A Great Place to Visit
Story and Photos by: Danta Simonsen
The Biltmore Hotel was built in 1926 by John Bowman of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corporation,
along with the founding father of Coral Gables, FL, George Merrick.
It became a stopping point for some of the most powerful and glamorous people. Guests included such
names as Judy Garland, Babe Ruth, Al Capone, and even Franklin D. Roosevelt visited often during his
presidential vacations. It is also considered to be haunted.
There are stories of strange events happening on the 13th floor such as the elevator taking people to the
that floor without warning, lights flickering, TV’s turning on and off and doors opening and closing on
their own. When we took the weekly tour our tour guide told stories of a “speakeasy” in the tower of the
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