California is widely known for its sunshine, celebrities, and beautiful beaches – but the Golden State also hides an unsettling side with haunted lighthouses and old mining towns that will leave you feeling uncomfortable.
Sarah Winchester spent $5 Million building this extraordinary mansion! Doors that lead down 10 foot drops and stairs that terminate into the ceiling are among its strange features!
1. Eat 8 Mile Road
California offers plenty of ghost towns, mysterious mansions and even one creepier hotel for fans of haunted attractions.
E Eight Mile Road in Stockton appears to be an ordinary stretch of roadway until a long-haul truck driver encounters a woman wearing white dress passing them during the middle of the night – this apparition also regularly makes appearances elsewhere in town.
The Winchester Mystery House earned its terrifying reputation thanks to superstitious heiress Sarah Winchester, who began construction of her eccentric estate in 1886 and continued until her death in 1922. Other haunted sites include haunted theaters and Queen Mary where spirits rattle chains during overnight stays.
2. Oak Park Cemetery
Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont stands out from the pack by earning a reputation for eerie encounters at nighttime, where visitors report encountering shadowy figures that lurk throughout its grounds.
Dark tourism is becoming more and more popular, and California offers plenty of paranormal enthusiasts something interesting. From hotel rooms associated with Montgomery Clift to abandoned Spanish missions – California boasts numerous eerie spots.
Bodie Ghost Town offers the perfect place for an intense fright. This abandoned mining settlement features plenty of ghostly reports – whispers, door slamming noises and even someone laughing hysterically have all been reported!
3. Julian Cemetery
Julian Cemetery in California’s town of Julian is one of those spots that becomes much more frightening at night. A popular stop during the gold rush era, many individuals were killed here due to disease, alcoholism or death during childbirth – contributing further to its eerie atmosphere.
Psychics believe the grounds are haunted by spirits left from these violent battles, leading to strange happenings such as cold spots, cars failing to start and other unusual phenomena.
Old Town’s Whaley House is another must-see location for paranormal enthusiasts, having been featured on Travel Channel’s America’s Most Haunted and being subject of numerous paranormal studies.
4. Point Sur Lighthouse
California’s coast is filled with haunted lighthouses. One in particular is thought to be haunted by spirits of lighthouse keepers who perished in shipwrecks nearby; visitors have reported hearing footsteps, moaning and labored breathing within its walls as well as sightings of tall men wearing dark 19th-century attire, according to Haunted Rooms America.
Ghostly tales surrounding Big Sur’s Point Sur Lighthouse can be spine-chillingly terrifying. Families that resided there before it was automated may still haunt its grounds, according to legend.
5. Alcatraz
What was once a military prison turned infamously into a federal penitentiary where some of America’s most dangerous criminals, like Whitey Bulger, Al Capone and Machine-Gun Kelly served their sentences is now considered one of San Francisco’s creepiest haunts. Visitors and staff have reported unexplained noises such as crashing noises, running footsteps, cell doors slamming on their own, moans from behind chains rattling, as well as feeling they are being watched over!
At the island, paranormal activity includes the appearance of an unknown figure who often roams through its ruins and the ghost of the warden’s wife who is said to haunt room 14-D.
6. Whaley House
California is filled with spirits-haunted hotels and haunted prisons that provide spine-tingling experiences for visitors. Travel Channel, Visit California and Haunted Rooms America have compiled lists of California’s most haunted locations.
Whaley House in Old Town San Diego is both a museum and paranormal hotspot that draws history enthusiasts and ghost hunters alike. Built on what was once public gallows, many believe its first resident ghost – Yankee Jim Robinson (a hanged thief who haunts the property), still roams freely throughout. Furthermore, several Whaley family members including their infant who died of Scarlet Fever are said to haunt this property as well.
7. Queen Mary
The Queen Mary is a stately ocean liner turned hotel that also ranks as one of the most haunted places in America. Visitors have reported extreme temperature changes, slamming doors, knocking noises and signs of poltergeist activity such as children crying.
Ghosts who haunt the ship include those of an engineer who died in its engine room and of a little girl who drowned in its first class pool; other spirits include “Pedder”, an unknown figure in blue coveralls who runs after guests while whistling, said to haunt it as well.
