Inside the Whaley House, San Diego’s Most Haunted Spot

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 honestly worried for myself about visiting a place on numerous lists as one of the most haunted places in America.

I was also flying solo that day, so there was no buffer for my fears. 

If you’re scared easily in a similar way or curious about exploring the most haunted house in San Diego, read on to see how I fared, how to book a Whaley House tour of your own, and whether a visit is worth the potential fright.

Is the Whaley House haunted?

The legendary Whaley House is supposedly one of the most haunted houses in the United States. This is what makes it special.

It has a reputation among ghosthunters as a hub for paranormal activity. That includes cold spots, orbs, and even apparitions if you’re lucky, so bring that ghost-hunting equipment.

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

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, 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 Thomas 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 as far as purported 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 of note in terms of what makes this place pretty 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 up a detailed history of both Whaley and the Whaley family home, open to the public since 1960.

The Whaley House is famous for being haunted.

It 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 — and by this I mean the spooky kind, not the kind where you stop texting someone back because that’s easier than being an adult — 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. 

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

Tours of the Whaley House

You can definitely take a tour of the famed Whaley House. Whaley House tickets to access the Whaley House ghost tour are available at the museum shop in the cottage next door.

You can also purchase reservation-based tickets online, a move I’d recommend if you’re visiting during the month of October.

There are all kinds of knick-knacks and other items in the shop for you to browse through while you’re there.

That includes books detailing just how haunted this place is based on after-hours paranormal experiences and tales of the tragedies that occurred here back in the day.

If you’re visiting on a self-guided tour, you can also just pay the kind lady for your ticket and be on your way.

You’ll get a sheet full of historical information for your tour, including information about the Greek Revival architecture you’re about to be treated to.

Choosing Your 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 is what I chose to do on my own Whaley House tour. You can walk about the house at your own pace and still speak to docents in period garb if you have any burning questions. If you’re a little chicken like me, it’ll all happen 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 related to the house and potentially 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 quick training session on “real” ghost-hunting equipment to reach whoever is waiting for you 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.

Anyway, check out posted times if you’re heading over to the Greek Revival house.

My Whaley House Tour: A Complete Review

The house itself isn’t very large.

There is a downstairs area of artifacts displayed how 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 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 a to-do 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.

Is the Whaley House scary?

The Whaley House isn’t generally scary if you’re there on a self-guided tour.

That said, I’m too big a chicken to go in the evening or even at dusk, and too cheap to go on one of their private nighttime tours. I’m also too chicken for that, and could probably find the money if I really wanted to. 

When I walked into the house, there was a group in there talking to the docent, Alex.

One of the women visiting said she hadn’t been at the house since the 1970s because of an experience she had there at that time.

She was apparently pushed down the stairs going up to the second level by a ghost set of hands.

Red marks on her back at the time proved it, she said. If she wasn’t caught by a friend with her at the time, who knows where she’d be?

Today was the day she conveniently decided to show up, the same day I was brave enough for my own visit.

I walked behind the woman while she walked up the stairs with her group, thinking that was safer for me somehow. 

I realize the woman can’t provide receipts of those red marks on her back from back in the day, but in these scenarios, I find it best to just err on the side of believing what I’m hearing. 

Done with my own tour, I chatted with Alex, the docent, for a bit more.

I asked him if he had ever experienced any spooky things during his tenure there. He said he has SO many stories.

He then asked me where I felt the most uneasy. I told him upstairs because of that ghost lady’s story AND the creepy dolls on the bed in one of the rooms there. 

Alex then launches into a scary story of his own.

If it were dark he would’ve needed a flashlight, because that was the kind of tone happening here.

The story begins with Alex opening the house one morning.

He was setting up the fan that blows in the theater upstairs when he saw a woman pass by in the doorway, dressed in old-timey garb.

He thought it was Pat, another docent who works at the house with him, who is typically dressed in her old-timey garb because that’s just how she rolls, and what she’s paid to do.

Alex calls out for Pat, to no answer. 

He calls for her again, no answer.

Finally, he comes downstairs and finds Pat, milling around doing something or other. He asks her if she was upstairs at any point in the morning. 

Pat says no.

At this point, I asked Alex if Pat was messing with him, because she seemed like the type, what with her being in character and all.

Alex said she wasn’t, that she wasn’t actually the type to be messing around, and I was wrong to assume that about her.

Note: It seemed like maybe he had a story like that for whatever room I had told him creeped me out. Perhaps he’s really haunted by a mysterious old-timey woman. I can’t say, but either way, his life is quite intriguing.

In any case, the house gave me weird vibes.

I’m not a true believer when it comes to the spirit realm, but that doesn’t mean I want to be upsetting them by poo-pooing their haunting abilities while visiting the Whaley House.

Nothing but respect, Mr. Whaley.

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 available.
• 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.

More San Diego Ghost Tours

The Old Town Trolley tours run more than 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 of you.

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:

Can you stay at the Whaley House?

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.

Visitors can take Whaley House haunted evening tours on a 40-minute guided tour, but that’s as close are you’re going to get to an overnight there.

To that, I say, “OK!” I’m fine with my self-guided, middle-of-the-day tour of this haunted house in Old Town.

Where to Stay in Old Town

I may have ruined your dreams of staying overnight in a haunted house, but you can stay in Old Town.

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 handing around Old Town? Check out my preferred spots in my Old Town guide!

The Whaley House is worth the trip.

It’s cheap, first of all. When I visited, it was only $10. While it’s gone up a few bucks since I’m sure you spend more than that on more ridiculous things.

It’s a historical house, first of all, 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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