Winchester Mystery House

Pricey mansion tour but they don’t allow self tours. This is something you should try if you like oddities, strange people, and stories about ghosts.
Not made for heavy set, wheel-​chaired, or weak kneed patrons.
Small children may not appreciate the heat and long stand stills.
Wear comfortable shoes. It does get hot and muggy inside.
No photography inside.

Came here around 11 am on a Saturday. Wasn’t overly crowded nor was it too warm. Food and drink aren’t allowed on the tour, but we didn’t realize that until we got food and drink so we had to eat/​drink fast before the tour. No pictures allowed on the tour, either.
Our tour guide, Sarah, was peppy and quite knowledgeable even though she’d only been there about a month. She made the experience fun.
Enjoyed all the weird quirks about the mansion. Was a little expensive but the 65 minute tour was fun.

I loved the tour. I lived in the area for 69 years and never had seen it until two days ago. I had heard stories from others that it wasn’t worth it, or wasn’t that exciting, so never went out of my way to go find out for myself. I was so impressed with the entire tour. We did both the Mansion and Behind the Scenes tour and was so interesting to me that I am going back for sure. My only complaint was that they had a few too many people in our group to where they couldn’t all fit in some of the small rooms. So you couldn’t hear or see what the guide was talking about. The guides at both tours made it so interesting and gave you time to ask questions.

What a crazy bananas house! It was a lot of fun touring the house and grounds. I recommend doing both the house and the grounds tour as long as you’re there. Our guides where very informative and friendly. However, we were not so crazy about the café.

I have wanted to go here since I was a little kid. The place is a total maze and you get to go through quite a bit of the house with a guide. Only sad part no pictures allowed inside. Had a great guide who was super knowledgeable. You can also walk around the gardens and check out the pretty substantial gun museum on the property for free !!

I’m glad we took time to stop by at the mansion despite of surprisingly negative reviews. The structures, though peculiar, is very open and with lots of fascinating constructions. I couldn’t help but admire Mrs. Winchester’s complex mind. She was a woman who was not afraid of following her unorthodox way of living during her time and was able to extend her kindness and generosity to others.

I loved that place. I heard a podcast about it back in England and dreamed on visiting it on day (I LOVE haunted mansions) — Little did I know I’ll be moving to California and visiting some friends in SF shortly after.
I was a bit afraid it was going to be a bit «ghost tour for beginners» (like woo, look at that thing moved). The guides actually let you decide if you believe the owner believed she was cursed (hence building the house forever and ever, to confuse the ghosts) or if she was just a building fanatic.
The tour was really interesting and you can see 110 of the 160 rooms of the house (yep 160! that’s how crazy this house is).
It is a bit expensive but I would recommend the «behind the scenes tour» as well.
They do candlelit tour around Halloween and every Friday 13^th.

I really wished the tour guide emphasized the mysterious and ghostly aura that surrounds the Winchester myth. She was a FABULOUS guide but I am sure they all have the same script.
The reason I discovered the story of the Winchester House was from a haunting documentary and many specials on the Travel Channel. Yet, only a few minor quips about the paranormal were mentioned. Very pricey too.

Pretty cool place but they over-​commercialized it. It’s no longer a mystery filled mansion but an full on commericialized attraction with ton of gimmic. Don’t expect to find ghost in here, it is too crowded and the energy will drive ghosts away. Parking is always full, tours every hours and the gift shop is super crowded and filled with gimmic over priced gift.
The firearms museum was decent.

I shall start off by saying there are 2 different tours I went on, inside and outside.
The inside tour was okay at best, it was no fault of our guide, to me it just wasn’t that interesting. It is a house on the outside, but inside it seemed more like a funhouse maze. There was no flow, no consistence, the house itself was emblematic of a woman’s twisted psyche.
The outside, the grounds tour was great though. While the inside was chaotic with doors that go nowhere, windows in floors, this was a breath of fresh air, quite literally. The tour is a bit longer, there is more walking, but seeing the gardens and topiaries, the statues and even going under the house to see the original elevators and see where they would stockpile the coal for the furnaces, was amazing. It is much more interesting, here you get to step back in time and to get a feel what it was like to live in those days and not walking around in someone’s tortured mind.
I am not saying skip the inside tour, by all means go, I am simply saying that I prefer walking through the gardens instead of an immortalization of fear and sorrow.

