Haunted San Diego County: Ghost Stories, Haunted Hotels & Paranormal Legends
San Diego may shine in the sun as America’s Finest City, but when night falls, its historic homes, lighthouses, hotels, and cemeteries tell a much darker story. From Old Town’s gallows to Coronado’s most famous ghost, here are the most haunted locations in San Diego County — complete with history, legends, and the spirits said to remain.
Whaley House — Old Town San Diego
Visit: Whaley House Museum – open daily for daytime and evening ghost tours.
History: Built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley, this Greek Revival mansion stands on the site where “Yankee Jim” Robinson was hanged in 1852 for attempted horse theft. The Whaleys endured tragedy after tragedy: their store burned down, their young son Thomas Jr. died of scarlet fever, and daughter Violet took her own life in 1885 after a scandalous failed marriage. The house also served as San Diego’s first courthouse, theater, and general store, ensuring thousands of footsteps passed through its rooms.
Spirits: “Yankee Jim” is said to stomp loudly across the second floor, his heavy boots echoing as though on the gallows. Visitors report seeing Violet Whaley, often described as pale and sorrowful, drifting across upstairs bedrooms. Guests smell phantom cigar smoke thought to belong to Thomas Whaley, and children’s laughter is heard when no children are present. The Whaley House is widely called the most haunted house in America.
Hotel del Coronado — Coronado Island
Visit: Hotel del Coronado – stay overnight or book their “Haunted Happenings Tour.”
History: This Victorian seaside resort opened in 1888 and quickly became one of California’s crown jewels. Its most infamous guest, Kate Morgan, checked in under an alias in 1892. She claimed she was waiting for her lover, who never arrived. Five days later, she was found dead on the steps to the beach with a gunshot wound. Official reports labeled it suicide, but locals whispered about murder and betrayal. Her story became one of California’s most enduring ghost legends.
Spirits: Kate Morgan’s ghost is spotted most often near her guestroom, where lights flicker and televisions turn on and off by themselves. Guests say they see a woman in black lace wandering hallways and descending staircases. On stormy nights, she is said to appear on the beach, looking out at the waves for the man who never came.
Old Point Loma Lighthouse — Cabrillo National Monument
Visit: Cabrillo National Monument – lighthouse museum open daily.
History: Built in 1855 on a cliff overlooking the bay, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse was meant to guide ships safely into San Diego. But because of its high elevation, fog often obscured the light. In 1891, the beacon was extinguished forever and a new lighthouse was built closer to the water. For 36 years, keepers and their families lived in near isolation, facing illness, hardship, and violent storms. Some never left.
Spirits: Visitors hear heavy bootsteps pacing the floors, as if a lighthouse keeper is still on duty. Cold gusts sweep through closed rooms, and low moans echo from stairwells. Paranormal groups report shadowy figures watching from upstairs windows after hours. Many believe the most dedicated keeper, Robert Decatur Israel, continues to guard the tower.
Grand Colonial Hotel — La Jolla
Visit: Grande Colonial Hotel – a luxury seaside hotel in La Jolla Village. Guests can stay overnight, dine at its restaurant, or simply visit its historic lobby.
History: Opened in 1913 as The Colonial Apartments and Hotel, the Grande Colonial has stood watch over La Jolla’s coastline for more than a century. Over time, it expanded to include annexes, kitchens, and restaurants, serving as a social hub for visitors and locals alike. Unlike some of San Diego’s haunted landmarks tied to violent deaths, the Grande Colonial’s haunted reputation grew from decades of guest anecdotes and staff reports. Its long history and constant renovations seem to have stirred up lingering energy.
Spirits: Guests and staff have reported phantom phone calls to the front desk from rooms known to be vacant, often around 2:00 a.m., with silence on the other end. Apparitions are frequently described: a well-dressed couple in early 20th-century attire — a man in a tuxedo and top hat, and a woman in a gown — seen strolling the hallways before vanishing. Another apparition, a woman in a lace dress sometimes called “Abigail,” has been spotted brushing a child’s hair in an upstairs hallway. The kitchen and restaurant areas are also hot spots: stoves turning on and off, cabinets opening by themselves, and utensils clattering without cause. Staff and guests alike report footsteps in empty corridors, laughter in unoccupied rooms, and doors swinging open above the North Annex bakery. The Grande Colonial doesn’t have a tragic “one-ghost origin story” like the Whaley House or Hotel del Coronado. Instead, its hauntings feel layered — fragments of its many decades as a seaside inn. Today, it remains one of La Jolla’s most elegant hotels, where a stay might come with a brush of the paranormal.
William Heath Davis House — Gaslamp Quarter
Visit: Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House – open for historical and ghost tours.
History: Built in 1850, this pre-fabricated wooden home was shipped from Maine to San Diego during the Gold Rush. Over its long history, it served as a family residence, temporary lodging, and a makeshift hospital where many patients died. Its central Gaslamp location meant it witnessed the city’s rough-and-tumble past, from gunfights to gambling halls.
