Winchester Mystery Mansion has launched its newest attraction this season, an all-around themed festival with three separate experiences. Starting in mid-September and finishing right on Halloween weekend, Winchester Mansion’s Festival Fright Nights include a classic, 1920s-themed party, an eerie hidden garden, and a previously forbidden abyssal journey inside.
So how did Winchester Mansion end up as this creepy monstrosity with dead ends and doors to nowhere? In 1886, Sarah Winchester purchased a 45-acre estate in San Jose. She was the widow of the rifle company scion William Winchester, and was supposedly paranoid of those—alive or not—that might seek revenge for her husband’s transgressions. According to legend, the dead ends and many doors are meant to confuse the vengeful spirits. Winchester Mansion has been propagated as a supernatural site since 1895, with local newspapers reporting the strange construction and Sarah Winchester’s eclectic and reclusive tendencies.
Due to Sarah Winchester’s failing health, Winchester Mansion was still under construction 36 years later when she died in 1922. The following year, Winchester Mansion was bought as a tourist attraction. Apparently, Harry Houdini himself suggested the name “Winchester Mystery House” to add gravitas. Yet, most of the superstitions surrounding the estate have been embellished by the public after Sarah Winchester’s death.
Winchester Mystery House has been open since 1923 and has cemented itself as a classic American attraction—especially for California residents. A necessary visit for all Bay Area-ers, Winchester Mansion is settled smack-dab in San Jose.
Walking in, the flashing lights from across the street and passing traffic can be seen until the fog machines go off. There is a faint smell accompanying the smog—a stomach curdling combination of a Bath & Body Works and rotten eggs.
The line takes a third of the time—then, the fright begins! Starting off strong with themed actors, a brief tour of the mansion front, and then straight back in the garden and nearby atrium, the horror culminates in a basement journey—requiring hard hats. There is terror and treats galore: powdered donuts to bloody mocktails. Booths and massive pumpkins are set up for any and all photoshoots needed.
Are you ready to descend?