St. Francis Inn

Florida's oldest continuously operating inn, established in 1791 as a modest dwelling and expanded over centuries. The building has served as a private residence, boarding house, and bed and breakfast through Spanish, British, and American rule.

The St. Francis Inn at 279 St. George Street holds the distinction of being the oldest inn in St. Augustine and likely one of the oldest continuously operating accommodations in the United States. Built in 1791 for Spanish military officer Gaspar Garcia on a lot granted by the King of Spain, the thick-walled fortress-style home was converted to an inn in 1845 by Anna Marie Dummett.

The inn's most famous resident never checked out. In the mid-1800s, when Major William Hardee owned the property, his nephew fell in love with Lily, an enslaved woman from Barbados who worked at the inn. They conducted their romance in secret, meeting in various rooms for their forbidden affair. When Hardee discovered them together, he had Lily severely beaten and banished his nephew from ever seeing her again.

Accounts differ on what happened next. Some say the nephew hanged himself in the attic (now Lily's Room); others claim he leapt from a third-floor window. Some versions say Lily was beaten to death. Whatever the truth, the lovers were never reunited in life.

Lily's apparition has been reported regularly for over a century. She plays harmless pranks throughout the inn: turning lights and coffee makers on and off, changing radio stations while guests watch, opening locked doors, and adjusting shower water temperature no matter how guests set it. One bride was awakened by a passionate kiss—her husband lay sleeping beside her. Another guest woke up somehow wedged beneath his bed.

TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) investigated and recorded unexplained temperature drops, EVPs of a woman saying "help me," and equipment malfunctions. Ghost Adventures captured shadow figures during their visit.

The inn offers a "Paranormal Paranoia" package encouraging guests to book Lily's Room, Anna's Room, Elizabeth's Suite, or Garcia Suite—the most active accommodations.