I had read about the Winchester House many times, and so when we saw a sign for it while in the area, well, we just had to go. Driving up to it, I was a little surprised at how populated the area around it was. I think I envisioned a house on a hill type of thing. Now, the house was obviously there first, but just be aware if you are driving there and think your GPS is wrong.
Once inside to buy tickets, to say I had sticker shock was an understatement. However, since we really wanted to do the tour, we paid.
I wasn’t crazy about the Disney vibe of it, complete with the guy taking pics that they try to sell you a package of at the end. Especially with the high ticket prices, it was overkill, and kind of seemed disjointed with the ambiance of the house.
Our tour guide was okay, but a couple of times people asked her basic questions, and she told us that we’d need to take another tour to find out the answer. Of course, the other tours are more money. Also, the ballroom wasn’t available to see because there was an event they were setting up for that evening. Obviously, the ballroom is somewhat of an attraction itself, so that was disappointing. Especially since we weren’t made aware prior to the tour starting/​purchasing tickets.
Based on all of that, I’d give the experience a 1 or 2 star. But the house… the house. I actually feel very sorry for Sarah Winchester, as she clearly had a lot of personal issues. To walk through, the windows and doors to nowhere, the twists and turns, the stairs to the ceiling, all of it… it was fascinating to me. She was sort of labeled as a nut by the tour guide, but I saw (based on the architecture and ideas) someone who knew exactly what she was doing. Whether it made sense to us or not didn’t matter, it made sense to her.
If the operators of the house could cut down a bit on the touristy vibe, and maybe try to make it a little more respectful of the house itself, I think it would be a much better experience.

Fascinating tour and house. I saw it as a testimony for grief and how the owner lived with her grief. There is a lot of beauty in the house; the wall paper is stunning and the stain glass windows are breathtaking. I’d love to go back and do more of the tours. We had a great tour guide too; engaging, informative and funny. This is a good tour for adults and kids over 10.

I was literally doing a happy dance as soon as we got to the entrance. I’ve waited years to tour the mansion and I FINALLY did it! Since it was my first time, I purchased the 2.5hr Grand Estate Tour which includes the tour of the house and the behind the scenes tour through the basement and some of the grounds. You start with the mansion tour in a group of about 20 people, lasts about 1hr, and takes you almost a mile throughout the house. For it being a mansion, the proportions are quite small and awkward; but, Mrs. Winchester was only 4’10″ so that explains that. The inside is magnificent, but absolutely no pictures/​video allowed because the house is copyrighted. I think that is ridiculous, but nothing I could do. Our guide was sweet and very knowledgeable on the history of the house.
The behind the scenes tour started almost immediately after the end of the mansion tour. You start in the stable, where you’re handed a hard hat. Don’t worry, they’re sanitized after every tour. Then you go to the fruit drying shed, car wash, aviary, and finally the basement. The basement was eery and a hazard for people over 5ft with all of the pipes hanging low throughout.
The grounds are remarkable and very well-​maintained. The gardens are lush and the gift shop is quite large with a myriad of trinkets to select from. For first-​timers, definitely do the behind the scenes tour, if not, save your money. I am keeping my eyes and ears out for the next time they host a flash light tour or sleepover!

One of my favorite places to come ! A few tips for you !
It’s worth it to do the behind the scenes as well as the estate tour. $ 44 value
If you’re claustrophobic, this IS NOT the place for you .
Please be nice to your tour guides. I’ve been in a few tours that throw sass at the guides and it’s so disrespectful. They have to memorize their whole guided speech they the tour. They don’t need rude /​dumb questions in the meantime .
The shop is amazing ! So bring some extra money to spend !
The staff has always been pleasant. We had, Gene as our tour guide. Such a sweet man!
They do have a tasting room (wine and beer I believe) but it was not open when we arrived On a Saturday around lunch time.
Wear comfy clothes and shoes. No cameras are allowed inside the mansion (please be respectful)

