The Whaley House is a historic house and museum located in Old Town, San Diego, California. It is the oldest brick structure in Southern California, built in 1857. The Whaley House was a central pillar amongst the Old Town San Diego community. From 1857 to the early part of the 20th century, the Whaley House became the gathering place for the entire San Diego community. Besides being the Whaley family home, it was also San Diego's first commercial theater, the second county courthouse, and a bilingual general store. The Whaley House primarily served as the residential home for Thomas Whaley and his family. Thomas Whaley arrived in San Francisco around 1849, during the famous California Gold Rush. He then went to San Diego in September 1851. Two years later, Whaley went back to New York and married Anna Eloise Delaunay on August 14, 1853. Together they returned to California, arriving in San Diego on December 7, 1853. On August 22, 1857, the Whaleys moved into their new home, now known as the Whaley House. While the Whaley House might seem perfectly normal, it also has a dark side. The house and property were the sites of multiple violent and bizarre deaths, hangings, and even suicide. As a result, it's widely believed that various members of the Whaley family and others haunt the home where they endured so much sorrow! Now as a museum, the Whaley House fully embraces its haunted past and allows it to live alongside the building's historical significance. Guests can partake in self-guided tours during the day and guided tours in the evening. We visited this historic house on Black Friday in 2025 during our trip to San Diego. We had a great time visiting the Whaley House. The staff were very friendly, cooperative, and knowledgeable about the history, incidents, tragedies, and folklore of this house. For those seeking a more immersive experience, Whaley House offers an After-Hours Paranormal Investigation. These small group investigations begin at 10:30 PM. Guests can use a variety of paranormal investigating tools, including EMF readers, thermal cameras, spirit boxes, and dowsing rods. read more

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Visited the Whaley House Museum on a Saturday around noon, and the weather in Old Town was absolutely perfect. I had been telling my daughter about this haunted house for a couple of weeks leading up to our visit, and she was so excited--it was basically all she talked about. We even watched some YouTube videos beforehand. I definitely leaned into the spooky factor, mostly because I remember coming here in sixth grade and wanted my kids to enjoy it the same way I did. Our guide was dressed in period clothing and gave us a brief overview with some interesting facts before letting us explore on our own. The house isn't very large, but it's well laid out, full of history, and there are plenty of rooms and details to check out. Even without anything over-the-top scary, it was still a fun and engaging experience--especially for kids who love a good ghost story. read more

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My daughter wanted to come here because it has been talked about in a lot of podcasts and by YouTubers that she follows. We did the daytime tour, $14/person. Julie was our tour guide; she was great. They tell you a little history of the property, and then you can look around on your own. There are other people working inside who can answer all your questions. Most of your questions anyway, because there are many mysteries about the place. We enjoyed the experience though there was little-to-no paranormal activity observed by us. But I guess you can never be SURE a ghost isn't following you! This is one of those things that if you want to come to, I'm not going to try to talk you out of it, but if you don't think you are interested I'm not going to try to convince you. We were not disappointed at all, but our expectations were not too high - we just wanted to see this place that a lot of people talk about. The nighttime tour sounds like it might be a little more exciting, but it does cost more. read more

Whaley House Museum - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

Was a cool experience! Learned a lot of history. It's located in a good spot & so much to read/look at! Would definitely recommend

Best $25 I've spent. The tour old lady "Ghoulie Julie" was very exciting to have as a guide. She made the stories come to life about the Dead made it spooky and gave good tidbits and information on the Whaley House while adding a little humor of her own. read more

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My family and I went on the guided tour, and I highly recommend it to anyone planning a visit. It's a must-do experience if you want to truly appreciate the history of the house. Our guide, Maud (I hope I got her name right), was fantastic. She narrated the history with genuine passion and brought the story to life in a very engaging way. The little extra touches she added throughout the tour really enhanced the overall experience and made it even more memorable. read more

Pretty awesome, but spooky place. We walked the outside of the museum. Would love to take the tour one night. read more

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What a great house in the area. It was nice to see historical items, hear the stories of the time and self-guide through the home. Love that the home had a theater in it! The home was so much larger than expected from the outside. Not many homes do you visit with a court and theater already in them. Loved hearing the history and our guide Maude was amazing! read more

