Safety Harbor Resort and Spa

Built over natural mineral springs that Native Americans considered sacred healing waters. The spa has operated since 1926, attracting visitors seeking the curative properties of the five natural springs.

Safety Harbor Resort and Spa sits on land inhabited by Native Americans for at least 10,000 years, from the early Safety Harbor culture through the Tocobaga Indians and Seminoles. In 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto discovered the springs and believed he had found the fountain of youth, naming it Espiritu Santo Springs. The spa opened in the 1930s. During 1990s renovations when most rooms were unoccupied, front desk staff received late-night calls from empty rooms—security guards and transcripts confirmed the claims. Housekeepers are hesitant to enter certain rooms, especially the women's bath area, where after-hours visitors feel sudden temperature drops and hear unseen voices whispering their names. Salt shakers mysteriously disappear from the kitchen and dining area. In the massage area, a man is seen walking out of rooms, and shadowy figures appear—one staff member was grabbed on the shoulders while massaging a client, hitting the table in shock, but no one was there. Activity slowed after the massage area was remodeled. A haunted picture from the 1920s shows four men photographed, but a fifth figure—a female form—appears though no women were documented that day. Tour guide Dent believes Safety Harbor sits on a vortex for spiritual energy where murder, fire, and flood victims still roam.