Spooky Trip: San Diego's Whaley House

Whaley House, long ago.

Whaley House, not so long ago.

The Whaley House, a rather unassuming brick structure located in charming Old Town San Diego, has a reputation that belies its unremarkable facade: It is commonly known as "the most haunted house in America." Now I'm not sure how, exactly, one can quantify the "haunted-ness" of a locale, but in any case, I had been eager to check it out for years. When I heard that the Whaley House was offering free admission for Museum Day, I knew it was my chance to offset the cost of the 4-hour round trip car ride down to San Diego and back, and Mr. Spooky and I seized the opportunity.

No, we didn't see or hear any ghosts - surely there were too many tourists (and too much daylight) for that. But you know that feeling you get in some older buildings or other places that are said to be haunted - that feeling like the air itself is oppressive, like you're slightly seasick even though you're standing on level ground, that sense that history is closing in around you? That uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? Yeah, parts of the Whaley House definitely had that - something that I also felt the first time I set foot on the decks of the Queen Mary.

After exploring the house itself, we walked around Old Town San Diego, ate the most amazing fish tacos and sweet, chewy churros I'd ever had in my life, and finished off by taking a stroll by the eerily lovely Victorian homes in nearby Heritage Park. If you're in southern California and you're looking for a fun and affordable spooky day trip, a jaunt to the Whaley House is highly recommended.

Walking Among the Dead at Linda Vista Hospital

Los Angeles, notorious for the vicious build/raze/build cycle that has cost the city so many of its precious historical landmarks, is not the most obvious place to look for a sprawling, abandoned and allegedly haunted hospital. But if you visit the Boyle Heights neighborhood near downtown L.A., you'll find just that in the guise of eerie, hulking Linda Vista Hospital. The building is, at this point, semi-famous; it's been featured on shows and movies (including the first season of Dexter), as well as a memorable episode of Ghost Adventures; you may remember Zak & Co. freaking out over the possibility of imminent gang wars. (LOLZ.)

Recently, the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project, a local paranormal research and investigation group that helps oversee the hospital and regularly organizes community events to allow the curious (and, perhaps, foolhardy) to sneak a peek inside, hosted an event called the "Walk Among the Dead." BHPP members lead groups on a flashlight tour of the hospital, with nefarious nurses and devilish doctors from the performance collective The Art of Bleeding lurking in the old hospital's morgue to add to the sinister, spooky vibe.

The end result was basically Halloween in March, a shivery treat for amateur ghost hunters, horror fans and Los Angeles preservationists alike. Here are some shots Mr. Spooky and I captured during our time at Linda Vista:









For more information on future events at Linda Vista, including BHPP's upcoming overnight investigation in mid-April, follow the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project page on Facebook.

THIS WEEKEND: See "The Haunted Castle" at a Haunted Castle

Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles and the EPFC Filmmobile are presenting a special FREE screening of F.W. Murnau's The Haunted Castle on Sunday, October 10th at 7:30 PM at a secret location to be disclosed tomorrow. (Hint: It will be at an actual haunted castle!)

They've already shown Haunted Honeymoon underneath the Hollywood sign, and every Sunday in October, GHOULA and EPFC will be screening a different haunting film in a different haunted location in Los Angeles. Visit the blog for more information on this and other upcoming screenings, or RSVP to the Facebook invite - and don't forget to check back within 24 hours of the screening to find out where you're going on Sunday!

UPDATE: The secret location for Sunday's screening has been announced! The Haunted Castle will be shown at Castle Park Mini-Golf in Sherman Oaks.

Wake the Dead on June 13th at the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia

Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles will be holding their monthly Spirits with Spirits meeting at the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia on June 13th. There will be tours of the haunted room, live music (courtesy of my band, Hexham Heads, and our friends in Future Ghost and Lost Lake) and more. There is no cover, and the show/meeting will be open to all, from seasoned paranormal investigators to die-hard skeptics. Join us!

Hexennacht

In case you're not up on your pagan holidays, allow me to inform you that tonight, April 30, is Hexennacht, or "Hex Night." (Also known as Walpurgis Night; check out the Wikipedia entry for more information.) As the halfway point to Halloween, Hexennacht has a reputation as the second most haunted night of the year.

Feel free to celebrate by building a bonfire in order to ward off evil spirits and usher in the Queen of Spring...or you could join me, along with other members of the Boyle Heights Paranormal Project (find us on Facebook!), for a ghost hunt on the Queen Mary in Long Beach tonight at 9 PM. Whether you're a seasoned paranormal expert or a complete newbie, you can observe a basic EVP session and BHPP investigative techniques.

The Queen Mary is located at 1126 Queen's Highway in Long Beach, CA.

"May Eve was Walpurgis Night, when hell's blackest evil roamed the earth and all the slaves of Satan gathered for nameless rites and deeds." - H.P. Lovecraft, 'The Dreams in the Witch House'