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

Me and my girlfriend Emmeline had just ate nearby when we realized the Whaley House museum was just up the street from us. My girl and I love haunted houses and the paranormal and also love learning about old towns and their history. We got tickets at a great time and were 2 of the 3 people in the tour so we got the place to ourselves with the lovely tour guide Maud. Maud was very knowledgeable about the house and the history of the family and property. She made the tour feel inclusive and answered our questions with enthusiasm and a great sense of humor. Thank you so much for the experience! read more

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We went here on a Monday evening for their 5pm tour with a docent. It's great to walk around Old Town to visit the souvenir shops beforehand too. We were able to find a parking spot after driving around a bit so buffer extra time for that. We had purchase our tickets in advance online and that was easy to do through their website. Check in was a breeze at the museum store. This is my fourth time doing this tour. It's a fun tour to bring out of town guests to. There is the history of Old San Diego with a little bit of haunting spice to it. This time we were with a young man who was doing stuff to make us jump which was annoying. My last few tour guides offered more info about the house. For example, they spoke more about how the stage was tilted, the performances there, etc rather than tell us a few details about the troupe renting the space and then leaving is to explore the upstairs on our own. read more

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This attraction is located in Old Town San Diego and is described as the most haunted house in the US. It was reminiscent of the Winchester Mystery House in SJ where I reside, but the execution of the tour not as effective. We went on the evening guided tour on a Sunday night which lasted about 40-45 minutes. The discussion of the venue's history was pretty good, and our tour guide seemed to be putting in the effort. But for being referred to as "most haunted house", the experience was lacking. Any mention of anything spooky about it was not emphasized, rather just quickly mentioned and lost in the discussion. Idk, maybe you have to pay extra for the "paranormal investigation" or "ghosts and gravestones" tickets to get something more. But it was worth experiencing as a one-time thing, and I did appreciate learning about the history of the house. read more

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A must-do when you're in Old Town San Diego! The Whaley House is full of fascinating history and is beautifully preserved. Even if you're not into ghost stories it's a fun and unique experience that's well worth the visit. You can take a self tour, guided tour or night tour and other fun options. Definitely add it to your Old Town itinerary! read more

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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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Absolute peak. Mrs. Hannah Sullivan was amazing and a great host. I can't say I felt any dark or mysterious energy but I would definitely recommend taking a tour, very interesting history. 10/10 would do it again. Maybe the night ghost experience. read more

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

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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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Definitely worth experiencing. Went on a Tuesday night with my family and we had a great time! Tour guide was very informative and knowledgeable. read more

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

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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$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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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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Hannah provided an very informative and interesting tour of the most haunted house in old town San Diego. She was able to share the Whaley House history and tragic story. If you're curious about paranormal activity, it's worth a visit. read more

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

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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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

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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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

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

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

Ghouly Julie was amazing! Knew what she was talking about and was definitely a part of the experience. Love to hear about the Whaley House as an old town regular! read more

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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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

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

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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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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Entire tour was really cool and immersive, tour guide was great, definitely felt stuff while inside. Was genuinely looking forward as this is on my haunted bucket list. It was ruined by the children on the tour. There needs to be adult only tours. I really wanted to take everything in but the entire time children were crying and screaming and I could barely hear the guide herself. Everyone was talking too, I thought it was a museum where speaking should be kept to a minimum for the rest of the guests. I felt like my entire experience was ruined because instead of focusing on everything around me I had to genuinely lock in and try to hear the tour guide over everyone talking and children crying. Pretty upsetting because despite that it could've been one of the best experiences I had felt when it comes to paranormal activity. read more

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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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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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

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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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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