How to Experience the Winchester House in San Jose, California
The Winchester Mystery House is located approximately 50 miles south of San Francisco in the city of San Jose, California. The house was designed by the sole heiress of the Winchester Rifle fortune--and was never be completed. She kept a staff of journeymen repairing and adding to the property until the time of her death. Persistently haunted by the ghosts of those killed by her father’s rifle--surely numbering in the thousands, she felt the need to appease stated ghosts and the result was a variety of strange room designs and hallways that continue to baffle many. Séances were held often to continue a line of communication to the otherworld. She was also extremely paranoid of her staff and therefore designed many secret passages for spying. The exterior grounds are beautifully groomed and the mansion appears standard Victorian. One would not suspect such oddities within.
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Instructions
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Visit the website or other sites online and become informed about Sarah Winchester before visiting. The more versed the visitor is on the myth and legend the more they will be susceptible to the experience.
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Fly to San Francisco International Airport and travel south on U.S. Highway 101 to Interstate 280. Remain on 280 until you reach the city of San Jose, then take Exit 6 at South Winchester Boulevard. Turn left, or north, on the boulevard and pass beneath the 280 bridge. The house is 1½ blocks ahead on the left.
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Arrive early and try to be part of the first group through. Generally the first group is the smallest of the day.
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Pay the admission price into the mansion. There are several price options to choose from. The Winchester Mystery House is a private enterprise and not affiliated with the National Park Service or the city of San Jose.
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Listen closely to the tour guide. Sometimes the narrow hallways and curvature of the rooms, plus the size of the group, can obstruct the narration. These guides will explain the folklore of the house using enticing antidotes behind each architectural oddity. Part of the allure is buying into the myth.
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Look for ghosts. Whether they are there or not is immaterial, the chance that they might be adds to the experience.
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Dine and stay anywhere in the greater San Jose and San Francisco area. Choices are numerous ranging from the affordable to the pricey.
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Tips & Warnings
Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay are less then 100 miles from San Jose, south toward the coast.
The city of Gilroy holds an annual Garlic Festival in August.