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$25 a person for the night tour. We're terrified!! Here we goooooo.... my daughter said it is a "Must Do" because of Sam and Colby lol Shout out to their YouTube haha I love history and I hear there's a ton of it here.The outside area is really neat, and you can definitely walk down the road to get yourself a cup of hot cocoa before walking in or maybe a shot of tequila depends on how much courage you need. We're taking the 9 pm tour and it's a little bit chilly.So bring a sweater if you get cold.Easily Julie!!! You were a fabulous tour guide. You even made me jump!! I did not girl scream though! Lol I definitely smelled Pipe Tabaco and no joke. Felt like something touched my shin!! Seriously.Julie knocked it out of the park that was hamstown, one of the best tours I ever went on. Thank you.My daughter was stoked and absolutely loved every moment. The history is rich in the architecture is beautiful.We highly recommend that you go read more

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Had a fun time taking my mom here, but it wasn't what we expected. We got about a 10 minute speech about the history of the family, but it didn't delve into the paranormalness of the house. Would've been nice to hear more about "America's Most Haunted House." This was pretty much just a museum where you can't walk around half the rooms. Giftshop was closed too. I've actually never seen the giftshop open, which is weird. Honestly, that's probably the spookiest thing about this place. read more

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We spent $16 per person for the day-time tour, which felt pretty steep but worth it based on it being considered one of the most haunted houses in the country. The tour began outside and our guide asked us to remain quiet while she shared the story of the house, as any interruptions would cause her to lose track. The guided portion was outside and the courtroom area. The rest of the house you view at your own pace. It's not a large house, so our overall visit didn't take terrible long. She mentioned a haunted doll but didn't say which one. I thought one in the bedroom looked too obvious to be haunted, but apparently that was the one. I didn't even take a good picture of it ha. I will say a painting in the living room did kind of give me chills. It felt like the woman was looking straight at me. I'd say overall this is worth a stop if you like spooky things, but maybe indulge in the night tour instead for added creepiness. read more

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I've watched a video on this place and was excited to check it out myself! Ghoulie Julie was a fantastic tour guide and very informative. Love that this part of history was so well preserved! read more

Whaley House Museum - Backyard Outside - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

The idea of this place is super cool, execution for me was super lacking considering the price tag associated with it. It claims to be "America's Most Haunted House" but bears very little evidence/stories to back it up. It's a self guided tour with a very brief intro in the beginning by a staff member. Yes, there were a number of deaths on the property but very little was spoken on the "haunted" part of it. How do you make that claim but then don't have TONS of stories or panels talking about the various unexplainable things that have happened on the property? Historically, very cool to walk through the original (quiet small) house and see all the cases and read the labels about the items and house, but I just felt very underwhelmed overall. For me, it did not deserve a near $14 per ticket price. Maybe the guided night tour is more worth it for a little extra money Otherwise, staff was nice read more

Whaley House Museum - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

The house was so fun! You could definitely feel how paranormal it was. My twin sister and I felt so dizzy and distraught from how much you could feel in there. Our guide, Maud, was also so great! She made the experience so much more fun and of course spooky. She also gave us a great amount of information of the history and the hauntings there. We will definitely come back again! So spooky and epic! read more

We had fun during a day tour of the Whaley House Museum. Maude was our guide (meaning they started us off and gave some background on the house and family) who was entertaining and seems to very much enjoy their job! They were friendly and engaging with the group while still delivering insightful information that made us want to explore all the nooks and crannies of the home. The home itself was presented well with staged artifacts throughout the home. Most of the individual rooms were roped off (probably because people destroy things) but you were able to view the rooms effectively. I enjoyed the stage area a lot and appreciated the atmosphere the organ music gave - so cool. The creeky floorboards throughout made people engage in conversations as we toured the home. read more

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Came on vacation to San Diego found out about this house came to check this out was really interesting and cool. History did the tour. Our tour guy was really good informational made an entertaining. I had a good time with my family. They have a little souvenir shop as well. They do recommend to show up a little early just to check in. Customer service is good helpful read more

Whaley House Museum - Whaley House Museum -2025 - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

I had just the best time doing the paranormal investigation/night time ghost tour with our tour guide and "paranormal expert," Nick, in early November. For the cost of the tour, I would say it is well worth it. You get almost two hours in the house and special privileges to enter certain rooms that are often blocked off during the day time tours. You learn how to use a variety of gear like Rem pods and Dowsing rods which add to the experience. The house is dark and the tour is small enough that you don't really get in other people's way. In addition to the paranormal aspects of the experience, you get to know some historical information which helps add to the ambiance. A great experience and well worth the price. I'd totally recommend if you're willing to embrace the paranormal. Special shout out to Nick for making the experience extra entertaining and fun. read more