FINALLY made my way over here.
When I would spend summers here when I still lived in WA, I would always see billboard advertisements on this oddity. It’s always peaked my interest so my cousin & I finally bit the bullet & went for a tour.
We took the Mansion Tour for $ 36. It seemed to be the most basic tour, the others were the «Behind the Scenes» Tours and what not. This tour allows you to go into 110 of the 160 rooms in the mansion & is about an hour and 5 mins long.
You go with a group. Before heading into the waiting area, you will be asked to take a picture while holding one of the Winchester Rifles (no worries, it’s a prop) which you can purchase after your tour, per usual.
While waiting on the waiting area, there are pictures of the original mansion before the earthquake destroyed some of it & there are also signs that state that there are no pictures or videos allowed –_​– I was so sad since I wanted to vlog but I understand they reasoning, otherwise people would just be recording everything instead of soaking it all in.
Our tour guide’s name was TRISTAN, she was so animated & an amazing tour guide. She really got into character when telling the stories about each room which I LOVED! It was quite over-​the-​top but it feeds into the mystery & spookiness of the mansion. SHE WAS SUPERB! If you are lucky enough to get her as your tour guide, you will for sure have a great tour :)
Alright, the tour was so informative & very interesting. You go with about a group of 15 – 20 people so squeezing into some of the rooms was a little but somehow we made it work.
The tour is really awesome, I totally recommend it!
After the tour they lead you into the gift shop where you can purchase the picture you took at the beginning before the tour started. It was about $ 15 for 2 large pictures & 4 mini ones, a great deal if you ask me. I was super surprised when they told us the price, I was expecting to hear $ 30+ (you know how it goes at Disneyland & what not)

The house is beautiful on the outside. Really breathtaking, especially if you enjoy older homes as I do. My husband and I did the mansion tour with Roxy, who was brand new, but seemed to do a good job as far as I would know.
The inside of the house was weird, as advertised, like a maze. There were about 10 or so other people on our tour, so it was a bit cramped most of the time. It was hard to see & really enjoy the tour due to number of participants. Some of the other people on the tour were really weird, which of course isn’t the tour’s fault. One lady actually asked the tour guide if Mrs. Winchester spied on the workers while they used the bathroom. Very odd people, but again, they can’t control who participates in the tour.
It was really disappointing to find out no photography is allowed inside the house.
Overall, I would recommend seeing this house at least once, but maybe do one of the other tours where you can take pictures. It was in the 70s outside, but pretty cold in the house, colder in some areas than others. Bring a jacket.

One of the cooler places to get your scare on while getting a free history lesson. We were promptly blown away by the personal tour, the interesting facts, and the overall presentation and preservation of such a historical landmark. I’m taking off a few stars because the tour guide was new, so the pacing and explanations were disjointed. I also felt that the tour prices were pretty expensive given the attractions we saw. I would definitely say this is a place you should experience once, but I’m not sure I’d be coming back unless I have a very compelling reason.

