Whaley House and Museum

One of the highlights in San Diego is the famous (and haunted) Whaley House in Old Town.

The 158-year-old house was home to the Whaley Family and also served as the first general store in San Diego, a court house, a theater (pictured above), a ballroom and a school.

But the history of the Whaley house includes a much darker side. In addition to the list of things the house used to be, hangings happened on the property before the building was constructed. The family was also plagued by the suicide of Thomas and Anna's daughter Violet Whaley in 1885.

According to the Whaley House Web site, the house hosts ghosts from its past.

The first ghost is Thomas Whaley himself. People have smelt cigar smoke on the front porch of the house when no one else is around or when no one in the surrounding area is smoking.

"Yankee Jim" Robertson is another ghost known to haunt the area. He was convicted to death in 1852 and hanged on the same area that the house is on. People have heard heavy footsteps and have seen a 6-foot tall shadow figure in the corner of their eyes.

Even the Whaley's dog, Dolly Varden can be seen in various parts of the room, especially in the theater.

Visitors can tour the house with a tour guide for a fee of $5.00 in the day time and $10.00 at night. For all prices and hours, click here.

San Diego Ghost Tours

Feeling the need for some ghostly fun?

San Diego is home to many different type of ghost tours. In particular, Old Town features two different tours that visitors can take. Participants will have the chance to learn the history of Old Town and to see if they can capture a ghost on their camera.

The Ghost Walking Tour features an hour walk around Old Town with a guide dressed in Victorian Era clothing. The ghost guide not only tells the audience about the ghosts in the buildings, but the history behind how and why the buildings were built. Visitors might be surprised at the restaurants and shops that are haunted and the historic significance the building had. (Pictured above: the El Campo Santo Cemetery with at least four orbs).

Tours begin at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in front of the Living Room Cafe and ends at the Whaley House. Tickets are $10.00 a person.

For a few more dollars, a different walking tour starting at 11 p.m. will take you to various haunted places with "ghost equipment" that is seen on shows like "Ghost Adventurers". The ghost guide will take participants into haunted buildings including Mission Hills Park and let them hold EMF readers to communicate with the deceased.

An earlier tour begins at 9 p.m. but doesn't include the equipment. Tickets are $19.00 a person. For more information or for tickets, click here.

For a list of other types of ghost tours in San Diego, click here.

Sarducci's Restaurant

Red bricks, paintings of lavender flowers and multiple fireplaces make Sarducci's Capistrano Depot Restaurant an ideal place to dine in and soak up the history of San Juan Capistrano.

The restaurant is located next to the famous Los Rios Street where famous adobes and historical buildings line the streets along with pretty old houses.

But amidst the pretty scenery, Sarducci's holds a well-known secrete.

It is haunted.

Andres has been a waiter at Sarducci's for nine years and has heard footsteps making their way down the walkway area towards the bathrooms (pictured directly above).

"At first it bothered me," Andres said. "But (the footsteps) are non-threating and I don't feel anything bad when I hear them."

Before becoming a restaurant, the building (built in 1894) was a part of a train station. In the 1930s it was converted into Sarducci's and two extra rooms (a dining area and walkway) were added to make the place bigger.

"In the patio area, there was an Indian burial ground," Andres said. "I don't get a vibe out there so it doesn't scare me. If it did, I wouldn't be here."

Andre doesn't know who is haunting the building, but does say that he doesn't think much of it.

"I'm used to the footsteps now," Andres said. "If it really bothered me, I wouldn't be here."

*No last name provided.

Ghosts at the Torrance Courthouse

While down in the basement where the jail cells are at the Torrance Courthouse, The Man* could hear people talking.

"It sounded like a newscaster (coming) from the radios we have," The Man said. "But when I checked, all the radios were off."

Following the voices, he entered into an empty jail cell where he could hear voices coming from the toilet area.

"I thought it was coming from upstairs," The Man said. "But then I realized that the walls were 18-inches thick."

As The Man walked towards the whispers, the voices, which were coming directly from the toilet, traveled to his right ear, making his hair "stand up".

'It gave me the creeps but it hasn't just happened to me," The Man said.

Risa Hagihara, a secretary working at the courthouse heard someone laughing while she was down in the basement filing paperwork alone.

"From the other end of the hall I heard someone chuckle," Hagihara said. "And usually in the basement things echo, but this didn't. It sounded centralized."

Although this event didn't scare her, it did make her wonder if the basement was haunted.

As a believer in ghosts, The Man decided to not let them bother him.

"I tell them, 'hey guys I'm here. I'm not going to bother you'," The Man said. "It spooks me 'cause I know what to expect. But I don't think I could handle it if something touched me. I'd run out screaming."

*Anonymous

Types of Ghosts

To Amy McCain (pictured right), a ghost isn’t just a ghost.

A paranormal investigator for four years, McCain has experienced supernatural activity in various parts of California and in Tombstone, Arizona.

“As an investigator, you always want hardcore proof that (ghosts) exist and that they are present,” the 28-year-old said. “You also want to know why they’re here.”

McCain says there are several different types of ghosts that range from very intelligent to demonic and each one is unique.

Intelligent ghosts actually don’t know that they have died. These ghosts are characterized by cold spots, electrical voice phenomenon’s, orbs, shadows, mists and smoke.

Shadow people are very curious. They peer around corners and watch others. They are around three feet in height and act child-like.

Residual ghosts are trapped energy that that can only repeat the same movement or sound over and over again.

Poltergeists aren’t ghosts but a manifestation of human emotions. Very few adults experience this type of activity as it is more common in children. These ghosts can be a child's imaginary friend and are attracted to quartz, limestone and granite.

Demonic activity is very rare and normally centers around extremely religious people.

McCain encountered her first ghost while on board the Queen Mary at seven years old. She saw the spirit of a little girl while in the pool area and could hear her giggle as she disappeared behind a cement pillar. In addition to investigations, she also does ghost tours in San Diego.