On the edge of downtown San Jose, the "capital of Silicon Valley" in California, you can catch a rather unusual sight.
It is not a convoy of self-driving cars or a crew of AI-powered robots, but an extravagant four-story Victorian mansion crowned with gables and turrets, said to be the "most haunted house in America."
The mysterious Winchester House has loomed large in the imagination of San Jose residents ever since it was built in 1884. But it captured the attention of travelers around the world thanks to the 2018 horror film "Winchester," starring Helen Mirren. The Oscar winner plays Sarah Winchester, who is said to have designed the eccentric house to confuse the ghosts.
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The chance to peek inside, however, is not limited to the cinema. You can easily visit the place yourself.
Why visit?
The house is a sprawling puzzle of oddities that feels like a carnival attraction, and it baffles ordinary mortals just as much as any spiteful spirits.
Look out for staircases that lead straight into ceilings, windows built into the floors, and doors that open onto a 12-foot drop. (Guides call that one the "mother-in-law suite.")
Eerie motifs are everywhere: the number 13 turns up at every corner (ceilings with 13 panels, 13 coat hooks in the "seance room"). There are also plenty of decorative spiderweb patterns, since people back then believed they would bring good luck.
The scale is just as unusual. What started out as a two-story farmhouse, Sarah transformed into a seven-story, castle-like residence with 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, and 10,000 window panes.
Sarah could afford such a lavish home because she was heiress to the fortune of the Winchester rifle manufacturer. After the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, she inherited an income of $1,000 a day. (The average daily wage at the time was $1.50.)
According to legend, though, the widow believed she was haunted by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles.
Inside the house
Whatever the truth may be, a tour of the mansion is full of strange discoveries and intriguing theories.
Visitors walk through narrow, zigzagging staircases, come across oddities like upside-down columns and cabinets just half an inch deep, and see rooms damaged by the deadly 1906 San Francisco earthquake (which also destroyed the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the house).
But of all the mysteries surrounding Winchester, perhaps the greatest is Sarah herself. As Maria Kampshafer, who has worked as a guide at the house since 2012, admits, most of the stories about Sarah and her home are little more than guesswork.
Very few reliable facts about Sarah are known. She may have been trying to escape the supernatural, but she may also have simply been a very, very bad architect.
Personally, Kampshafer thinks Sarah gets unfairly criticized. "There is a common belief that she was crazy, but spiritualism and seances and that sort of thing were completely normal at the time," she notes.
Another guide, Mario Ramirez, says many people see Sarah as a recluse, but he insists: "In reality she was one of the leading socialites in the area."
Choosing a tour
The house has something for everyone, from fans of the paranormal to lovers of architecture, and it offers tours to match.
The annual Halloween Candlelight Tour and the Friday the 13th Flashlight Tour run at night and feature ghost stories told by former staff and guests. Ticket prices vary, but expect to pay around $49.
The standard 65-minute mansion tour focuses on historical and factual details, including the creepy folklore of Winchester. Tickets cost $39, with a small discount for seniors. Admission for children ages 6 to 12 is $20.
The "Explore More" tour can be added to the mansion tour for an extra $10 and lasts about an hour.
Ticket holders are led into unfinished rooms the public has never seen before, including the "witch's cap" turret, also believed to be a seance room, which Houdini visited to debunk the rumors about the house. ("He left with more questions than answers," according to guide Melissa August.)
The "Explore More" tour is expected to end in February, but Kampshafer says demand has been so high that it may be extended. Note that it is not suitable for children 10 and under, and visitors will need to wear a hard hat (provided).
Did you know?
Even the guides believe the house is haunted, but they say the ghosts are friendly.
On the "Explore More" tour, August points out the basement, where a man is often seen pushing a wheelbarrow toward the coal chute: "He always tips his hat," she says.
The estate also has two small museums included in the ticket price. One displays Winchester rifles from different eras, and the other showcases vintage goods once marketed under the Winchester brand (keep an eye out for the "gunpowder smoke" cologne).
Where to eat
The on-site cafe serves simple burgers, wraps, salads, and the like, along with coffee and tea.
Unless you happen to be a tech billionaire, the Michelin-starred Adega restaurant in San Jose may be beyond your budget (though it is a landmark in its own right, as the first Portuguese restaurant on the West Coast to earn the honor). Still, it is the perfect choice if you feel like treating yourself.
Local favorite Smoking Pig BBQ is a 10-minute drive away, in the suburbs of San Jose. The restaurant has parking and is always buzzing, with sports on the TV and kitchen towels on every table. If you eat here the right way, your hands will get messy. Be sure to try all four kinds of the house barbecue sauce.
Planning your visit
The mysterious Winchester House is open every day except Christmas. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) to Labor Day (the first Monday in September), and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Labor Day to Memorial Day.
The best time to visit is January through March, when there are fewer people. The morning hours from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. are the least busy, and if you are lucky, you might get a private tour.
Please note that the house is not wheelchair accessible, and only service dogs are allowed inside. Photography is not permitted inside the house.
Winchester is located close to Highways I-280 and I-880, and two free parking lots are provided. San Jose Diridon Station, the last stop on the Caltrain route between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, is a 10-minute taxi ride away. The house is also a 10-minute drive from San Jose International Airport.