I hadn’t been to the Winchester Mystery House in years and years, since I was a kid, and was curious what the tour would be like as an adult. It’s still fun and weird, and it’s extra-​cool to go during December, when the mansion is decorated for Xmas.
There are two normal tours — inside the mansion and «behind the scenes,» aka the outbuildings and grounds — or you can get the big tour that includes both. I knew my BF would be interested in the outbuildings, so we did the big tour, which was the right way to go. You get to see the fruit drying shed, the generator room, the stable, the basement and boiler room, and the tour guide is more technical and happy to answer questions about how day-​to-​day life worked at the estate. He also had some interesting perspectives about the «crazy» building methods, which aren’t as dramatic as the popular legend but sounded plausible.
The regular mansion tour takes about an hour and leads you through most of the house’s 160 rooms (keeping in mind that many «rooms» only loosely fit that description). You’ll troop up and down oddly shaped steps, squeeze through narrow passages and look down through glass floors, and see the contrast between the elaborately finished main rooms and the partially destroyed areas that were abandoned after the 1906 earthquake.
It’s not really spooooky, or at least our guide wasn’t. He had a pretty well-​rehearsed, corny spiel and seemed like he was more or less rattling it off from memory, although he was happy to stop and answer questions when people asked. Although you see rooms where Sarah Winchester held her seances or where family members died, it’s not presented in a scary way, and nobody in our group had any sort of supernatural experience. So don’t go expecting scares (although the night-​time flashlight tours might be creepier).
In December, there are special holiday tours during the day and evening. The evening one sounds especially neat, because they have carolers, treats and beverages, lots of festive lights, and snowfall on the hour. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to go on that one, but it was still really cool to see the mansion decorated for the holidays. There were over a dozen trees throughout the house decorated in various themes (the kitchen had a citrus-​fruit-​themed tree and a cookie-​themed tree), plus wreaths and bows and other festive touches. It gives the house a happier feeling, especially when you hear Sarah Winchester’s sad story and realize how isolated she was.
You can wander the grounds as part of your admission, and there’s also a gun museum in the courtyard area where tours meet, although we didn’t have time to check that out. Photos are not permitted in the house but are permitted in the outbuildings and grounds, so make sure to walk around and check out the gardens and little pet tombstones! The gift shop is large and has lots of decidedly non-​creepy gifts and housewares, plus a small cafeteria serving basic snacks and drinks, and some fun old-​timey quarter machines like the penny press, fortune teller, an automated graveyard diorama, etc. It’s a good place to kill some time if you’re waiting for your tour or doing multiple tours.
It is a little on the expensive side, especially if you get both tours, but c’mon, how often are you gonna see something like this? Go for the combo tour and enjoy this uniquely oddball piece of California history.

I took a group on the tour, and I have to say that I am not crazy impressed for the amount we paid for per person. I felt that we were continually rushed to go to the next place, and we really didn’t have time to just stand back and enjoy a room before moving on. Additionally, the guide started each segment sometimes before everyone came in the room.

This is not one of the best tourist attractions in Nor Cal. You can definitely find something better to see.

I feel that this review is need of an update because I went on this tour again with a friend of mine who wanted to go and never been. This tour was much better this time. I had a different tour guide and I am telling you that can make or break the experience. This tour guide was amazing at telling the story and she was also very honest. She didn’t oversell the house being haunted. I asked after the tour if she had experienced anything and to be honest i was fully expecting some elaborate story and instead she was brutally honest and said she had never seen anything weird but she knows some of her coworkers. She said personally she is a skeptic but some unexplained things have happened and she likes to let people form their own opinion. I really liked her honesty. I also like the fact that this time we took the last tour of the day and it is a much better experience when it is dark outside. This was shortly after Christmas so the house was still decorated with beautiful Christmas trees in the rooms and it was honestly breathtaking. We even got to go outside on the balcony up top and the view was gorgeous. The fresh air was also appreciated because it can get kind of claustrophobic in the house. We didn’t get to do that on the previous tour. We spent more time in each room and really got to see everything and appreciate it. I love Victorian style homes and décor as well so of course I wanted everything in there. But honestly this tour felt like a completely different tour. I felt like it was my first time being there. I am very glad that I got to experience this again and with this tour guide, It really is a fun tour and a neat story. Not sure if I think it is haunted or not but it could be.

Been wanting to visit here for so many years and finally was able too! Enjoyed the tour; our tour guide was really nice. A little too «dramatic» but I guess that comes with the job. We walked around the grounds and took some photographs. I really wish we could take pictures inside of the mansion but we’re not allowed. It was a weird and cool mansion. Loved the history. It is a must see at least one time in your life.

Came here for a second visit with my husband. We opted for the behind the scenes tour this time. The tour through the house was just as good as the first time. Our guide was new, but thorough and entertaining. There was a 20 minute break between the house tour and behind the scenes. We went to the designated spot and waited.
Around the time the tour was supposed to start a man came running up and yelled «everyone inside» as he opened a door nearby. No introduction, nothing… yes, it was raining and he said he wanted to get everyone in, but there was a LOT of way he could have done it nicer and more professionally. Sadly his arrogance and attitude continued through the entire tour. What a disappointment. He thought he was cute, funny and entertaining, but he was really rude, arrogant and annoying. I could hardly stand it it was so horrible. I think he has worked here a long time, but perhaps he needs to have his attitude checked because I guarantee he is turning off more than just us.
Anyhow, the behind the scenes tour wasn’t really worth it and with him as a tour guide it was almost unbearably bad. I believe his name was John.
Another reason for my 2 stars this visit is that we showed up 45 min before our tour and tried to grab a bit from their café thing in the gift shop. Thankfully the cashier asked when our tour was because everything on the menu takes at least 30 minutes to serve!!! What! And it’s not even good food… I guess it takes that long to cook something frozen. Terrible.
Don’t get me wrong. I have a weird fascination with this house and would probably work here if I lived close… it’s worth the tour!!! Just don’t add the behind the scenes and don’t try to eat their food unless you have an hour or more.
This was decorated nicely for the holidays and you could even meet santa here.

