Jason turned 17 on Tuesday, October 13th. Since the kids love to do unusual things for their birthdays (last year we went to Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz) I got the boys and I tickets for the flashlight tour of the Winchestery Mystery House, timing it so we were in the heart of the house at midnight (cause I’m awesome like that!) They only do the flashlight tours on Friday the 13ths and weekends during the month of October. It’s considered one of the most haunted houses in America (according to who? I have no idea. But it adds to the excitement, so whatever!) I grew up in San Jose and have been on the tour several times over my lifetime, but never the flashlight tour. It’s even on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list (#22). Look over at the sidebar there – oh yeah, it’s officially crossed off! Boo-yah!
We arrived about 20 minutes before our tour was scheduled to start and killed some time testing our psychic powers!
They also had some DVD packs for the different years people were born.
Note Flickback to 1970:
Movies – Airport, M*A*S*H, Love Story
Television – All My Children, The Partridge Family, Monday Night Football
Music – American Woman (Guess Who), ABC (Jackson 5), Let It Be (The Beatles)
Cars – The Gremlin and The Pinto
Also born in 1970: Kelly Ripa, Matt Damon, Vince Vaughn
Eagerly awaiting our tour. Can’t you just feel the excitement eminating from them?!
Quick look inside the Winchester Historic Firearms Museum. The Winchester Mystery House is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of those killed by the Winchester guns.
Me trying to get a spooky picture… doesn’t really have the same effect with the flash on…
Ah, much better! I will be auditioning for the role of Ms. Joker in the next Batman.
The tour starts in the carriage house, which is bigger than our home.
Winchester family tree – just because.
Getting pictures of my boys’ actual faces had to be done on the sly. The minute they saw the camera, backs were turned and hood were put up.
Ah, but I am stealthy like ninja!
Just one of the oddities this house is so famous for – the staircase that leads to nowhere.Yep, right up to the ceiling.
Bed where Sarah Winchester died – oooooohhhhhhh, soooo spooky. We entered this room exactly at midnight. And…. nothing. No ghosts, no rattling chains, no floating candelabras.
Total let-down!
Taken from one of the second floor balconies.
The only real damage from the Loma Prieta quake was some broken bricks at the base of this chimney – interesting note, we were there on the 20 year anniversary of the Loma Prieta: October 17, 1989. And yet, not so much as a tremor. The house did sustain much more significant damage during the 1906 quake. But that had happened on April 18th, so we weren’t expecting any coincidences there.
There must be a thousand staircases throughout the house – no wonder there was no obesity epidemic back in the early 1900s!
I threatened to make them walk home if they didn’t at least pose for one last picture. Since it was 1 a.m. and we live about 80 miles away across at least one major bay area bridge, they grudgingly obliged.
I just thought this was totally awesome – it’s a Gingerbread replica of the house!
If you ever visit San Francisco, be sure to add this to your must see list! Its just about 40 miles south and at least as interesting as Alcatraz, without the fog and freezing boat trip.
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How cool, I have always wanted to go to that house!
This looks really neat, my son would love visiting this house. Happy you were able to get those pics of your kids. Yeah the stairs would've killed me. lol. Course I normally trip down mine so I guess walking down them wouldn't be an issue.