→ Planning Your Visit
Open daily from 10AM-4PM on weekdays and 10AM-5PM on weekends (closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day).
Closing times vary, please check our Buy Tickets page for current tour times or the top of our webpage for today’s hours.
For any questions about this information, call us at 408-247-2000.
Yes, we have two free parking lots available onsite. One is directly on property in the front and the other is directly behind us off of Olsen Drive. We do advise larger vehicles and RV’s to utilize the lot behind us. If both parking lots are full, you can find additional parking located at Santana Row. Please be aware that Olsen Drive does not permit on-street parking, and towing or ticketing may occur. We also offer lockers on site for valuables and luggage.
Yes! The Mansion Tour at Winchester Mystery House is family friendly and welcomes guests of all ages. While the house has a spooky reputation, it is not a paranormal tour. The daytime Mansion Tour focuses on history, architecture, and the stories surrounding the home.
Children four and under are free and ages 5-12 will need a ticket. We do ask that any minor be accompanied with an adult at any time. So go ahead, bring the family!
Yes. We recommend purchasing tickets online in advance to secure your preferred tour time. Tickets purchased at the box office are for the next available tour and may require a wait, particularly on busy days. There is no price difference between purchasing tickets online and at the box office.
We are a very popular option for groups and would love to host you! We ask that our group tours are 20 or more guests. For school and youth groups, the minimums are 20. Please contact our team for more information.
Yes, the Winchester Mystery House offers venue rentals for private events and weddings. Please head to our event page to learn more and submit an inquiry.
Please note: Overnight rentals and private paranormal investigations are not available to the general public.
A: No, private paranormal investigations are strictly unavailable to the general public.
However, we do occasionally host special public paranormal investigation events. We also offer seasonal self-guided Flashlight Tours in which guests are welcome to bring handheld equipment, provided it does not disrupt the experience of others. Please check our Upcoming Events page for availability and tickets.
Tickets to Sarah’s Winchester’s Garden Tour grants you access to the gardens and grounds if you would like to visit the estate.
Private photoshoots are not available inside the mansion.
Spending the night in an old Victorian mansion sounds like fun – if you are into that sort of thing. But unfortunately, at this time, Winchester Mystery House® is not open for overnight guests. We are always looking at offering new experiences, but for now you’ll have to settle in for the night somewhere else. However, a few times a year there are nighttime tours. Check any upcoming events for details.
Yes! Our newly reopened Cafe 13 is open daily from 10 AM to 3 PM. Located inside of our gift shop, the cafe will be serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks.
Throughout the year, we may offer seasonal or promotional discounts. Please see our Discounts & Promotions page for current information on offerings.
Guests that purchase onsite are given the first available tour, which during busy days may be up to a 1-2 hour wait time. The benefit of booking your tour online is securing your reservation for the desired time and planning your visit accordingly. There is no price difference for buying online versus at the box office.
If you have a ticket voucher or complimentary ticket, please come to the estate and redeem it at the box office. You will be put on the next available tour. If your voucher has a code, you may redeem that code online to book your tickets.
The Winchester Mystery House offers a unique combination of history, architecture, and storytelling. Guests can tour the historic mansion, explore its architectural features, and enjoy the gardens. The estate also offers seasonal and nighttime experiences throughout the year.
We recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. This allows time for parking, checking in, and making your way to the tour entrance.
The standard Mansion Tour requires guests to navigate stairs and extensive walking. Guests who cannot access the mansion’s interior can instead participate in our onsite ADA Video Tour, which takes place in an accessible building and includes access to the gardens.
Strollers are not permitted inside the mansion due to the historic layout and numerous stairs. Strollers may be used on the estate grounds, but guests will need to leave them outside of the tour entrance before entering the mansion.
Pets are not permitted on the estate, with the exception of service animals.
Yes, but very limited. Winchester Mystery House occasionally offers special nighttime experiences, including seasonal Flashlight Tours. Availability varies throughout the year, so check our Upcoming Events on our website menu for current offerings.
Yes! Winchester Mystery House offers special Halloween events and experiences throughout the spooky season. Our Halloween offerings vary each year, so check Upcoming Events in our website menu as we get closer to fall for the most up-to-date information about this year’s events, dates, and tickets.
→ Tickets & Tours
Yes. Tickets are available at the box office, but guests purchasing onsite are placed on the next available tour. During busy periods, the wait for the next available tour may be one to two hours. We recommend purchasing tickets online in advance to secure your preferred tour time.
