Winchester Mystery House

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californiaconnie

Joined 6 years ago

Winchester House Mystery Tour, San Jose, CA. Great tour, knowledgeable guides. However, not sure about the"mystery" part! Seems to me that the true Sarah Winchester/Winchester House history/story is way more intriguing than all the "legends," "mystery," etc. etc.! Read the pamphlet (for sale in the Gift Shop) written by the people that knew her.

Hard to imagine how this lady spent her days and what her (seemingly very loyal) servants thought of her and having to make their way through this rabbit warren!

Food very pricey (bottle of water and bag of chips $5.45) but goes toward keeping the place up, so justified the price in my mind.

All in all, enjoyed the place very much....different...good day trip from SF. Went on a Thursday; July 19, 2007; not too crowded and easy parking. Worth the admission and while no pressing reason to go a second time, would absolutely take visitors and/or recommend tour to others. Also recommend the "Behind the Scenes" tour; not much more $$ for some additional interesting info.

Ask if anyone has figured out the Cupertino Street address (the plans on the wall in the basement ...I believe for the either the boiler or elevator...indicates the house is on Cupertino???? Our guide said she had never noticed that before and would check it out!

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timtest100

Joined 8 years ago

Don't play hide and seek in this place. Don't even try to play a game of hide and seek in this place. Listen carefully to the tour guide cause let me tell you what happens when you try to get in a quick game of hide and seek. You will lose your mind, and probably a friend or family member. I lost my girlfriend in this place, she is still missing. A friend said that she went into a room on the second floor, a room that when I opened the door, was no longer there. Perhaps she is in a Narnia like place. Perhaps she was abducted by the ghost of Winchester. I don't know but I miss her. The place is cool otherwise, just pay attention to the steps in front of you.

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craigsf

Joined 11 years ago

Great Tour - What A Gem!. I have probably driven by the Winchester Mystery House 100 times. A week ago, I decided I would go on a tour and I must say it was a delight. I also took the 'behind the scenes' tour and was impressed at the level of detail provided on the tour and the respect the guides have for the property and Sarah Winchester. She might not be as crazy as people think, as she had great taste in Tiffany windows, gardens, and statues. In a word, facinating.

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hunch

Joined 8 years ago

Tour is expensive. While the house is interesting and bizarre, the tour is expensive and the guide not that knowledgable beyond his script. The gun collection is impressive. While strollers are not allowed, infant backpacks are availible for rent.

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zizz

Joined 8 years ago

San Jose's most interesting place. If you're looking for a ghostly experience, go see Sylvia Browne. If you want to take a tour of the oddest, most historically significant piece of architecture this side of the Mississippi, check out the Winchester House. The Victorian home of the late heir to the Winchester rifle fortune was made a tourist attraction immediately following Sara Winchester's death in 1922. This means that the 160 room Victorian maze is unspoiled in its design and architecture. And since Sara believed she was cursed by those whose lives were taken by the Winchester rifle, she boarded up the rooms that she was trapped in following the great 1906 earthquake that ravaged the Bay Area, leaving a piece of history frozen in time that you can still see today. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

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critic_of_food

Joined 8 years ago

Price is too steep. The Mystery House is a good attraction to see, but it's not at all what you expect. I was

expecting something mysterious and I was in for a massive disappointment.

It's not a bad place, it's a good attraction, just not worthy of being called a mystery

house. The biggest mystery is why I paid $20 to take a tour!

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

It's always Halloween at Silicon Valley's spookiest landmark.. Overview
You've got to see this to believe it: The Winchester contains 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 fireplaces and 17 chimneys. Sarah Winchester, the rifle heiress who built the house according to her superstitions, used spider webs as her decorative motif; they appear particularly often in Tiffany stained-glass windows. The number 13 is used often--13 bathrooms, 13 windows in a room, 13 panes in a window, 13 holes in a sink, 13 hooks in a closet, 13 lights on a chandelier. Stairways lead to ceilings, doors lead to nowhere, stairs curve at odd angles and few rooms are on the same plane.

The Experience
Tours are given daily and there's no need to reserve. Flashlight tours are held every Friday the 13th and at Halloween: Tour the house at night with only moonlight, a commemorative flashlight and your imagination.