Casablanca Inn on the Bay
Built in 1914 as the Matanzas Hotel, this Mediterranean Revival inn sits on the bayfront in St. Augustine and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. During Prohibition, its widowed proprietor fell in with rum-runners smuggling Cuban liquor along the waterfront, and she devised a warning system: when federal agents were in town, she would climb to the rooftop or a second-story window and wave a white lantern to signal the bootleggers' ships to stay away. Long after her death, residents across the bay, boaters out at sea, and passersby have reported a lantern light glowing and swaying from the upper floor on clear, moonless nights. Guests and staff also describe footsteps in empty halls, cold spots on the stairway, and the figure of a woman appearing in mirrors, as if the lady of the house is still keeping her watch over the water.
📍 24 Avenida Menendez, St. Augustine, FL 32084, St. Augustine, FL · Get directions