Had an exciting ghost tour experience on Halloween night just to add to the theme. Had a great host guide us through the museum with all the stories and sights for us to see and experience. Highly recommend if you're into the supernatural, spooky and ghosts. read more

A historic landmark in Old Town San Diego. Set on California's 101 Route it is a classic staple to tour. Whether you are a tourist or native you will enjoy this beautifully preserved property. It's a nice activity to do at least once. read more

Whaley House Museum - Side of the Whaley House. - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

Spooky stuff. Good public parking options nearby. Our tour guide was involved and fun! I kind of wish the group sizes were a little smaller for the house size. I also wish we could see more of the rooms but I do understand the preservation of history! read more

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Like I've said before my wife and I like to do the haunted things so the Whaley house was right up our alley. Located in the old town San Diego area it's relatively small place. The docents were very well versed in the history and stories. It's a self guided tour with docents located thru out to answer any questions and relay tales. One story is of children seeing a dog tht was only visible to them as well as hearing the piano/organ upstairs in the small theatre. Was very interesting place. We did not have any paranormal experienced nor did we catch anything on the photos but we checked off the box for being there. It's always fun to go places you've seen highlighted on TV. read more

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Overpriced tourist trap. It was over a $100 for our family to tour this place and sad to say, it was very disappointing. My daughters love haunted houses and scary movies so begged to do this tour. The guy who introduces the place is entertaining. That's about all the good things I have to say about the place. It took us all of ten minutes to see the whole place. You can't go in any of the rooms and you just stand and look around and read an occasional plaque about what happened. Maybe it's better at night ‍but I would not recommend this because I felt completely ripped off by the end. read more

Whaley House Museum - Only interesting room - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

Attended the evening tour for the Whaley House. You arrive to check in at the gift store on the right. They will give you a sticker to wear to show that you are a paid guest. The Whaley House is iconic so I'm glad that I got to experience it at least once. Pros: -parking lot is close to the Whaley house up the street -you get to hear a little bit of history of the Whaley family and what happened on the property. Cons: -this all depends on your guide, but our guide kept on trying to scare people with loud noises like slamming doors. It got old real quick. -there were no restrooms to use. We were told at the gift shop that the closest restroom was across the street at Cafe Coyote. -other people who didn't pay for the tour could just join in and listen when we moved outside. Other: -there are two levels so stairs are involved. -the guide does have a tip box at the end of the tour, so bring cash. There was also a Venmo code. read more

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Archer was our host this evening and he was extremely entertaining! I loved the way he told his stories and he scared the living daylights out of my boyfriend twice. Wonderful host and I believe this is the second or third time i've taken his tour and I would always recommend it again. Comedic guy, both light hearted and serious. Definitely worth the experience and the house itself and its history is very interesting. Thank you! read more

Whaley House Museum - The side of the whaley house with a projection on it. - Museums Near Me - San Diego, California

Our group paid for a guided tour and even though it was only about 10 minutes of info it was still pretty interesting info to learn. After, we were able to walk around the house and visit the various rooms and learn more. I've lived in San Diego for so long and have never taken a tour so I'm glad we were able to get a group who wanted to take a look. There's a small shop next door and it has some cool, niche stuff. Worth a peek! read more

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We got tickets three days before and we arrived 15 min before the scheduled time, as per confirmation email instructions. The employee was very friendly and gave us a sticker to wear and told us that we could hang out in the gift shop or wait outside where there is a line of people waiting to get inside. What was funny is that the way the line was formed, when it came to get into the house, the last ones in line ended up first in line in front of the house' door. They could be better at organizing that part. Once the tour start, our guide was very engaging and kept me entertained the whole time! I was glad we were a fairly small group and could interact without bumping each other or blocking each other. I think the tour was long enough, and they even let us take pix. I recommend. read more

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First time going to the Whaley House and it was a great experience. All the guides and workers were very nice and some a little spooky to fit the vibe! Our tour guide Bullit was very entertaining and comical. The day time tour is quite short since the guide is only taking for about 5-10 minutes, the rest of the tour is self guided. To see the rest of the house and property probably takes a total of 15-20 minutes. Next time I hope to do the evening tour or paranormal investigation! read more

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Had a fun time during our tour, Maude was our tour guide and she was very fun, energetic and informative, would recommend this tour. read more

