On Sale: Winchester House Fall Flashlight Tours

The said-to-be-haunted abode takes on the spooky veil of nighttime.

DO TRY THIS AT HOME: Know where your flashlight might be? We all should, since when we really, really need it our house tends to be rather dark. Turn the torch on, then point the beam at various objects: a plant, the television, the ceiling fan. How creepy do those rather innocuous items become when they're caught in a stream of pointed light? The answer: pretty darn creepy. Now imagine yourself in a huge and rambling house, a house that's said to be haunted, an abode that is, by far, one of the most eerie locations in all of the Golden State, if not the country. It's the Winchester Mystery House, and while tours are offered throughout the year, there are only a few times on the calendar when visitor enter the house by nightfall -- meaning a flashlight will be in use, spooky-ing objects and corners right up along the way. (Ohhh, those empty corners become triply terrifying when viewed by the beam of a flashlight.) The San Jose mansion's famous Flashlight Tours only ever happen on nights that coincide with Friday the 13th -- double eek -- and during the most bewitchingest season of all, the days running up to Halloween. For while the homes in your neighborhood might dress up for the screamy night, Sarah Winchester's tale-filled casa really does bring the authentic creepy, which is no surprise: It was seance central, back in her day. And while we can't "spirit" you to that day, the late 1800s and early 20th century, we can tell you that...

TICKETS ARE THIS WAY... for some "select" 2015 October evenings. A souvenir flashlight is yours to remember your guided wanderings by, and, of course, the memory of any ghosts you might spy. Even if you don't come across anything chill-worthy, it is still mighty cool to be in a storied structure when the moon is out. But what if you can't make it on one of the October evenings when the Flashlight Tours are happening? Shriek not; the next Friday the 13th follows fast, in November, and, yep, there is a nighttime tour afoot. By the by, did you know that lady of the house Sarah Winchester was partial to the number 13? It all lends further texture to a house with more backstory than some towns. 

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