California is filled with haunted places ranging from vineyards and hotel rooms, to darkened vineyards and even hotel rooms, that will leave you scared out of your mind. From sightings of Al Capone at Cobb Estate to ghost sightings at Darken Vineyards – California will have plenty of ghostly sightings that are guaranteed to get your blood pumping. Don’t be taken in by ghost stories from California…these haunted places will have you on edge.
thrill-seekers of all types visit San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House, built upon superstitious Sarah Winchester’s belief that rifles had killed spirits who cursed her and made her rich. The museum is famous for its Last Supper display as well as for a mysterious woman praying nearby on its benches.
Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island in California is an eerie prison that has horrified many visitors – even those who don’t believe in ghosts have often found themselves convinced. According to legend, this National Park and popular tourist attraction is haunted by past prisoners who were tortured there, along with mysterious sounds, screams and banging cell doors reported from visitors and staff alike. Furthermore, reports also exist of glowing-eyed creatures being seen around prison staff and inmates.
Psychologists who have visited the site report feeling fear, mistreatment and abuse upon entering. Cell 14D is said to be most haunted, where one man was strangled after shouting in terror about seeing something with glowing eyes in it. Furthermore, many suicides have taken place there including on its famed Suicide Bridge; many famous American gangsters like Al Capone had spent time there.
Whaley House
Built in 1857, the Whaley House serves as both an official California Historical Landmark and museum in Old Town San Diego. Additionally, its haunted house tours provide visitors with a thrilling haunted experience; tickets may also be purchased here for visitors interested in ghost hunting tours.
Visitors and employees have reported unexplained footsteps, noises, and full-bodied apparitions throughout the home. Yankee Jim Robinson’s spectral presence has been identified as the primary source of paranormal activity on this property; other family members including Thomas, Anna, Corinne Lillian Violet Francis have also been seen here.
No matter your beliefs, Whaley House is worth visiting for its unique history and spine-tingling stories. Tour the museum by day, or opt for one of several nighttime or after-hours paranormal investigation tours – in these, rooms not available during day tours are shown off as well as ghost hunting equipment will be provided to use for an after-hours investigation!
Oak Park Cemetery
California may conjure images of golden beaches and Hollywood, but there is also a darker side. Haunted places can be found both within cities as well as smaller communities.
Oak Park Cemetery is an epicenter for paranormal activity, where visitors regularly report hearing strange noises, feeling cold breezes and seeing ghost-like figures. According to legend, one such ghost supposedly haunts this place: she died in an automobile accident years earlier but still roams on foggy nights!
San Diego Racetrack is known to be haunted by ghosts. People have reported hearing whispered voices as well as lights turning on and off and shadowy figures appearing in photographs.
California cities boast their own ghost tales, including San Francisco. One such account features a mysterious highway patrol officer that pulls cars over, only to quickly disappear afterwards; additionally there have been reports of a woman haunting the Presidio; while Montgomery Clift’s ghost supposedly still haunts room 928 of Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Point Sur Lighthouse
Point Sur Lighthouse, situated near Big Sur on California’s rocky coastline, has long been considered one of the state’s scariest spots. According to legend, its lights guide lost souls from nearby shipwrecks who then reside in its various buildings scattered across its island. Visitors and employees have reported hearing what sounds like large boots stomping, feeling cold spots or having someone touch them – some even claim recording what sounds like the sound of a male voice in their room!
Volunteers at the lighthouse offer tours year-round and moonlight tours are also available. Julie Nunes, one of these volunteers working at the lighthouse, reports that visitors to her tours have witnessed ghostly apparitions and heard strange noises, according to Julie Nunes who works there as well. Julie claims not to be afraid of ghosts but rather fascinated by them; often taking along her tape recorder with her in order to capture any potential ghost sounds such as Catherine Ingersoll who used to keep watch at the lighthouse as an original keeper’s daughter who died before taking over duties herself in 2016.