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If you're looking for something fun and a little spooky to do on a Friday night in San Diego, the Whaley House is definitely worth checking out! Our group of six recently did the nighttime tour, and while we didn't have any clear paranormal encounters, two of us did feel a weird, heavy energy upstairs in the dark corner near the windows across from the theater room. Creepy, right? Our tour guide Archer was awesome. He shared the Whaley House's detailed history with a great mix of facts, humor, and suspense. He kept things interesting the whole time and threw in just the right amount of jumpy moments to keep us on edge without going over the top. Jokie was working in the Guest Shop and made us feel welcome right from the start. Super friendly and helpful! Even without a ghost sighting, it was a fun, memorable night. Whether you're into history, the paranormal, or just want something different to do, the Whaley House is a solid pick. read more

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This tour was a lot of fun! Our guide was Hunney and he was very lively and entertaining. The tour was quick, about 40 minutes, because the house is pretty small but the story telling was fun. If you are in the neighborhood looking for things to do and you like a good tragic story, I recommend stopping by. It's not scary at all and there were plenty of small children on my tour. I also like that you are allowed to take as many pictures as you like...in hopes to "capture" something. read more

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I don't typically write reviews but tonight's tour with Maud was the best ghost tour we've ever been on. This was my third visit and it was the most active experience yet. RIP Yankee Jim, they did you dirty. Also, caught a lady hanging out upstairs at the ends of the tour. Thanks again Maud, you rule. read more

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This was my second visit and my companions' first. If you enjoy California history, this is a good place for you to visit. The Whaley house is one of the most haunted places in America and there have been several vignettes and documentaries about it. It's very interesting and the antiques are especially worth seeing (we didn't see, hear or smell a ghost, but perhaps next time). The Whaley story is tragic and the museum tells it well. It's not a long tour and we were on our own after a brief overview from the docent. His name was Hunny, and he did a very good job. It's obvious he enjoys what he does. The tour does not take long. We were there probably 45 minutes. I know that they have guided tours as well as ghost tours. I recommend checking the website or picking up one of their brochures (check the airport, hotel or visitor centers) for more information. Also, the gift shop has an extensive selection of paranormal gifts if you are in the market to buy something a little ghostly. There were also regular San Diego gifts available. So the next time you are visiting Old Town, San Diego, stop by the Whaley house. I recommend it. read more

We did the tour last night with Maud. She was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable about the family who built the home and all the deaths that occurred in and around the property. She even showed us a photo that another visitor had taken of a ghost that had shown up in the parlor. Ill post it below! Unfortunately no ghostly visitors for us. Id recommend the tour to anyone who loves ghost tours. read more

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Loved our tour with Maude. It was early so it was just the 3 of us. She made it fun and engaging while also being very knowltabout the home/family. We have been on the tour before when it is packed and you don't get to see many of the details. Maude allowed us to linger in the rooms to see/ask questions which made it even better! Love the tour at night, but during the daylight is also great! read more

We did the daytime self guided tourwhich is very affordable. The staff was pleasant from the gift shop to the check in to the quick mini tour (Hannah I think). Hannah was quite theatrical but not dramatic and informative and kept our attention. I like her a lot she also answered any inquiries or questions we had. The house itself is very small and I know there is plenty of lore of it being the most haunted house in America but without a guide it is a bit underwhelming. It does have lots of pictures and descriptive plaques and artifacts on display. I wish I would have done the nighttime tour to get more behind the scenes information and stories. It's also a decent price so hopefully I'll be able to make it back to try that out one day! They even often a paranormal investigation option which is pretty cool if you're into that. Their gift shop is cute. It has all of the normal things you could think of and then some offbeat items too. Something for everyone and their dog! read more

Maude was our host ! She rocks! Super spooky & you feel the energy! I will definitely do the tour again!

Self-guided tours commence every 15 minutes, with an admission fee of $14 per person. A staff member provides a brief 5 to 10-minute overview of the home's history before guests explore both the downstairs and upstairs areas at their own pace, typically taking between 15 to 30 minutes. While I didn't encounter any paranormal phenomena during my visit, I found the historical insights intriguing. Being from Louisiana, I felt the experience lacked the eerie ambiance often associated with Louisiana plantations. read more

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Had a tour with bullet he was amazing hopefully if you visit you get lucky and have him as a tour guide ! read more

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Had a fun time on our paranormal quest and the tour guide, "Ghoulie Julie" made it fun. It is known for being "America's Most Haunted House", and though we did not see anything out of the ordinary, our tour was fun and interesting. Well preserved home with an interesting past. Lots of antiques. Pricing was reasonable. Lots of parking in Old Town San Diego read more

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This house is creepy. If you know it's history you will be on the lookout for spirits, orbs, and swift ghosts. The floor and stairs crack even if nobody is there. Go with someone you can hold onto because that helps when frightened. I suggest an October visit if you can. read more