From Betsy Malloy,
Your Guide to California Travel.
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Winchester Mystery House
525 South Winchester Blvd
San Jose, CA
(408)
Website

• Hours: Open for tours daily, except Christmas day
• Reservations: Not required, except for special tours
• Location: San Jose, just off I-280
• How Long: Allow a couple of hours
• Best Time to Visit: Any time. Special flashlight tours are held on Friday the 13th and just before Halloween
• See it Now: Photo Tour

The Winchester Mystery House is a rambling, 160-room unfinished and unfurnished house built by Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Curiosities include staircases leading to nowhere and doors in the floor.

The tour passes from completed rooms into incomplete ones, as if the builders lost their place and started anew every day. Winchester's fascination with the number 13 is evident everywhere: bathroom number 13 has 13 windows, one of them looking into the bedroom next door, the kitchn sink sports 13 drain holes and Winchester even modified a 12-light gas chandelier to hold 13 lights.

Winchester Mystery House Review

We rate Winchester Mystery House 3 stars out of 5. The standard tour lasts 65 minutes and costs much more than a full-price movie, and despite all the hype, it's mildly entertaining at best.

Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about it, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.

What do you think of Winchester Mystery House???

• 0 = Yuck! Just say no to this flea-bitten hole of a tourist trap
• 1 = So-So More fun than a night in jail, but you might enjoy a good nap more
• 2 = OK Some people find it interesting, but I didn't
• 3 = Good Go if you have time, but it's not a big deal if you miss it
• 4 = Great I really liked it, and I think you will, too
• 5 = Awesome! It's a must-see sight that I recommend to everyone

Getting to the Winchester Mystery House

Exit I-280 southbound at Winchester Blvd. and go east about 1/2 block.

If you're staying in San Francisco and want to visit but don't want to drive, Viator.com offers a day tour. You can buy tickets online and print them at home.

More About the Winchester Mystery House

If you're interested in learning more about the Winchester Mystery House, read about its Winchester Mystery House history and owner Sarah Winchester and find out if it's haunted or not.