The Mansion Tour is a guided experience through 110 of the mansion’s 160 rooms, where guests learn about Sarah Winchester, the home’s history, and its unusual architecture and features. Access to the gardens is complimentary with the purchase of a Mansion Tour.
The Mansion Tour is approximately 60 minutes long. It is a guided tour through 110 of the mansion’s 160 rooms.
Because we are located in the San Francisco Bay Area, we understand all about traffic making you late for something! Never fear, our team will take care of you. If you are 5-10 minutes late, you can be caught up to your tour or we will get you placed on the next available tour.
Due to the age of our historic home, there is no central air or heat. While we do have some air conditioning and heaters in some spaces, we cannot heat/cool the entire house completely. We do advise all guests to dress for the time of year, light layers during summer and a warm jacket for winter. If you get uncomfortable on tour, please let your tour guide know and we will do our best to assist you.
Winchester Mystery House® is a historic home and is not currently wheelchair accessible. However, the grounds and gift shop are wheelchair accessible. In addition, there is an ADA video tour available on property. The ADA tour includes a video tour in one of the accessible garden buildings and the self-guided Sarah Winchester Garden Tour. Please click the “Buy Tickets” button on the top of the page to view availability.
There are 47 staircases in the mansion. Due to Sarah Winchester’s home being built in a period even prior to elevators, the house is not easily accessible. We do have three elevators she installed later in construction of the Winchester Mystery House®, but due to safety of our guests, these are inoperable. For those who may be unable to do the Mansion Tour, we do offer an ADA Video Access Tour on the property, click here for details.
We allow non-flash photography during daytime tours inside the mansion. Videography or live streaming is not allowed while on tour. Share your pictures with us on socials and tag us @ winchestermysteryhouse.
Unfortunately, food is not allowed on tours, however bottled beverages with a sealed cap are. We do encourage guests to bring a bottle of water on tour, especially during the warm summer months.
→ About Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is a historic mansion in San Jose, California, and the former home of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune. Construction on the home began in 1886 and continued for 36 years, until Sarah’s passing in 1922. What began as an eight-room farmhouse grew into a sprawling 160-room mansion encompassing approximately 24,000 square feet with 10,000 windows and 2,000 doors.
Today, the mansion is known for its unusual architecture, intricate craftsmanship, and the many mysteries and legends surrounding its history. Some of its design features are puzzling, while others showcase innovations that were ahead of their time.
Today, we are honored to care for and preserve Sarah Winchester’s home, protecting the craftsmanship, stories, and history that make this place so special. Guests can tour the mansion and experience Sarah Winchester’s home firsthand.
Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Wirt Winchester and heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Sarah was well educated and came from a prosperous family. She experienced tremendous loss early in her life. Her infant daughter died from a childhood illness, and just a few years later, her husband died of tuberculosis.
Shortly after her husband’s death, Sarah left her home in New Haven and moved west to San Jose, California, where she purchased an eight-room farmhouse in 1886. In the midst of her grief, she began transforming the home. What followed was 36 years of construction, as the original farmhouse grew into a sprawling mansion without a traditional master plan. Rooms were added, removed, remodeled, and reconfigured, creating the maze-like home we know today.
For more than 100 years, people have wondered whether the Winchester Mystery House is haunted. After the mansion opened to the public in 1923, guests and employees began sharing stories of strange and unexplained experiences inside the mansion. Over the years, people have reported hearing voices and footsteps when no one was there, feeling an unexpected presence, seeing figures in the halls, and experiencing other things they couldn’t easily explain. Even today, guests and employees continue to share their own stories.
Whether you believe in spirits or remain a skeptic, there’s no denying that people have been having unexplained experiences inside the Winchester Mystery House for more than a century. We can’t say for certain what causes these experiences, but the stories continue to be shared by guests and employees to this day.
Many believe some of the spirits said to linger in the mansion may be former members of Sarah Winchester’s staff, as well as staff members of the museum and those who have spent years caring for and working in the home. We like to believe that if spirits are real, perhaps they loved Sarah, their work, and this house so much that they simply decided to stay.
It is owned by Winchester Mystery House®, LLC, a private organization dedicated to sharing Sarah Winchester’s mysterious home in an unforgettable way.