For first timers, this is a must! Especially if you want to learn more about the history of the mansion.
Tips:
— not a haunted house type or scary place
— can’t take pictures or videos inside
— if you want the flashlight tours you should call well in advance for tickets
This place used to let you take pictures (maybe a few years ago) but now does not. It’s such a shame because that’s why i wanted to go. I just went on a tour of a different tourist place and they encouraged us to take photos and videos both inside and outside, so my trip was well worth it. This place on the other hand was underwhelming especially because I kind of forgot what I saw inside. Pretty sad you can’t take photos.
I would not go back because what’s the point if you do it once it’s done. No reason to come back unless you could document your stay, which you can’t.

Aside from the fact that the house is a marvel, historically and architecturally, the Winchester Mystery House and gift shop is run by some of the nicest people in the bay area. My boyfriend and I arrived 25 minutes late for the last tour of the day (we were traveling down from six flags, long story) and not only did Damon, the operations manager allow us to join the tour late, he only charged us for one ticket. A very nice gesture indeed.
The guide who was escorting us through the house to rejoin the rest of the tour was kind enough to give us some of the juicy behind the scenes gossip on the shooting of Ghost Adventures that occurred here a few years ago – which was thrilling for us – as my bf and I are real true ghost adventures nerds, and are largely out of control when it comes to the show.
After the tour, my bf and I wanted to blow all of our quarters in the cool vintage machines (fortune telling, self-​playing piano, etc) like young delinquents, but this was just as the gift shop was closing. Damon was so gracious and allowed us to return to our car to get more quarters, like the 5-​year olds that we are, so that we could indulge in all the cool vintage machines. Even my bf exclaimed, «god, it’s like everyone in LA (where we live) just wants to tell us no, but this guy (Damon) is so cool and accommodating.»
Three Cheers Winchester Mystery House!

Our tour guide, Tristan, was fantastic. Not sure if you can request tour guides but get on her tour if you can. She’s really knowledgable, animated and throws in a bit of sarcasm here and there. The house is really nicely decorated around the holidays and I heard at Halloween as well. In general, the house is full of nooks and crannys that are fun to explore and every room has a cool story associated with it. Highly recommend visiting with family or friends.

Took the mansion tour. Great tour, and interesting facts. I had a weird feeling they were making up how everything related to «13» to add extra mystery, but that is just a thought.
I feel like I didn’t know where I was in relation to how the tour started. It went from Carriage house and you wind around,
And I bet that’s how the house was built,
But I’d much rather start at the front door, or have a mad of where we are. That way we had a better feeling of how it felt to live in the place back in the day. I felt like it was backwards.

Taking the behind the scene tour is a must after the main tour of the house to get the full experience. Was surprised to find it is private owned and not a state run facility. Pricey but something everyone should experience at least once.

$ 24 adult ticket is pretty steep for a tour. The holiday tour we went on was ok with a not too sweet gingerbread cookie it came with. Idk our your guide ’ name, but she was ok. Didn’t get to see what was shown in photos or the garden. Some parts of the house were interesting, but some not like the séance room. It’s only interesting if you’re into history. Some of the restrooms you’ll see in the tour you will notice how TINY they are! Sarah Winchester stood at a petite 4′…imagine someone 5’5 with a slight booty using her restroom.
While waiting for your tour to begin, there’s outside «activities» consisting of overpriced drinks and snacks. There’s a small room for wine pairing ($ 4.35? 2pcs chocolate to try and 2 types of wine to try), green screen photos, silouete photos and balloon animals and Gift shop items with touristy merchandise and nonwinchester ripoff priced items. Parking isn’t big too, but I’ll let you figure that out.
If you know where kenji sushi or Fogo de Chão is, you’re very close to the house. I’d only recommend coming if bring out of town folks or history geeks if price doesn’t matter to you.

