’t wallow in self pity for long, because it turns out there’s a key just a 1-hour boat ride from Captiva Island on which stands a historic 1930s-era homestead-turned-restaurant where the Key lime pie is legendary, Jimmy Buffett himself shows up periodically, and the place definitely has its own brand of wackiness. Like, for example, the gazillion or so dollar bills fluttering from the ceiling. The place is Cabbage Key, and that story dates back to its days as a rustic fisherman’s bar. An angler who’d had a bountiful catch wrote his name on a dollar bill, which the bartender taped to the wall as “beer insurance” to bank against future unlucky days. Other fishermen followed suit, and then non-fishing locals and tourists, until soon the walls and ceiling were covered with autographed dollars. The tradition continues, and your server will even bring you a marker and piece of tape on request. Sadly, you can no longer use it as beer insurance. As bills fall off, they go to charity. Owner Rob Wells estimates that since his family has owned Cabbage Key, the donations have totaled almost a quarter of a million dollars.

On a Saturday morning we board Captiva Cruises’ 65-foot double decker Lady Chadwick at South Seas Plantation for a lunch cruise to Cabbage Key. The island, created from an ancient Calusa shell midden, lies between Cayo Costa and Useppa islands. It even has a wooden water tower we can climb, but instead of a light it is topped with a giant osprey’s nest. Dropping a Key lime pie from up there would be seriously frowned upon.

Richard, our cruise host, weaves his narration of regional stories and natural history with a few tall tales (“to see if you’re paying attention,” he says). As Captain Sean navigates slowly between the sandbars and shallows from Redfish Pass to the open water of Pine Island Sound, Richard mentions that if we’re vigilant we might see a few dolphins. What an understatement. As soon as Lady Chadwick picks up speed, at least half a dozen dolphins appear, cavorting and jumping several feet in the air. The kids on board (meaning every one of us, from about 6 to 86) are mesmerized.

“It’s a great opportunity for them to see humans in captivity,” Richard quips. It’s more likely that after six generations the resident pod has figured out Lady Chadwick’s schedule, and the sound of the engine means they get to play in the wake. If this is how the first 30 minutes goes, can the enchantment possibly prevail?

It does, starting with lunch. I skip the famous cheeseburger that locals claim inspired Jimmy Buffett to write Cheeseburger in Paradise (sorry, that’s just a legend) and go for chilled, peeled Gulf shrimp served with potato salad and coleslaw. The shrimp are huge, fresh, and tasty, and the potato salad and coleslaw both transport me as close to my Georgia seacoast roots as I’ve been since, well, Georgia. The pale yellow slice of frozen Key lime pie (which unfortunately my companion and I choose to split) is creamy, tart, and properly unadorned except for a generous dollop of whipped cream.

We’re among the last Lady Chadwick passengers into the restaurant because I paused for an intimate conversation with a gigantic resident gopher tortoise. In retrospect, I’d save my tortoise moment for later, to have our pick of front porch, screened back porch, or one of the umbrella-shaded patios.

After lunch we check out the nature trail, which is cut through old island vegetation thick with cabbage palms, strangler figs, and live oaks. Then we climb to the top of the water tower, after which I can report three facts: (1) the views are beautiful, (2) an osprey currently is in residence, and (3) osprey nests are pretty stinky.

Must taste more pie

At 2 p.m. we board Lady Chadwick for home. The palette of Pine Island Sound magically has changed from this morning’s jade green to clear Caribbean blue. Now, only one thing remains to complete our Key lime experience: more pie tasting.

Captiva: The new bakery, Boop’s by The Bubble Room, decorates its slice with whipped cream, kiwi, strawberry, and a green lime twist. Though artful, its excess would amuse a purist. But there’ll be no tasting today, as they’re sold out.

Sanibel: On to Bailey’s General Store for their bakery’s sig-nature Key lime pie parfait, layered with graham cracker crumbs, both Key lime and lemon filling, and whipped cream. And (oh, why not?) we score a cake-like confection layered with Key lime filling and a lime green glaze on top, decorated with what looks like a white chocolate wafer tinted lime green. Anyone who knows that Key lime pies are never lime green would turn up her nose, but I’m an equal opportunity taster.

Back home, we set up the tasting. The parfait is delicious but super sweet. The cake and pie combination is yummy and we devour every crumb. But my heart belongs to that 100% Key lime pie with just the right chill and tartness, presented on a plate drizzled with raspberry sauce. Cabbage Key wins.

Now, about Batman

The man who built the inn and cottages on Cabbage Key as a winter retreat was the son of famous mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. Some called her the Agatha Christie of America, even though she published her first mystery 13 years before Christie. The author (formerly a World War I press correspondent and women’s suffrage activist) visited regularly but mostly spent time fishing and hobnobbing with Barron Collier and other socialites on Useppa Island. Oh, and inventing Batman.

Please. Everybody knows that D.C. Comics invented Batman, right? Wrong. Mary Roberts Rinehart invented him as a diabolical character, along with the black bat shape in a circle of light and other bat symbols, in her 1920 play called The Bat. It later became a movie starring Vincent Price. Two decades after The Bat, D.C. Comics artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger adapted her concept, making him a superhero. You can look it up!

