In California, you do not need to wait for Halloween for a thrilled scare. The haunted spots of California are plenty to spook you to your bones. With its rich history and millions of untold stories, California has many haunted stories which are unexplained and unsaid.
If you are ready to face your fears, read about the listed haunted places in California.
1. Entity House
Starting from the best one, Entity House is a small house situated in Los Angeles. This one has the most records of paranormal activity encounters. It was the home of Doris Bither and her four sons, and in 1974, Bither claimed that she was raped and assaulted by three spirits.
The investigators did not find much to report until they found objects moving and flying around. It is believed that the house is haunted by a poltergeist that followed Bither and her family to Texas when they moved out after the investigation.
2. The Ghost Town of Falk
The Ghost Town of Falk is a town in Eureka, California. It was a very alive town which had been abandoned. Previously, the town was home to more than 350 lumber families and the timber industry was booming in the town. Deep within the woods, the town was abandoned gradually.
3. Frankenstein’s Grave
Another town with an eerie atmosphere is Frankenstein’s Grave. Located in the old ghost town of Bodie, when you visit the place, you can imagine the hard Victorian life. Most people enjoy taking shots of the grave to recall the eerie memory later.
You might also be interested in visiting the major cemeteries in California.
4. The Cecil Hotel
With its paranormal sightings, it has gained the reputation as one of Los Angeles’s most haunted hotels. In 2020, the crew of Ghost Adventures team investigated and found negative energies in the corridors and in some rooms. The main mystery of the haunting is related to the death of a strange person in the elevator whose spirit haunts the area.
5. Brookdale Lodge
Located in Santa Cruz, Brookdale Lodge is considered one of the most haunted locations in the county. This lodge was popular back in 1890, but after some tragedies and the death of a guest in 2011, the lodge gained its name as a creepy and scary place.
Because of the statements of many guests who said a woman dressed in a white dress was running around the corridors, many paranormal investigators also explored the lodge.
6. Alcatraz Island
In this list, you will find Alcatraz Island plenty of times because in California, most of the spooky places are located on this island. So, I included this island as one of the haunted places as well, because just by roaming around, you will find many stories of paranormal activities and haunting.
There are several abandoned places on the island, and the dense forestry adds to the eerie feeling. The local folks are kind-hearted and friendly, but they won’t hold back from scaring you with their town stories.
You can also visit these ghost towns in California.
7. Preston Castle
One of the strange haunting places is Preston Castle. Although no gruesome death stories or tragedies are tracked to the castle, it is still considered a haunting place.
However, there are several interesting stories related to the castle about its origins and initial residents, and the spooky tales about strange haunting made this enchanting castle a part of this list of extremely haunted places.
8. Eerie Cannery
The name Eerie Cannery, itself is enough to let you know that it is a haunted place. Once, the cannery was a booming fishing industry, but now only the remains exist. The cannery was abandoned years ago and presently gray water flows through it.
9. Villa Montezuma Museum
Have you heard of the ghost pianist? Well, in the Villa Montezuma Museum, there was a classical pianist named Jesse Sheppard who played in the museum when it was a villa.
People often hear the sound of the piano playing Mozart, Beethoven and other tunes as they pass by. No one saw any ghosts, but people say the spirit of the talented Sheppard plays magical music.
10. Sather Tower
Sather Tower is one of the most popular landmarks in Berkeley, California. It was completed in 1917. With its historic views, this tower has its own haunting tales. From the perch high above, the view can be quite terrifying. Moreover, the old architecture reminds you of the home of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
11. Julian Cemetery
In California, when the Gold Rush was taking shape like an epidemic, many people died in the process. The burial grounds were expanding at an alarming rate.
One of them with a great number of dead laid to rest is the Julian Cemetery. This cemetery is home to hundreds of marked and unmarked graves. There are also plenty of haunting stories circulating about the cemetery.
12. Atherton House
Atherton House is a 19th century – style home located in San Francisco, California. The haunting story about the house is very interesting.
It is said that the spirits residing in the home are the owners of the house, Atherton and his wife, who died in 1887. But there is another twist. Now it is circulated that Atherton left the property and now is sailing around South America.
13. Moss Beach Distillery
Moss Beach Distillery is a haunted place which was a beautiful little speakeasy along the shore of the sea where several businessmen, politicians and influential people would sneak off to drink and chat.
During the Prohibition era, these speakeasies were popular, and they had sordid stories of innumerable deaths and violence. The distillery is considered to be home to those stories of tragedies and remains a scary spot in California.
14. Tunnel Intruder
Located in Sausalito, Tunnel Intruder is a tunnel which will give you goosebumps when you go near it. It does not matter if it is day or night, people think twice before going near it. The dark tunnel has not been maintained for years, making it more spooky.
The tunnel is not used and is in the process of ruins. Even if you are lured for a jog, think twice before you enter the tunnel. Who knows if zombies are lurking in the shadows or not!
Wondering which one of the listed places in California will keep you awake? Well, you can visit them at your own risk, but I warn you, these listed haunted places in California are not for the weak hearted ones.