Its amazing how this area of San Jose has grown into a bustling neighborhood since our first visit in 1980. 35 years ago, this was out in the boonies, but on the most recent visit with my wife and youngest son, I was shocked to see Winchester House, right smack dab in the middle of everything.
The story behind Sarah Winchester’s obsession with constantly building and enlarging the house, had to do with the death of her family members and appeasing the spirits of everyone killed at the hand of a Winchester rifle. Much of which was to supposedly confound the spirits.
I was also amazed at the increase in cost to take a full tour of this place. But well worth the cost if you’re into exploring historic sites. The mansion is huge, some 160 rooms so bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Its also supposedly haunted, if that alone may deter some of you. «I ain’t scared of no ghost». And in my pre-​christian teenage years, I dealt with supernatural evil in my involvement with the occult, leading to my conversion. This during the very time The Exorcist was about to hit the movie screens.
But I digress.

We came here on a Monday and took the last tour at 5pm. Steve was our tour guide and he was phenomenal. He was very personable and made our tour very memorable. Never once did it feel like he was reciting a script. He answered all of our questions and was very knowledgable about Sarah and the house itself. If you go, try to get your tour with Steve. He had a true passion for his job and is one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had. He had a great sense of humor and made a lasting impression on my boyfriend and I as well as my friend who was visiting out of state. We will be returning to take the estate tour after the great experience we had.
The house was decorated very nice for Christmas.
Additionally, the gift shop had a lot of fun items for sale as well as fun activities such as flat pennies and collectable coins and zoltar/​psychic machines.

I’ve always wanted to visit Sarah Winchester’s mysterious maze of a house, ever since I heard about it as a child. I wanted to see firsthand, the stairs that lead to ceilings and doors that lead to nowhere.
I came here with my boyfriend and my uncle on a rainy fall day. This was an awesome time to go! The gloomy weather added to the eerie ambience as we toured this old Victorian era house.
We opted for the tours both inside and outside the house. Both tours took about an hour each with a 30 min break in between. We purchased the tickets at the souvenir store located in front of the house.
The multiple tour groups were organized like a well oiled machine. There’s a large digital board high on the back wall of the souvenir store that displays what tour group is starting to tour. You can putz around in the store until your tour begins. The groups meet outside the back of the souvenir store.
Groups are gathered into a small area in the first part of the house where the tour starts. Cheesy souvenir pics are taken here. Visitors are given the chance to pose with fake Winchester rifles, in front of a green screen. Afterwards, the image of the Winchester mansion gets placed behind you in the pic. Guests have the option to purchase the pictures in the souvenir store after the tour. I love cheese and this house, so I definitely bought the pics!
A brief intro is done by the tour guides is in this first part of the house. There are about 160 rooms inside the house and we were able to see about 110, in about an hour. Our tour guide inside the house, paced her explanations of parts of the house, according to how close the next group was to our group. However, I didn’t feel like she was rushing at all. The information was detailed, easy to follow and fascinating in content. You definitely need a guide to explain what you’re looking at in and around the house.
Overall, touring the house was like visiting a museum. For example we saw super expensive collection of antique Tiffany stained glass windows and rare one of a kind elevators. We saw hardwood floorings, fireplaces and custom laundry sinks that only someone as super wealthy could afford during that time.
After the tour inside the house, we had about a 30 min break before we did the tour of the outside of the house. We had another tour guide for this portion. I had no idea how a tour outside a house could take an hour, but I was surprised how much there was to see!
The tour outside of the house brought us to places such as the gardens, stables, car wash, fruit drying shed and cellar. Hard hats were provided as there were low ceilings and pipes in the cellar (supposedly haunted).
Both our tour guides were very knowledgable, clear speakers and kept our interest, as we maneuvered around this massive house. We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the house because it is copyrighted. However, it was okay to take pictures outside of the house and in the gardens. According to one of our tour guides, there’s a movie that will be filmed here in the next year or so! So exciting!
Overall, this tour was very well organized and very informative. It definitely went above and beyond my expectations of what I would experience. The story behind this extraordinary place is best learned while visiting the house. Check this place out! It’s definitely an experience!

