By day, the Donnelly House is one of downtown Mount Dora’s most recognizable landmarks. The Lakeside Inn welcomes guests to its sprawling grounds overlooking Lake Dora, just as it has in one form or another since 1883.

But with fall getting closer and spooky season starting to creep onto the calendar, there’s another way to experience some of Mount Dora’s historic places.

Come back after dark.

Two Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce members — Mount Dora Ghost Tours and American Ghost Adventures — offer experiences built around local history, ghost stories and paranormal activity, with opportunities ranging from a traditional walking tour to spending four hours investigating historic buildings with specialized equipment.

And some of it takes place inside buildings that have been part of Mount Dora for well over a century.

Mount Dora Ghost Tours

Mount Dora Ghost Tours currently offers four experiences, beginning with its signature Ghost Tour.

The two-hour walking tour travels through historic downtown Mount Dora while guides share what the company describes as the city’s “macabre mysteries and haunted history.” The experience includes stories surrounding the Lakeside Inn, the Victorian-era hotel that first opened in 1883.

But visitors can also get inside one of the historic buildings they’ve likely passed countless times downtown.

The Donnelly House Tour takes guests through the interior of the landmark home on Donnelly Street. Built in 1893 for John P. Donnelly and his wife Annie, the ornate Queen Anne-style home later became the home of Mount Dora Lodge #238, F&AM. John Donnelly would serve as Mount Dora’s first mayor, and the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

For those interested in the paranormal side of the house, Mount Dora Ghost Tours also offers a Donnelly House Paranormal Investigation.

The two-hour experience takes place inside the historic home and is led by the company’s investigators. According to Mount Dora Ghost Tours, participants use high-tech equipment and paranormal communication methods while searching the property for possible activity.

That means the same Donnelly House you can visit for a history tour can also be experienced after dark with ghost-hunting equipment in hand.

Monsters Take Over the Lakeside Inn

Mount Dora Ghost Tours also goes beyond traditional tours with The Monsters Masquerade, a 21-and-up event at the historic Lakeside Inn.

The two-and-a-half-hour event includes food, cocktails, music, dancing, games, prizes and special performances by Doctor Merripen’s Monsters. Guests are asked to attend in formal attire with a masquerade or monster mask, or in a full Halloween costume.

Two 2026 dates remain on the current schedule: August 23 and October 18, with the October event landing right in the heart of Halloween season.

The setting adds another layer to the experience. Lakeside Inn traces its history to the Alexander House, a 10-room hotel that opened in 1883. Today, Lakeside Inn identifies itself as the oldest continuously operating hotel in Florida.

Between the downtown Ghost Tour, access inside the Donnelly House, the paranormal experience there and The Monsters Masquerade, Mount Dora Ghost Tours currently offers several ways to explore local history with a decidedly supernatural twist.

American Ghost Adventures: Get Involved in the Investigation

American Ghost Adventures takes guests beyond hearing ghost stories.

Its current Mount Dora lineup includes a 2-Hour Investigation, Ultimate 4-Hour Investigation, Haunted Pub Crawl and Mysteries & Memories Walking History Tour. All four begin at the Lakeside Inn.

The 2-Hour Investigation combines Mount Dora history and firsthand accounts with the opportunity to use professional paranormal equipment inside historic buildings.

Equipment rental is included with admission, and the experience is led by professional investigators. American Ghost Adventures also makes an important point about the nature of paranormal investigating: activity is never guaranteed. What guests do get is the opportunity to explore the locations, learn their histories and use the equipment for themselves.

The tour begins in the lobby of Lakeside Inn before exploring the hotel and other downtown locations.

Four Hours for the Serious Paranormal Fan

For guests looking for a longer experience, American Ghost Adventures offers its Ultimate 4-Hour Investigation.

The extended tour provides more time inside Lakeside Inn and other downtown locations, including access to additional rooms at the Inn. Paranormal equipment is provided, and personal guides lead participants through the four-hour experience.

The longer format also allows guests to spend more time in individual locations rather than quickly moving from stop to stop. American Ghost Adventures notes that groups can pause to order cocktails or other beverages during the evening before continuing, although food and drinks are purchased separately.

The four-hour investigation is currently offered Sunday through Thursday.

Ghost Stories Meet a Night Downtown

American Ghost Adventures’ Haunted Pub Crawl takes a more social approach.

The approximately two-to-three-hour, 21-and-up experience moves between three to four downtown bars, with guests sharing ghost stories and personal accounts over appetizers and drinks.

Basic paranormal equipment is available, but the company specifically describes this experience as placing more emphasis on the social atmosphere than an exclusively investigative tour. Food and beverages are not included in admission.

It’s another way to experience Mount Dora after dark while incorporating the restaurants and bars that make downtown an evening destination in its own right.

And You Don’t Have to Pick Up Ghost-Hunting Equipment

For visitors who are more interested in the stories and history, American Ghost Adventures also offers Mysteries & Memories, its Walking History Tour.

The 90-minute outdoor walking tour covers Mount Dora history, firsthand accounts and ghost stories without using paranormal equipment. It is family friendly, offers daytime options and is listed as a pet-friendly alternative to the company’s investigative experiences.

That makes it notably different from the company’s two- and four-hour investigations while still exploring the stories associated with historic Mount Dora.

Mount Dora After Dark

Part of what makes these experiences interesting is that the backdrop is already here.

The Donnelly House really has stood on Donnelly Street since 1893. It really was built by the man who became Mount Dora’s first mayor, and it remains one of the city’s most recognizable historic buildings.

The Lakeside Inn traces its history back even further, to 1883, when the original Alexander House opened with just 10 rooms.

Today, you can tour those places, hear the ghost stories associated with them and, depending on the experience you choose, go inside with paranormal equipment and investigate for yourself.

Or you can leave the equipment behind, take a walk through the stories, head out for a haunted pub crawl or spend an evening at a Halloween celebration inside the Lakeside Inn.

As spooky season approaches, Mount Dora’s history offers plenty to explore after the sun goes down.

Explore current experiences from Mount Dora Ghost Tours and American Ghost Adventures.