San Diego's most haunted places, and the real history behind the ghost stories

San Diego is an old city by California standards, and its oldest corner, Old Town, packs a hanging, a courthouse, a theater and a cemetery paved over by a streetcar line into a few blocks. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, the history under these stories is real. Here's what actually happened at each place, and how to visit this October.

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Leaflet | © OpenStreetMap contributors

Old Town

1. 1Whaley House — 2476 San Diego Ave; daily 10–4:30, evening tours
2. 2El Campo Santo — Free; look for grave markers in the sidewalk
3. 3Cosmopolitan Hotel — 1827–29 adobe, now a hotel and restaurant

Sherman Heights

1. 4Villa Montezuma — 1887 spiritualist's mansion; check tour dates

Waterfront

1. 5Star of India — Maritime Museum, 1492 N Harbor Dr
2. 6USS Midway Museum — Haunted Hangar night October 24

Coronado

1. 7Hotel del Coronado — Kate Morgan's hotel; nightly ghost tour

Pins from OpenStreetMap. Hours and prices checked October 6, 2026.

The Whaley House, Old Town

In 1852, James "Yankee Jim" Robinson was hanged for trying to steal a boat, on the ground where Thomas Whaley began building San Diego's first two-story brick house four years later. The family moved in in August 1857. The house went on to host the city's first commercial theater in 1868 and served as the county courthouse from 1869 to 1871. It opened as a museum in 1960 and is California Historical Landmark #65.

Visit: open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Self-guided daytime admission starts at $15, guided evening tours (30–40 minutes) from $20, and after-hours paranormal investigations from $109.

El Campo Santo, Old Town

This small Catholic cemetery holds 477 burials from 1849 to 1897. A street railway was cut through it in 1894, and when San Diego Avenue was later paved, some graves ended up under the street and sidewalk. Small round markers show where they are. It's free and open to walk through, and it's the destination of the candlelit procession during Día de los Muertos in Old Town.

Hotel del Coronado

On November 24, 1892, a young woman checked in as "Lottie A. Bernard." Five days later she was found dead on an exterior staircase leading to the beach, and the coroner ruled it suicide. She was later identified as Kate Morgan. Guests have reported footsteps and flickering lights in the room associated with her ever since. The hotel runs its Haunted Happenings tour nightly at 7 p.m. (45 minutes, ages 12+). You can visit the hotel without staying: see the Hotel del without a room.

The Star of India

Launched in 1863 on the Isle of Man as the Euterpe, the ship lost its captain, William John Storry, who died aboard in 1865 and was buried at sea. Today it's the world's oldest active sailing ship and a National Historic Landmark at the Maritime Museum, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults are $28; this October, two kids get in free with each paying adult.

More for the brave

• —Villa Montezuma in Sherman Heights was built in 1887 for Jesse Shepard, a musician and spiritualist who held séances there. The City owns it and offers tours on limited dates; check before you go.
• —The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town began as Juan Bandini's 1827–29 adobe and reopened as a hotel and restaurant in 2010.
• —USS Midway Museum describes itself as "paranormally active" and hosts its family Haunted Hangar Halloween night on October 24, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Plan the rest of the visit with our Midway tips.