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The signpost says, simply, Cassadaga. The residents (and quite a few otherworldly spirits, it’s said) live in Victorian cottages with the peeling vestiges of white and sun-bleached pastel paint, where verandas sag and tendrils of vines creep along windowsills and picket fences. There are the requisite tin roofs, garden gates that have settled in at odd angles over the past century, and an assortment of stained glass windows and wind chimes. There are cats, of course, and the pièce de résistance, the haunted Cassadaga Hotel.

No, it’s not another Disney project. A young clairvoyant famous for his séances carved The Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp (which is a village, not a camping camp) out of the untamed Central Florida landscape 125 years ago, before Walt Disney was born. And don’t bother scouring the real estate ads for a charming fixer-upper, because only certified mediums and spiritualist healers may buy here. According to cassadaga.org, mediums can communicate with spirits of people who have passed on, while spiritualists “channel God’s energy for emotional and physical healing through the laying on of hands.”

Believers, skeptics, and paranormal researchers come to absorb the essence of the camp and the hotel, which is in the town but privately owned, with its own psychics and readers. Some hope to get a message from a departed loved one, have their dreams interpreted, or take one of many classes. Me, I hope to encounter the hotel’s sassy cigar-smoking, gin-drinking Irish ghost named Arthur.

On my last visit years ago, I booked Room 22, Arthur’s favorite haunt. The place exceeded my expectations, with its dark and creaky hallways, miniscule rooms with toilet-shower closets, an outrageous assortment of mismatched furnishings, and bumps in the night. Alas, Arthur didn’t appear, but we’re told he’s still around, so here we are.

On this recent hot Saturday afternoon, Cassadaga appears to be in a deep trance. The hotel looks the same except for a sign advertising, incongruously, Sinatra’s Ristorante and Piano Bar. It looks movie-set perfect: vintage and millennial-hip. Currently, the only action is happening in the hotel’s tiny gift shop at the reservations/reception/psychic and astrologer booking/desk. While waiting our turn, my boyfriend, Randy, and I peruse the well-curated merchandise one might expect: love and prosperity potions (fragrant oils for sprinkling around) candles, handmade jewelry, and objets d’art.

Room 22 apparently has been painted in the past decade, and there’s a vastly improved, comfy-looking bed. But to my joy, the spookiness remains. No TV, no phone, Victorian fringed lamps, and lace curtains. Though Randy prefers a different level of comfort, he’s being an excellent sport.

In the camp’s Education Center and bookstore across the street, we check today’s list of certified mediums and healers on call, and flip through a well-worn binder reading their bios. The point is to feel the vibe of the right one for you. But we’re feeling a much stronger vibe for the two-hour Encounter Spirits Night Tour, $25. (Bring your cameras, our guide Dawn Medley advises, to capture the ghostly lights called orbs that aren’t visible to the naked eye.)

Fairy Trail

You could walk the entire village end-to-end in about eight minutes – or 45 if you detour onto the tiny forest path called the Fairy Trail. Beads, bangles and various glittery things hang from tree branches. Beneath them, gnomes, fairies, mermaids, dragonflies, and other whimsical creatures coexist in pure Cassadaga-style of mystical dishevelment. Visitors sometimes add small items of their own. There are random benches, and the path ends at a beautiful seven-foot tall butterfly wing sculpture, one of a series by renowned regional artist Erica Group.

Orbs

At dusk, a small group gathers in the Education Center. Dawn Medley gets us in the spirit with stories of unexplained phenomena, passing around grainy photos showing apparitions lurking about. She’s brought her EMF detector – a ghosthunter’s must-have – which dances with lights when she invites any attending spirits to make their presence known. Seems like the effect of a loose light bulb to me, but the others are delighted. Then, we’re off in pursuit of orbs, trailed by one black cat and a black and white one. We’re encouraged to take lots of pictures: houses, gardens, walls, and each other. On one particular spot beneath giant oak trees, we each get a turn to stand for photo ops where the orbs are especially active. They do not disappoint. Tiny circles of white and occasionally green or red light glow around us in everyone’s pictures, most shot by cell phones and pocket cameras. Randy attracts lots of orbs. My regular DSLR camera (with no flash) catches only a few. Some say it’s bugs caught in a camera’s flash. I wonder if it’s more about light refraction and dust in front of the lens. Still, it’s fun. While no children joined this tour, it could be a cool offbeat family experience, especially with teens.

The kids

Knowing we’d miss the restaurant serving hours, we’ve pre-ordered from Sinatra’s extensive menu. It is perfectly prepared and ready for us to enjoy beneath a midnight black sky at our private veranda table. While Randy returns our trays to the dining room, I ask a passing staffer about Arthur. “I haven’t heard anything from him recently,” she says, barely stopping. Then she adds over her shoulder, “but the kids are really active this week.”

In the morning, I step out to grab a coffee before heading to the church service, and have to squint at the small green thing lying just beyond the threshold. It’s a plastic superhero, toppled over on its back, arms wide in supplication. Then I notice more of them strewn about. A housekeeper is approaching, picking up a fire truck and some toy cars along the way. She stuffs them into an open niche in the wall next to the fire extinguisher. “Those kids!” she says. They must have played all night.”

Ghostly kids who like to play? Even better than Arthur!

Visit cassadaga.org or hotelcassadaga.com.

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