The famous Winchester Mystery House is stepping it up a notch for the fall season! Unhinged: Housewarming brings a new chapter to the seasonal haunted house. Imagine you are the guest of Miles and Flora Taylor, who have invited you to their seemingly innocent housewarming party. However the night will quickly turn supernatural at this immersive and spine-chilling experience.
See if you can brave the immersive indoor haunt, the outdoor scare zone, and a limited-time Halloween museum. Be sure to decompress at the outdoor Lavish Garden Party with fun themed cocktails and food, sideshow entertainers, and endless spooky photo ops.
General admission tickets cost between $65-70, or you can take the experience up a notch for the $90-100 RIP experience which offers expedited access and early estate admission among other things.
About the Winchester Mystery House
San Francisco is home to plenty of paranormal sites, but the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose might give it a run for its money. The famous home was owned by Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, who continuously renovated and added onto the mansion for decades. The sprawling building measures 24,000 square feet and is full of bizarre twists and turns, hidden doors, and staircases that lead to nowhere.
History of the house
Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester was the widow of William Wirt Winchester, who left her an enormous fortune from the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. After both her daughter and husband died within a few days of each other, she left her home in Connecticut and bought a farmhouse in San Jose, which she began to renovate continuously from 1886 until her death in 1922.
It is said that Sarah was haunted by the ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles, which drove her to create the enormous, sprawling mansion in order to hide from them. That’s why the house has bizarre features including doors to nowhere, windows into other rooms and strange proportions.
After decades of renovations, the house sits at a whopping 24,000 square feet. It has 10,000 windows; 2,000 doors; 160 rooms; 13 bathrooms; 6 kitchens; and 47 stairways and fireplaces. The total cost to build the house was $5 million in 1923, which comes to $71 million in today’s money.
Is it haunted?
The Winchester Mystery House has been investigated by many paranormal experts over the years, including Houdini, Sylvia Brown, and TAPS West Coast. It’s also been featured on Unsolved Mysteries, Ghost Adventures, and multiple lists of haunted places by TIME, The Travel Channel, and more. Many visitors report experiencing bizarre phenomena, or otherwise capture something strange in a photo. You’ll have to visit to see for yourself!
Location and hours
Find the Winchester Mystery House at 525 S Winchester Blvd in San Jose. It’s open from 10am to 5pm on weekdays, and 10am to 7pm on weekends. Be sure to grab tickets in advance, and stay on your toes during the visit – you may just catch a ghost!