Whaley House Tour: Inside San Diego’s Haunted House

I lived in San Diego for seven years, so I had plenty of time to explore the city’s more unusual attractions. One of those was the Whaley House.

As someone who has a difficult time walking the dog after I’ve watched a scary movie or a particularly thrilling Law & Order, I was a little nervous. The historic house in Old Town is one of San Diego’s most famous landmarks, but it’s also potentially haunted.

So, what is a Whaley House tour actually like? Here’s what to expect, including what you’ll see inside, the stories you’ll hear, and whether I think it’s worth visiting.

Whaley House Tour: At a Glance

Planning a Whaley House tour? Here’s some essential info before you go:

• Location: Old Town San Diego
• Tour type: Self-guided or guided (my tour was self-guided)
• Time needed: Allow about an hour for self-guided
• Best for: History buffs and anyone interested in San Diego’s haunted history
• Good to know: Tour availability and hours can vary. Book online before you go.

What is the Whaley House?

The Whaley House is a historic home in San Diego’s Old Town that dates back to 1857. Built by Thomas Whaley, the house served as a family home and a place of business, including a general store and San Diego’s first commercial theater.

Today, the Whaley House is a historic house museum. But it’s also considered one of San Diego’s most haunted places, with reported sightings and other paranormal activity adding a spooky layer to a visit.

What to Expect on the Whaley House Tour

I took the daytime self-guided Whaley House tour, which let me explore the house at my own pace. Here’s what you can expect to see inside.

The house itself isn’t very large. There is a downstairs area displaying artifacts as they might have been in 1868-1871. Display cases show the kinds of things sold in the general store that existed there back in the day.

Of course, there were dead-eyed dolls for sale back then. OF COURSE. What else would a child in that era need or want?

One of the first things I saw in the old general store was an old book of family photos. Apparently, the Whaley family found it impossible not to take a creepy photo. 

Moving on, you’ll see the family’s old dining room and the kitchen.

A parlor with a light flickering off in the study sets quite an ominous mood. I later learned that the study is where Thomas’ daughter, 22-year-old Violet, was laid out after shooting herself on the surrounding grounds. 

Thanks for that, Alex the docent.

Going up the stairs, which much ado has been made about on all the TV shows, you’ll find the bedrooms.

Of course, there are more creepy dolls, sitting there on those bedspreads like that’s a normal thing for a doll with this level of creepiness to do.

You’ll also find the commercial theater, which was the first commercial theater of its kind until the theater troupe’s leader died shortly after it opened.

What else would he do in a haunted house?

Fun fact: The only fright in that room today is how cheap theater tickets used to be. There is a sign posted boasting tickets for sale for 50 cents.

The skeletons in there give things a nice touch on Whaley House tours, although I’m not sure whether they were moved in just for the season.

Choosing Your Whaley House Tour

The Whaley House offers a few different types of tours depending on whether you want a historical or spooktacular tour of the property.

Those include:

• Whaley House Daytime Self-Guided Tour: This was my pick. You can walk around the house at your own pace and still speak to docents in period garb if you have any burning questions. If you’re chicken like me, it’s all in daylight, too.
• Whaley House Evening Guided Tour: The Whaley House doesn’t offer guided daytime tours, so if you’d like to walk about with a docent, this is your best bet. You’ll learn about any myths and misconceptions and get into some spooky fun.
• Whaley House After Hours Paranormal Investigation: Learn the darker side of the Whaley House history on this small group tour. You’ll get a training session on “real” ghost-hunting equipment to reach those waiting on the other side.

Hours for a self-guided visit to the Whaley House vary a bit by season, with extended hours and special events during Halloween time.

Generally, the house is open 10am-9:30pm, with a break in the evening for the docents to get some grub or whatever haunted house docents do. Maybe they tell each other spooky ghost stories in the glow of a flashlight. I really don’t know.

Is the Whaley House haunted?

The Whaley House has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures as one of the most haunted houses in America. It’s also why Regis Philbin overnighted there for an episode of The Haunting Of… on the Biography Network.

Fun fact: Philbin was there for a second time following an encounter with Whaley’s wife Anna Eloise at the house in the 1960s.

Evidence of ghosting (the spooky kind, not the kind where you stop texting someone back)has been found back to the Thomas Whaley days. Historical records show the family members would report unexplained footsteps throughout the house.

I wonder then if ol’ Tom had any regrets about being a spectator at Yankee Jim’s hanging. 

I’m not sure what I believe when it comes to haunted houses, but I’m not going to go out of my way and say I don’t believe. I don’t want to offend anyone or make myself all available for a haunting.

That said, while I was a little creeped out moving through the property on my tour, I didn’t see, feel, or hear anything that would prove this unique legacy site is haunted.

READ MORE: Love historical stops? You may enjoy Julian, an old mining town and easy San Diego day trip.

