By Gina Horan
Ghost Tours Scare Up Mount Dora’s Haunts
With its century-old buildings, brick-lined streets and long history, few towns seem better suited for ghost stories than Mount Dora.
The downtown district provides the perfect backdrop for Mount Dora Ghost Tours, which introduces guests to local legends, reported hauntings and stories that have become part of the city’s folklore.
“Mount Dora inspired the business,” owner Robert Coufal says. “The town has age, ambiance and aura. The cobblestone alleys, the oldest operating hotel in Florida and a healthy supply of residential and visiting spirits.”
The business has expanded well beyond its original format since launching as a traditional walking ghost tour. Today, guests can choose from haunted pub crawls, paranormal investigations inside the historic Donnelly House, theatrical dinner experiences and seasonal Halloween events.
One of the newest offerings is year-round paranormal investigations inside the Donnelly House, where participants use ghost-hunting equipment while exploring the 1893 home. During Halloween, the company transforms the building into an immersive haunted attraction. This year’s theme, “Haunt & Seek,” combines a haunted house with a game of hide-and-seek.
Mount Dora Ghost Tours also partners with local restaurants and venues for themed events, including Dinner with the Vampire at The Magical Meat Boutique Restaurant & Pub and the annual Monsters Masquerade Ball at Lakeside Inn. Private paranormal investigations and special events are also offered.
For Robert, the experience is about more than trying to scare people.
“A great ghost tour has the four H’s: history, horror, humor and honesty,” he says. “Truthfully, what makes any tour great is the tour guide.”
Robert credits guide and psychic medium Maria Pirone with helping bring Mount Dora’s stories to life. She accompanies the tour groups, sharing her own supernatural encounters along the way.
You may cross paths with Amy, a 9-year-old girl who disappeared while staying at Lakeside Inn with her family in 1885. Guests also hear the story of Joyce Brinkman. For 50 years, believers insist they’ve seen her apparition wandering the upper floors of the historic Simpson Hotel. Another stop explores the mysterious Warburton family tragedy. Their tombstone in Pine Forest Cemetery commemorates Robert and Hannah Warburton and their two children, Peter and Bessie, who reportedly drowned together in 1882. The monument’s unusual placement and orientation (most gravestones face east; the Warburton gravestone faces northwest) continue to fuel speculation among paranormal enthusiasts.
Robert says he has had paranormal experiences, but he prefers to keep those stories private. Instead, he enjoys watching guests question what they believe.
“I would say the most fun is seeing a skeptic second-guess their skepticism,” he says.
More than anything, Robert hopes visitors leave with something more than a good scare.
“We have two goals,” Robert says. “Give guests a fun and memorable experience they can take with them to the grave and open up their minds to the possibility of the paranormal.”
Photos: Gina Horan and Provided
Gina moved to Central Florida from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2021. She holds a degree in linguistics and has worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist, lifestyle columnist and food writer since 1995. She later covered travel, events, restaurants, music festivals and sports throughout Northern California, including work as a morning show host with KSAN radio and food critic for KRON Bay TV. A veteran bartender, she has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Gina joined Akers Media in 2022 and is currently the Food and Lifestyle Editor. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map.