Its a cute tourist attraction, and it does a good job of being just that, a cute tourist attraction. Which obviously comes with high prices, mediocore food, and a cheesy gift shop. And a gigantic billboard advertisement somewhere along HWY 80.
I was hoping for something more obscure (didn’t realize it’d be located right in the middle of San Jose) and a little more spooky (probabaly should have went for a flashlight or overnight tour, but I hear those sell out FAST).
However, we still had fun on the hour long tour, about 1 mi long walk through the mansion. The guide was very rehearsed, but spoke loud and clear, and did a good job herding a decent sized group around. No pictures though (movie rights bummer) and I didn’t see anything too crazy or weird. Its cute that the staff decorates the house though.
I wish I could be as rich as Mrs. Winchester, but without the crazy.

One of the biggest attraction to San Jose, and I’ve never been? Well at least this passed Friday at least. I’ve heard about this place for so many years, and with Halloween around the corner, finally decided to give this spot a shot.
We went all out and did the night tour with flashlights. However, we did it under the influence of alcohol and what should have been a fright fest, turned into a comedy hour. We were laughing our butts off the entire time, but still managed to enjoy the experience, but truly feel bad for those on the tour with us.
It’s really dark, but if you have solid food coordination, you’ll be fine even under the influence. There are even actors who will be walking around in full gear as ghosts. Might give you a little scare.
It is a bit pricey, but it’s a very unique experience which most should try at some point.

Loved everything about this place. Well, except the cost of admission. And our tour guide, who was a bit of an oddball with a patronizing attitude. There was a family on our tour with a baby that made some noise and he pretty much dismissed them; I hope they got their money back. Nevertheless, he was a knowledgeable guide, soft-​spoken (probably done on purpose), so you had to be standing quite close or have your hearing aid turned WAY up to hear him.
The story of Sarah Winchester is an interesting one, I’ll admit. The lady was off her rocker… but we’ve all got our quirks. Doors that lead to nowhere and windows that opened up to brick walls… I wish I could have sneaked away from the group and given myself a «private» self-​guided tour since the whole thing felt pretty rushed. Oh and before I forget, NO PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE THE HOUSE. There’s apparently a movie in the works so it has been copyrighted. I’m not sure how long they’ve been saying that and whether or not there’s truth to it, I can’t be certain.
I was disappointed to hear that none of the furniture in the house was original, since it had been auctioned off by her niece (GASP) and all the money went to charities (PHEW).
We also did the Behind the Scenes tour with Hannah, who was sweet with a clever wit. Contrary to what others have said, I really enjoyed this small, intimate group tour and walk-​through of the grounds, garage, car wash, water tower, etc. Photography is allowed in the garden and structures not attached to the house.
The gift shop is less Winchester, more tourist junk. I did get one thing: my souvenir pressed penny with the Winchester house on it. Best 51 cents spent that day. Don’t judge me, it’s going into my penny passport album along with my penny of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Yes, ticket prices are pretty steep. If you aren’t into history and walking tours of old houses, (or if you have a baby) I’d recommend you check something else out.

We got the grand tour which included inside the house and the back scene tour. I don’t really think it’s necessary to do both.
The house itself it pretty huge. Rooms for nothing, doors to no where, stairs to walls. It had a creepy feel to it but there weren’t many ghost stories. The point of the house was, Ms Winchester built the house because she felt she was being haunted by those spirits killed by her husbands guns. A medium told her that the house would be forever haunted unless she kept construction going. So she built random things to have construction continue 24 – 7. As soon as she died, construction stopped and apparently there haven’t been ghosts since. Maybe 1 but it was from one of the workers, so they believe, that worked on the land.
The tour in total was maybe 4 hours. We were exhausted from walking after all of it. I would suggest you visiting the house but 1 of the tours is really all you need. The rest of the yard you can explore on your own. Enjoy.

