Haunted California: Your Guide To Golden State's Scariest Spots

CALIFORNIA — When nightmares bleed into the California Dream, they may take the form of a ghostly Marilyn Monroe, a lady in white enforcing a 150-year-old curse, infamous murder houses, haunted hotels and famous landmarks with grisly secrets and restless spirits. When it comes to the spooktacular, the Golden State takes the gold.

From the spectral sightings at the Hotel del Coronado to the tortured maze that is the Winchester Mystery House, there are truly eerie haunts to be found across the state.

Howard Hughes allegedly haunts his old offices at The Hollywood Pantages Theatre, and Monroe is known to wander The Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. The former Cecil Hotel — now called Stay on Main — was once home to the Night Stalker and site of mysterious and grisly deaths and inspired a season of "American Horror Story."

At one of California’s oldest operating hotels, a brazen ghost is said to tap unwitting guests.
And the Golden Gate Bridge? Well, she’s lured more than 1,600 people to their watery graves.

If you are looking to travel the state on a spooky quest or find an eerie landmark closer to home this Halloween, Patch has you covered with the best of haunted California.

Here are xxx California haunts you don’t want to miss.

1. Griffith Park — The Haunted And Cursed — Heart Of Los Angeles

The stomping grounds of many a killer and the final resting place of many a victim, some say Griffith Park is haunted. Others say it's the 1863 curse of Dona Petronilla, disinherited niece of wealthy land baron Don Antonio Feliz, who vowed that none would ever prosper from the land, which would be the death of those who crossed her.

2. San Diego's "Haunted" Whaley House Goes Virtual For Halloween

Although the Whaley House is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the popular attraction offers virtual programs this Halloween.

3. Want To Meet A Presidential Ghost? Book This Hotel Room

San Francisco’s storied Palace Hotel hosted presidents and movie stars. Some, it’s said, didn't check out.

4. The Burlington Hotel: Haunted Or Not?

It is one of the oldest operating hotels in California, which some say could explain "the invisible figure who taps guests on the shoulder."

5. L.A.'s Legendary Murder Mansion

For more than half a century, the mansion remained a macabre monument to a shocking crime scene.

6. Is The Historic Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica Hotel Haunted?

The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica opened in 1933, and some say that some guests never left.

7. The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow In Santee

Forget the map — even Google can't help you find Sleepy Hollow in Santee. But longtime residents know its lore.

8. An Architectural Landmark Linked to the Black Dahlia Murder

A retired LAPD detective claimed his father tortured and killed Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, and many others in the Frank Lloyd T. Wright Jr.-designed Sowden House. A bug planted in the home during the Black Dahlia murder investigation allegedly captured screams and a confession.

9. The Winchester Mystery House Is Spooky, But The History Behind It Is Suspect

A South Bay historian who authored the first full-length biography of Sarah Winchester questioned the Winchester Mystery House's lore.

10. Is A Forsaken Caretaker Haunting His Former Little Tokyo Church?

Who threw an earring and disrupted an audition at the L.A. site?

11. Haunted Greystone Mansion To Host "Hocus Pocus" Drive-In

The site of one of Beverly Hills' most notorious unsolved deaths will host a spooky movie for Halloween.

12. The Randy Ghost And The Actor Who Killed At The Liberty Theater In Los Alamitos

Paranormal experts have investigated the Liberty Theater in Los Alamitos, where a World War II-era woman was spotted again and again, and a ghostly sailor haunted buxom actresses. And that was before a condemned actor murdered his friend and stashed the body in the theater before taking the stage.

13. The Haunted History Behind The Hollywood Roosevelt

The spirit of Marilyn Monroe is said to haunt the hallways at one of Hollywood's most notable hotels.

14. Macabre Cecil Hotel, Famed For Its Murders and Murderers, Is A Historic Monument

The Cecil Hotel, the inspiration for a season of "American Horror Story" and home of the Night Stalker during his murder spree, was also the site of a series of eerie deaths over the decades. It has reopened under a new name: Stay on Main.

15. Do You Dare Trick Or Treat At The Witch's House In Laguna Beach?

The architectural oddity on Wave Street in North Laguna is a one-of-a-kind spooky charmer.

PLUS:

10 Bay Area Haunts To Visit This October

Take a socially distanced walk around some of these famed Bay Area haunted houses, parks and landmarks this spooky season.

Haunted South Orange County: Where Are The Haunts In Your Area?

Need some Halloween-related fun to keep your spooky season going?

Knott's Scary Farm Delivers The Screams, Tickets Still Available

There is still time to visit Knott's Scary Farm for thrills, chills and a good dose of terror.

Patch Editor Kat Schuster contributed to this report.