The History of the Whaley House

The history of the Whaley House starts with Thomas Whaley, who started construction on the family home back in 1856. It was completed by 1857, making it one of the oldest homes in San Diego.

At that time, it was a place of business and a residence of Whaley, a New York entrepreneur who came to California during the Gold Rush.

The Old Town house he ended up purchasing in 1855 would serve as a shop, a granary, a courthouse, and a theater. Those were all very fun things that added to the vibrancy of the neighborhood at that time.

It was also the site of the public hanging of an alleged boat thief, James “Yankee Jim” Robinson, and where one of Whaley’s daughters, Violet, committed suicide.

Note: Violet suffered from depression, exacerbated by her con artist husband.

A number of the Whaley family members, including Thomas Jr., who came down with scarlet fever as a baby, also died in the house. You can likely see where I’m going with this regarding the hauntings.

Although it wasn’t that uncommon to die at home back in the day, the reported crying dead baby sounds today are less common, and part of what makes this place creepy.

The place’s significance as a historic house museum makes it an important stop on any Old Town itinerary, but I’m here for the spooky stuff. The Whaley House Museum is a good place to start for a primer on what makes this place so intriguing.

It offers a detailed history of both Whaley and the Whaley family home, open to the public since 1960.

Is the Whaley House scary?

The Whaley House isn’t particularly scary if you visit during the day on a self-guided tour. That said, I wasn’t there to sign up for one of their private nighttime tours.

When I visited, a group was chatting with Alex, one of the docents. One of the women told him she hadn’t been back to the Whaley House since the 1970s because of an experience she’d had there.

She claimed she was pushed down the stairs to the second level by a pair of ghostly hands, leaving red marks on her back.

I have no way of verifying a story from nearly 50 years ago, but I figured it was best not to question it while I was standing inside a supposedly haunted house.

After my tour, I chatted with Alex and asked whether he’d ever experienced anything strange himself. He said he had plenty of stories. When I told him the upstairs was the part of the house that made me most uneasy, he shared one of his own.

One morning, while opening the house, Alex was setting up the fan in the upstairs theater when he saw a woman walk past the doorway wearing old-fashioned clothing. He assumed it was Pat, another docent, and called out to her.

There was no answer.

When Alex eventually went downstairs, he found Pat there. She told him she hadn’t been upstairs that morning.

Was it a ghost? Who knows. But standing in the Whaley House listening to that story, I wasn’t going to tempt anyone to prove anything to me.

Whaley House Tour Logistics

Before you go, here are a few more things to note about the Whaley House:

• The Whaley House is on San Diego Avenue in Old Town, an adorable part of town with nightmarish parking. If you’re not wary of parallel parking uphill, I’ve had the most luck on Juan Street if you’re seeking free parking.
• No, you don’t need to book tickets in advance for a self-guided day tour until you’re traveling very close to Halloween. Reservation-based tickets for guided experiences are never a bad idea.
• While you’re here and near Old Town State Historic Park, you can also check out the old Victorian homes in Heritage County Park. Pop in for some tea time at the Coral Tree Tea House if you’re fancy.
• Once you’re done with your tour, take some time to check out the grounds outside. The Derby-Pendleton House and trees in the back, planted by the Whaley kids, are quite beautiful.
• The New Orleans Creole Cafe on the property is also worth a visit if you’re hungry after your ghost-hunting tours. They have yummy-sounding gumbo on the menu.

Where to Stay in Old Town

You can’t stay overnight at the historic Whaley House on your San Diego trips, no matter how much you spent on the latest ghost-hunting equipment. You can stay in Old Town, though, which should be close enough to a haunted house.

We lived near these parts, in hipster North Park to be exact, but I do have some suggestions. Check out the map below:

READ MORE: Interested in wandering around Old Town? Check out my preferred spots in my Old Town guide!

More San Diego Ghost Tours

The Old Town Trolley tours run more than just historic tours around San Diego. They have a San Diego Ghosts and Gravestones ghost tour that takes you to various notorious spots throughout the city, including the Whaley House.

It allows you to experience the house with a guide on a trolley tour that requires little effort on your part.

Their San Diego City Lights Night Tour is more romantic than spooky, taking you through the city at night on one of the company’s most popular Old Town Trolley tours.

Want to comparison-shop a few San Diego ghost tours? Check out these options:

Is the Whaley House tour worth it?

Yes, I think a Whaley House tour is worth it, especially if you’re already spending time in Old Town San Diego.

It’s cheap, first of all. While the prices have gone up a few bucks since my visit, I’m sure you spend more than that on more ridiculous things.

It’s a historical house, too, and that’s inherently interesting. That’s what makes it one of the most popular San Diego attractions before any of the spooky stuff.

Add on top of that the haunted layer, and it’s a fun outing. I’d even call it one of the best tours San Diego has to offer, and certainly one of the best historical haunted house tours around the country.

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