I have known about the Winchester Mystery house for a very long time. When I visited San Franscisco last year, I was upset that I didn’t get to visit. When I found out I was going to be in San Jose this year, I knew I’d get my chance.
The house is simply amazing. It is on a gorgeous property, with so many details it will take your breath away. The Tiffany glass windows, the hand inlaid tiles before the fire places, the curious doors and windows that go no place. All these things done to confuse and thwart angry spirits that were enraged due to the deaths brought on by the Winchester rifle.
I can’t imagine living in a house that had construction going on for 38 solid years, never ending, day and night… I imagine that sleep was a premium. The question my friends have asked me is. Did I have any experiences? The answer to that is Yes. I saw a few spectral shapes. A few. dark figures that lingered when they shouldnt be there. Shadow figures if you will, and in Sarah’s bedroom, when my back was to the wall, I felt a tapping on my left shoulder blade.
I also took the gardens tour, It was a private tour! I loved that. The gardens are beautiful, and the basement is a very… interesting place, there really is a presence there, that I can’t explain. Perhaps George truly does keep watch over the house.
By the by. one thing I noticed, perhaps it’s just that I’m used to tipping, but TIP YOUR TOUR GUIDES. They make minimum wage, they do a lot of work, if they did a good job, toss a $ 5 spot their way, in appreciation of their story telling. They’ll truly appreciate it

I heard about this mansion from a friend and decided since I’d be in Nor Cal I’d check it out. This gorgeous piece of land is just amazing to me. The mystery of why Sarah Winchester had her carpenters build for 24 hours a day for 38 years intrigued me, and I just had to see it for myself. Once you enter it is absolutely amazing, with a total of 160 rooms, gardens, two museums, and gift shop.
We decided to just do the Mansion Tour ($ 36/​adults) which includes touring 110 of the 160 rooms. Our guide, Bernard, was well versed in stories to share with us and kept us laughing. He encouraged questions that he may not have covered and was able to answer them all. The mansion and all it’s furnishings have been kept in pristine condition, absolutely gorgeous! Her eccentric designs of 13 were present in each of the rooms, from the window panes to the stairs. Stairs leading to nowhere, windows with no views, closets with no space, and the door that opens to an eight foot drop is what Sarah Winchester believed the spirits wanted her to build with her fortune, and so she did. Following the tour we spent time in the gardens, toolshed, and the firearm museum. I wish we had more time to see more of her eccentric designs.
I was glad we got there early because it did get pretty packed and the tours can only accommodate a small amount of people so you may have to wait. Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking about a mile in distance up/​down stairs, winding hallways, etc. If you have small children please keep a close eye on them, they don’t want wandering hands in order to keep the pristine furnishings in tact. Also the parking lot is small and people double parked which was a bummer trying to navigate my truck through it.
I definitely plan to come back for the Friday the 13^th Flashlight tour and hopefully see some spirits!!!

El año pasado pude darme el gusto de visitar uno de los lugares que me chico me estimulaban fuerte la imaginación: la Winchester Mistery House.
El mito urbano dice que es una de las casas mas embrujadas del mundo, ya que Sarah Winchester (viuda del creador de los rifles Winchester), tras visitar a una medium para contactar a su difunto esposo, quedó convencida de que la casa estaba maldita a causa de todas las muertes causadas por los rifles. La medium le dijo a Miss Winchester que para librarse de la maldición tenía que construir una casa pero jamás terminarla del todo, y el resultado es una de las obras arquitectónicas mas delirantes que uno pueda visitar. La casa tiene 160 cuartos, entre habitaciones, cocinas y vestíbulos, aunque solo posee UN baño. El detalle mas famoso posiblemente sean las varias escaleras y puertas que no conducen a ninguna parte, que Sarah misma diseñó para engañar a los espíritus.
Además de la casa delirante, se pueden visitar un par de museos pequeños dentro de la misma propiedad, con armas y objetos producidos por la fábrica de los Winchester. Es una experiencia interesante, aunque mis décadas de hype me jugaron en contra, ya que la experiencia en vez de ser mística y aterradora me resultó casi digna de Disneylandia, con una guía inexperta que no se acordaba el speech y un grupo de gente bastante insoportable.
Si andan por el Silicon Valley, es una opción interesante para matar un par de horas visitando un lugar realmente inusual.