→ Additional Information
We get it, our gift shop is filled with some amazing stuff! We offer some items online at our online shop. If you saw something you really can’t live without, or need to do a return, please email gift@winchestermysteryhouse.com and we will do our best to help.
A: We have many guests who believe that they have captured something unexplained in a photo. We love seeing what our guests capture on camera, but please note that the Winchester Mystery House staff are not photo analysis experts and cannot confirm or deny any unexplained phenomena.
If you think you’ve captured something supernatural and want to share it, you can submit your image to our Paranormal Photos Gallery. Please note that all submissions are reviewed by our team before being approved for display in the public gallery.
Winchester Mystery House receives a large number of requests for donations to worthy causes, therefore we require all requests to be done through our donation request form here. Donations requests via email, mail or phone will not be processed. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your patience while we process your request.
At this time, we are not purchasing or receiving donations of any furnishings or guns that are not historically significant to our property.
With a house as mysterious as this one, guests are bound to have questions. If one of your questions isn’t covered below, please contact us at info@winchestermysteryhouse.com!
The daily Mansion Tour at the Winchester Mystery House guides you through 110 of the 160 rooms in the home. During this tour you will learn about the amazing woman at the heart of this home and see all the unique architectural designs and features it holds. Come delve into the mystery and find out why this home is so captivating!
All that talk of paranormal sometimes worries parents that the tour will be too scary for children. Not to worry – all ages are welcome and the tour is very family friendly! Children four and under are free and ages 5-12 will need a ticket.
That’s just part of the mystery, right? Since 1923, many guests and employees have experienced strange phenomena while inside Sarah Winchester’s beautiful mansion. We have been listed on plenty of “world’s most haunted places” lists, but we encourage you to come and find out for yourself.
Please visit https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/discounts-promotions/ for our current discount and promotions.
The duration of the Mansion Tour typically lasts approximately 65 minutes.
Photography is permitted during the Mansion Tour, but flash photography and videography is not. Please respect any guidelines provided by our tour guides.
Tickets for the Mansion Tour can be booked online through our website at winchestermysteryhouse.com or purchased at the Winchester Mystery House ticket office. We recommend booking in advance to secure your spot as availability may be limited.
Due to the historic nature of the Winchester Mystery House, the inside of the mansion is not wheelchair accessible. This tour involves multiple stairs and extensive walking throughout the home.
Please contact us in advance to discuss any accessibility requirements, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. We have ADA Video Tours available onsite if needed. You can find accessibility information here.
Cancellations and rescheduling are subject to our tour booking policies. Please refer to your booking confirmation or contact our customer service team for assistance with any changes to your reservation.
A: Basement & Attic Access is an exclusive add-on experience available after your Mansion Tour. Just steps away from the tour’s conclusion, guests can continue exploring with a self-guided experience through the home’s basement and attic areas.Spaces included in this experience feature the Large and Small Basements, the Post-1906 Kitchen, the Aviary, the Original Gable Room, the Witch’s Cap, the Low Ceiling Hallway, the Staff Quarters, and the Head Housekeeper’s Room. Guests are free to explore at their own pace, with staff available to answer questions and share stories.
A: Due to the exposed areas of the basement and 3rd floor hallways which require safety helmets, children under 5 are not permitted. It is recommended that children must be 5 and up and be able to walk unassisted. We do ask that any minor be accompanied with an adult at any time.
A: No, Basement & Attic Access is a separate add on experience and is not included in the regular tour ticket. We do recommend purchasing the add on experience for after your Mansion Tour to have the ultimate Winchester Mystery House exploration during your visit.
A: The duration of the Basement & Attic Access can range from 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on how long you wish to explore.
A: Photography is permitted during the Basement & Attic Access, but flash photography and videography is not. Please respect any guidelines provided by our staff.
A: Tickets for the Basement & Attic Access can be booked online through our website at winchestermysteryhouse.com or purchased at the Winchester Mystery House ticket office. To purchase the Basement & Attic add-on when booking online…. First Select and add your Mansion Tour to your cart. Then fill out your contact information. Finally, on the next page, you’ll see the option to add the add-on to your visit.
A: Unfortunately, due to the historic nature of the Winchester Mystery House, the basements and attic spaces are not wheelchair accessible. Please contact us in advance to discuss any accessibility requirements, and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
A: Cancellations and rescheduling are subject to our tour booking policies. Please refer to your booking confirmation or contact our customer service team for assistance with any changes to your reservation.
