World Series: The two haunted hotels in Milwaukee, Tampa that may spook this year's teams
On left, a historic image of the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. On right, a 1925 photograph of The Vinoy in St. Petersburg, Florida.
TAMPA, Fla. - As the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers both compete in the 2026 World Series hoping to claim their first-ever championship title, tales of haunted hotels and paranormal activity have also been making headlines.
Ahead of Games 1 & 2 in Milwaukee, the Rays are staying at the historic Pfister Hotel, the four-star luxury hotel known for its Victorian design and art, as much as the infamous tales of paranormal activity and unexplained encounters among MLB stars.
As the Brewers head down to Tampa for Games 3 & 4, the team will reportedly stay at The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, according to The New York Times and The Athletic – a place that pairs luxury with its own ghost stories and paranormal tales among guests.
Could you survive the night? Here's a look at the history – and the rumored tales – at both hotels, including reports from some of the players who've stayed there.
The ghost story behind the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee
What we know:
The Pfister Hotel opened in 1893 and was billed as the "Grand Hotel of the West," costing nearly $1 million to build at the time, according to its website. It's also home to the largest Victorian art collection in the world. The Pfister Hotel also has some deep-rooted lore of alleged haunts.
According to an article on MLB.com, several players have reported paranormal encounters at the hotel, including seeing skeleton apparitions, hearing loud footsteps or finding their clothes scattered the room, according to various media interviews.
FOX News reached out to the hotel for comment on the ghostly rumors, but did not receive a response.
Frightened MLB players seek help
What they're saying:
The Milwaukee hotel's rumored hauntings have been talked about for more than a decade among baseball players and managers, according to media interviews collected by ESPN and MLB.com.
Whether you believe the haunted tales will be up to each and every reader, but according to some of those interviews, to the players themselves, it was very real.
According to those reports, one major league player claimed he stayed at the hotel and saw a skeletal apparition. He was so bothered that he consulted the team's chaplain and missed a radio interview. Another player claimed he heard noises and disturbances, and later bought and brought himself a bible for protection, the report said.
Former NL MVP Bryce Harper reportedly told ESPN the Magazine that he laid out his clothes on a table next to his bed before sleeping during a 2012 stay, and woke up to find his clothes on the floor and the table moved across the room against the opposite wall. He said he asked for a new room after verifying that his door was locked and his teammates weren't pranking him.
The ghost story behind The Vinoy in St. Petersburg
The backstory:
The Vinoy has been part of St. Petersburg's history since it opened in 1926, offering spectacular views of the Gulf. Known as "The Pink Lady," to some locals, the historic hotel celebrates 100 years in 2026.
While a state of luxury when it opened in the 1920s, decades and a couple of wars later, the 1970s documented a tough time for the hotel, becoming a boarding house before closing in 1978.
Still, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places that year. It remained empty and abandoned for the remainder of the 70s and 80s, before renovations began in the early 1990s. It reopened in 1992, according to its website.
According to the New York Times, ghost stories at the hotel date back to Babe Ruth, who they say was known to have lived and socialized there. According to the article, Tampa Bay Rays team members have reported flickering lights, moving lampshades, displaced items and voices coming from elevators.
Happy Halloween if the World Series goes to Game 7
What's next:
If that weren't creepy enough, if the World Series stretches to Game 7, the deciding match-up will take place in Milwaukee on Halloween night, Oct. 31.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the MLB website, which detailed player encounters with paranormal activity at the Pfister Hotel, as well as an interview Bryce Harper gave to ESPN Magazine and an article from the New York Times.