Spirits: Guests frequently see a Victorian woman standing silently in upstairs bedrooms. Lights mysteriously turn on even when power is cut. Staff report feeling watched while working alone, and tour groups often capture unexplained orbs and shadows in photos. The museum embraces its haunted reputation, making it one of the Gaslamp’s spookiest stops.
Villa Montezuma —Sherman Heights
Visit: Villa Montezuma Museum – limited public tours hosted by the City of San Diego.
History: Built in 1887 for pianist and spiritualist Jesse Shepard (pen name Francis Grierson), the mansion was designed with Gothic architecture and elaborate stained glass windows. Shepard often hosted séances and spiritual concerts, claiming to channel composers like Mozart and Chopin as he played. He moved away after only a year, and subsequent owners faced bankruptcies and misfortune, fueling talk of a curse.
Spirits: Phantom piano music has been heard drifting from empty rooms, as though Shepard himself returned to perform. A man in a grey suit is spotted in the tower, sometimes peering from the windows. Visitors also report sudden cold spots, strange reflections in the stained glass, and the overwhelming sense of a presence lingering during tours.
Horton Grand Hotel — Gaslamp Quarter
Visit: Horton Grand Hotel – book a stay and request haunted Room 309.
History: Originally two separate hotels built in the 1880s, the Horton Grand was reconstructed brick-by-brick in the 1980s. Legends tell of gambler Roger Whitaker, who cheated in a high-stakes card game, was shot, and hid in an armoire in Room 309 where he died. His spirit, it seems, checked out but never left.
Spirits: Guests in Room 309 describe beds shaking violently, bathrooms turning icy cold, and armoires swinging open on their own. Staff have witnessed a man in a frock coat wandering the halls before vanishing. Other sightings include ghostly women descending staircases, perhaps former visitors or entertainers from the hotel’s rowdier past.
US Grant Hotel — Downtown San Diego
Visit: The US Grant Hotel – part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection.
History: Opened in 1910 by Ulysses S. Grant Jr., this elegant hotel was meant to honor his presidential father. Within a year of opening, Grant’s wife Fannie died suddenly, and whispers began that she never left the building. The US Grant has since hosted presidents, celebrities, and dignitaries — and perhaps a few guests from beyond.
Spirits: Staff and guests alike report phantom footsteps in empty corridors, shadowy figures in ballroom mirrors, and cold breezes sweeping through sealed rooms. While less dramatic than other hauntings, the presence here feels refined, as though the hotel’s past elite clientele still linger in the lobby.
Star of India — San Diego Bay
Visit: Maritime Museum of San Diego – tour the Star of India and other historic ships.
History: Built in 1863, the Star of India is the world’s oldest active sailing ship. Its long voyages were plagued by sickness, storms, and accidents. A young sailor was killed when he fell from the rigging; a cook was crushed in the galley; and immigrant children died during transoceanic crossings.
Spirits: Visitors report shadowy sailors climbing rigging that vanishes into the air. The sound of boots pacing the wooden decks is common after hours. Children’s cries have been heard from the cabins, though no children are aboard. The ship’s haunted reputation makes it a centerpiece of San Diego’s ghost lore.
El Campo Santo Cemetery — Old Town San Diego
Visit: El Campo Santo Cemetery – free and open daily.
History: Established in 1849, this Catholic cemetery was once one of San Diego’s main burial grounds. When streets were paved over in the 1880s, many graves were covered by asphalt, leaving bodies beneath modern sidewalks.
Spirits: Visitors often see glowing orbs and ghostly figures along the perimeter walls. Cars parked on the road nearby sometimes stall mysteriously, blamed on restless spirits beneath the pavement. Paranormal investigators consider El Campo Santo one of the most active haunted sites in Old Town.
Julian’s Haunted Inns — East San Diego County
Visit: Visit Julian – several historic inns welcome overnight guests.
History: The mountain town of Julian boomed during the 1870s gold rush. Hotels, saloons, and brothels sprang up overnight, and with them came mining accidents, violence, and tragedy.
Spirits: Guests at Julian’s historic inns report slamming doors, phantom footsteps in empty hallways, and figures in frontier-era clothing standing at the foot of beds. The town embraces its spooky side, offering haunted history tours in the fall.
Cosmopolitan Hotel — Old Town San Diego
Visit: Cosmopolitan Hotel & Restaurant – stay overnight or dine in the historic restaurant. Ghost tours in Old Town frequently stop here.
History: Originally built in the 1820s as Casa de Bandini, this adobe home was the residence of Don Juan Bandini, a wealthy Californio rancher and politician. In the 1860s it was expanded into a two-story hotel, making it one of San Diego’s earliest and most fashionable inns. Over the decades, the building served as a stagecoach stop, boarding house, and saloon before being restored as the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Spirits: Guests and staff report apparitions of a woman believed to be Ysidora Bandini, Juan Bandini’s daughter, often seen on the second floor in Victorian dress. Phantom footsteps echo in empty hallways, and rocking chairs are said to move on their own. Some visitors claim to hear laughter and clinking glasses from the old saloon, long after closing hours.
