Perhaps Silicon Valley’s strangest and yet most enduring attraction is Winchester Mystery House, a 160-room Victorian mansion that was owned and built by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester gun manufacturing fortune. Construction began on the house in 1884 and continued, almost nonstop, until 1922—racking up a bill of $5.5 million. Why the unending, breakneck pace? Because Sarah had been convinced by a medium that all the spirits of the people killed by Winchester firearms had placed a curse on her family and would haunt her forever unless she moved West and built a house to match their specifications, as revealed to her in séances.
Originally a simple eight-room farmhouse, the property transformed under Sarah’s constant guidance into a sprawling 24,000-square-foot mansion with 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, two ballrooms, six kitchens, and 13 bathrooms (but oddly just one shower). Features of the house include staircases leading to nowhere, doors that open into walls, and windows overlooking other rooms, all supposedly designed to confuse any malevolent spirits that might be following her.
The architectural style of the Winchester Mystery House is as eclectic as its floor plan. The home features a mix of Victorian and Queen Anne styles, with elaborate wooden interiors, stained-glass windows, and ironwork that was state-of-the-art at the time of construction. Despite the oddities, the house is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, with exquisite details that showcase the skills of the carpenters and artisans employed by Winchester.
One of the most compelling reasons to visit the Winchester Mystery House is to experience the sense of mystery and bizarreness that permeates the property. Guided tours take visitors through the maze-like corridors and elaborately decorated rooms, while sharing tales of the house’s history, Sarah Winchester’s life, and the various ghost stories that are now part of the mansion's lore.
In addition to the main tour, the Winchester Mystery House offers flashlight tours during Halloween, “Halfway to Halloween” in the spring, and Friday the 13th, adding an extra layer of spookiness to the experience. Take part in a friendly competition of axe-throwing at the stables, where after a brief coaching session you’ll be ready to go for the bull’s-eye. Or climb upstairs to Room 161, aka Sarah’s Attic Shooting Gallery, where you can take aim at 38 targets (if you can spot them). The house is also a popular destination during the holiday season, when it is beautifully decorated.
The gardens surrounding the mansion are another highlight, featuring 10,000 box hedges and elaborate landscaping. The greenhouse, a recent restoration project, is filled with beautiful plants and flowers, some of which are descendants of those Sarah Winchester herself planted.
