Explore San Diego’s Spooky Side

San Diego is generally known for its sunny beaches, delectable Mexican food, and world-famous zoo. Aside from ample places to have fun in the sun, San Diego is also known as a hotspot for paranormal activity. With a local history that includes a cursed house, a celebrated racetrack, and some very unlucky sailors, there are plenty of places in San Diego that are steeped in spooky history.

Whaley House

Courtroom in Whaley House Museum, old town of San Diego
Photo by depositphotos.com

Any paranormal enthusiast will tell you that the Whaley House is rumored to be one of the most haunted houses not only in San Diego but in the entire United States. Built upon the site where horse thief Jim Robinson was executed in front of a sizable crowd, businessman Thomas Whaley’s dream home has been plagued by strange happenings such as loud footsteps in the night and tragic untimely Whaley family deaths since it was first constructed in 1856.

In addition to serving as a family residence, the Whaley House was a commercial theater, a general store, and a courthouse. Visitors can take a Whaley House tour that showcases the striking beauty of the historic Greek Revival home and offers opportunities to potentially capture one of the cursed Whaley House’s resident ghosts on film.

Pioneer Park

Pioneer Park—also known as Mission Hills Park—is a picturesque park that is home to green grass, towering trees that provide ample shade, and a playground that is perpetually populated by laughing, playing kids. A small row of gravestones is the only indication that Pioneer Park doubles as a graveyard where thousands of bodies have been laid to rest.

In the 1870s, Pioneer Park was a Catholic cemetery known as Calvary Cemetery. By the mid-20th century, Calvary Cemetery had become seriously neglected, so the land was taken over by the city of San Diego and converted into a park. The bulk of Calvary Cemetery’s tombstones were relocated, but the bodies remained in their original burial plots. Paranormal enthusiasts claim that even when the sun is shining, Pioneer Park is teeming with cold spots, peculiar shadows, and mysterious sounds that can’t be traced to any living person who is picnicking or walking their dog.

Hotel del Coronado

The iconic Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Central Beach. This historic beachfront hotel, built in 1888, was formerly the largest resort hotel in the world.
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