Day Trip: Winchester Mystery House

If you've ever wanted to visit the Winchester Mystery House, the weeks leading up to Halloween are prime time — with seasonal Fright Nights and tours lit only by flashlight added to the schedule at the legendary "haunted house."

The strange and unconventional mansion at 525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, was designed and built by the heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Winchester House has 160 rooms, 40 staircases, 2,000 doors, 40 bedrooms, six kitchens and an array of random and weird architectural installations. Sarah Winchester, who reportedly thought she could stave off death if the mansion was never finished, kept hammers pounding as the house was built and rebuilt for nearly 40 years 

Ticket for the Grand Estate, Mansion and Behind the Scenes tours are available year-round. Tours begin each day at 9 a.m. Adult tickets range from $27 to $35 and children's tickets, for ages 6-12, are $20 to $30. There is a snack shop and store inside the mansion.

Fright Nights at the Winchester Mystery House begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and continues on these dates:  Oct. l, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31. The grounds of the estate will be transformed into a haunting experience with attractions, performers and tales. Tickets range from $15 for general admission to the “Curse of Sarah Winchester Maze” to $60 for a combination ticket including VIP admission to the maze and the “Halloween Flashlight Tour.”  

The Flashlight Tour has been a mainstay of the mansion's seasonal Fright Nights event for over a decade. Lindsey Huffman, marketing coordinator for the Winchester Mystery House, said the 65-minute Flashlight Tour is similar to the mansion tour but with all the lights out.

"Guests are given a free flashlight for the tour, and they can take it home," she said.  "There will be many different tales told on the tour.”

The Winchester “Curse of Sarah Winchester Maze” is debuting this year. It's a 15 to 20-minute interactive, multi-sensory experience.

"We're excited about the addition of the maze," said Huffman. “Many of the (maze) props have been made just for us. Elements in the maze that tie into the Winchester story,” said Huffman. 

Call the Winchester Mystery House at 408-247-2101 for more information.

Depending on the hour, after the Winchester tour you might walk across the street and wander through the shops and restaurants of Santana Row. You can even take in a movie at the Century’s CineArts 6 at Santana Row, an art and indie house featuring independent, documentary, foreign and art films.