Whaley House: Most Haunted Place in America
From the moment I heard about the Travel Channel dubbed “most haunted place in America,” I knew I had to check it out. This small house in Old Town San Diego has as many ghost stories as it does historical accounts, and that adds up to a lot. I grabbed my camera and I set out, destination Whaley House, to see myself a ghost. Here is all the information.
Details
- Open 10 AM – 4:30 PM daily
- Cost $10 for adults, more if you go when it is dark (as of 2018)
Whaley House History
You can check out the full history here.
The two-story Greek Revival house was designed by Thomas Whaley himself and built-in 1857. The cost of the house was more than $10,000. It was made from bricks created in Whaley’s own brickyard on Conde Street. The house was the first of its kind in San Diego. The historic house opened as a museum on May 25, 1960.
Whaley House Today
From the moment you arrive at the house, they start playing up the haunted aspect. I mean, the gift shop has at least 15 different books all related to how haunted the house is. You can even buy a “got ghosts” mug if you feel so inclined. After paying my 10 dollars, I headed out of the gift shop and into the main house.
When you enter, there is someone to take your ticket and tell you stories of the ghosts. She had seen many different spirits in the house over the years and told me to take lots of photos as you never know what you might capture, such as a ghost or lens flare that comes out in the picture. I heeded her advice and snapped away.
Solely for the historical elements, this small house has a lot to offer. One room used to be where they held court in old San Diego.
Another room upstairs was the first stage for plays in San Diego.
Yet another room is the location where they used to have an old shop that sold supplies, all of this adds to the authentic vibe of the house.
After not seeing any ghosts on the first floor, I headed up to the second. Here I perused the room with the stage and seating, which I thought was interesting. When I finished, I turned to the right to see a ghost by the windowsill crocheting!
Ok, it wasn’t a ghost; it was a worker in her period garb sitting in what I would call a convenient place for messing with someone’s mind. I collected myself then walked to another room. As I was standing there, I heard a yell and ran out to see another unsuspecting person frightened by the worker mentioned above. I was glad to know I was not alone.
As far as scary things, the most frightening item I saw during my time here was the creepy dolls they had all over the rooms. Honestly, I don’t need to see a ghost; those dolls were bad enough! You can do effects on your photos like the above one to make it look a lot creepier then it is though.
On the way out, I scoped this impressive marriage certificate the Whaleys had!
So while I didn’t see any ghosts, the Whaley House was a pretty cool place to walk around. There is not a lot to see for the 10 dollars, so it is not for everyone, but I thought it was fun. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to tell me if you have seen a ghost here!