Spreckels Theatre — Downtown San Diego
Visit: Spreckels Theatre – still operating as a live performance venue in downtown San Diego.
History: Opened in 1912 by sugar magnate John D. Spreckels as a gift to the city, this lavish 1,900-seat theater was one of the grandest in California. It has hosted vaudeville acts, Hollywood premieres, Broadway shows, and concerts for over a century. Its backstage tunnels, dressing rooms, and balconies hold generations of stories.
Spirits: Ushers and stagehands report shadowy figures watching from balconies when the theater is empty. Phantom applause has been heard after rehearsals, and ghostly voices call out backstage. One of the most common tales is of a female apparition seen drifting through dressing rooms, sometimes accompanied by the scent of roses.
Balboa Park — Museums & Theatres
Visit: Balboa Park – San Diego’s cultural hub, free to walk through, with museums and theaters open daily.
History: Built for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park is home to Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, theaters, and museums. Over its 100+ years, it has seen everything from world fairs to military use during World War II, leaving behind layers of history.
Spirits: Multiple buildings within the park are rumored to be haunted. The San Diego Museum of Us is said to echo with phantom footsteps and voices after hours. The Casa del Prado Theatre has reports of ghostly figures onstage and in the wings, spooking actors during performances. Visitors often feel sudden cold drafts in otherwise warm hallways, as though unseen figures are moving through the park.
Mt. Woodson Castle (Amy Strong Castle) — Ramona
Visit: Mt. Woodson Castle – today a popular wedding and events venue in Ramona.
History: Built in 1921 for dressmaker Amy Strong, this stone castle was constructed with local materials and designed to blend with the landscape. Strong was known for her eccentric flair and often hosted parties at the estate. After her death, the property passed through multiple owners, adding to its air of mystery.
Spirits: Guests and event staff report doors opening and closing on their own, mysterious cold spots, and flickering lights. Some claim to see the figure of Amy Strong herself, wandering the halls during weddings or events. Brides have even reported catching glimpses of a woman in period dress watching from balconies.
Del Mar Fairgrounds – Horse Stables
Visit: Del Mar Fairgrounds – open seasonally for the San Diego County Fair and year-round horse racing events.
History: Established in the 1930s, the fairgrounds became a major entertainment hub for the county. During World War II, the U.S. military used the grounds as a training facility, leaving behind another layer of history. The horse stables in particular have long been tied to ghost stories.
Spirits: Staff and riders report hearing phantom hoofbeats echoing in empty stables, ghostly whinnies from horses that aren’t there, and shadowy figures moving between stalls. Some also describe sightings of men in WWII uniforms drifting across the grounds, a reminder of the site’s wartime use.
Haunted San Diego: More Than Sunshine
From the Whaley House in Old Town to the ghost of Kate Morgan at Hotel del Coronado, San Diego County is one of California’s richest regions for haunted history. Whether you’re interested in haunted hotels in San Diego, historic cemeteries, or local legends like Proctor Valley Road, the region’s past comes alive every October — and some say, all year long.
This Halloween, tour more than just haunted houses — tour real ones. Contact me for a curated list of San Diego homes, with or without ghosts.
Haunted San Diego FAQ
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The Whaley House in Old Town San Diego is often called the most haunted house in America. Built on the site of a public execution, it has been the subject of countless ghost sightings, including “Yankee Jim” Robinson and members of the Whaley family.
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Yes! The Grand Colonial Hotel, Hotel del Coronado, and the Horton Grand Hotel are operating hotels where guests can book overnight stays. Many visitors request specific “haunted rooms,” like Room 309 at the Horton Grand, to experience paranormal activity firsthand.
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Yes. The Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla has embraced its haunted reputation. Guests and staff report phantom phone calls from empty rooms, apparitions of a well-dressed couple in early 20th-century attire, and a woman in lace known as “Abigail” appearing in upstairs corridors. The kitchen is also said to be active, with stoves and cabinets operating on their own.
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Absolutely. San Diego offers several guided ghost tours, especially around Old Town San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the Whaley House Museum. These tours highlight haunted locations and share the city’s darker history.
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Yes, many paranormal investigators and visitors report activity at El Campo Santo Cemetery in Old Town. Cold spots, ghostly figures, and even cars stalling nearby have been attributed to disturbed graves beneath the pavement.
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The Proctor Valley Monster is San Diego’s most famous urban legend, said to haunt the rural road between Jamul and Chula Vista. Descriptions range from a hairy Bigfoot-like creature to a horned beast. Drivers have reported glowing eyes in the brush and phantom vehicles vanishing into the night.
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The Star of India, docked at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, is considered one of the most haunted ships in the world. Visitors report shadowy sailors, phantom footsteps on deck, and even children’s cries in the lower cabins.
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Many ghost tours and haunted attractions run year-round, but October is the most popular month thanks to Halloween. Evening tours and late-night investigations offer the most atmospheric experiences.
