Have you toured the Winchester House?

Yeah… I have actually. I was a kid, so I found it naturally interesting and kinda creepy as a concept.

The whole guns and curse thing. *I was pragmatic as a child too. It actually made me love guns.

The worst part about that trip… Was having to be around my grandmother. She was far more frighting a person than any damn ghost ever was.

I’ve wanted to go for years.

No, because I don’t know where it is. There’s a lot of Winchester’s that have houses.

The famous one in not far from San Francisco. The widow of the inventor of the Winchester Rifle’s house. That one.

I think you’re speaking of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.

Yes, I’ve taken guided tours twice, once a nighttime tour by flashlight with my family at Hallowe’en and once by daylight with my young son. I enjoyed them both. The place is probably overhyped, but San Jose doesn’t have very many other notable attractions. It is weird and worth seeing if you’re in the neighborhood.

There’s nothing paranormal about it, though. The old woman was simply fruitcake, and she had the money to put her odd notions into effect. I thought the spiderweb motif found throughout the house was especially interesting.

I haven’t yet but I really want to. I’ve seen a documentary on the Winchester House and it looks very intriguing and somewhat spooky too. A nice combination.

Any jellies who come to visit the Winchester Mystery House: that’ll put you in my humble neighborhood. Let me know, and we’ll have lunch.

I have once, the one in San Jose. Like @Jeruba wrote, I thought it was overhyped but what I did enjoy were the pictures of what the area looked like when it was surrounded by mostly citrus groves.

Yes. I could only imagine the noise and mess of constant remodeling. It’s odd, but not spooky.

Yes. My ex-wife was a direct decendant of her and we got the behind the scenes tour and I could not wait to get out of there. Place was beyond creeped out.

Haha, @Cruiser. decedent

No doubt you meant descendant, but the slip was funnier.

@Jeruba That was descant of you to point that out! ;)

Aww, pooh, you changed it! Still misspelled though. Sorry, but that makes me feel better. I like your comeback.

I’m amused at how a combination of OCD, paranoia, superstition, and money resulted in that mess.

Very cool illusions there. I could do without the ghost woo but that’s what sells.

It is definitely something worth seeing. The best part for me was the beautiful woodwork. There is a very intricate parquet wood floor there that is astounding. It is a true masterpiece. You can look at it but not walk on it. There are some cool stain-glass windows too.

I’ve been wanting to go for such a long time!!

@Rarebear the ghost woo is what Sarah Winchester actually believed. It’s not just “woo” or a way to hook tourists… it’s part of the actual history of the house.

I went there as a kid with my family when we were on vacation. I actually found it kind of spooky. All I remember about it was the winding stairs that led to nowhere, the musty Victorian rooms, and the deranged old lady who once lived there. A real nutty old bat.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard Oh, I know it, the history part is fine. What I don’t like is the owners making it seem like it’s a haunted house, rather than just a cool historical site with weird rooms.

I have the same problem with the various mystery spots.

@Rarebear ah, I getcha.

Yes! It’s really nifty. My family and I are kind of history buffs, especially with regards to architecture. I went there one time about 40 years ago when I was a kid and a lot of it was in really bad disrepair. Then I went again about 3 years ago and they’ve really restored a lot of it and it was really gorgeous and weird at the same time. There’s a lot of “design” decisions that seem really kooky, but that is part of the reason it’s so fun to look at. There’s some beautiful stained glass windows and gorgeous examples of Victorian design.

I don’t believe in ghosts or any of that hooey, but I appreciate hearing all of that stuff! I watch those ghost hunting shows on TV for the same reason. It’s like Halloween, it’s kind of fun to participate in that fake scary stuff. On the other hand the whole story of Mrs. Winchester’s life and how the house came to be built (upon the inherited fortune of her husband’s company, Winchester firearms) was fascinating, heartbreaking, looney, and very informative. The grounds are lovely, the house is a majestic beauty and the tour guides are very helpful. I would highly recommend going there to anyone who has an interest in history, the supernatural, architecture, interior design, gardens (both indoor and outdoor) Victoriana, and gadgets (the Winchester company had patents on all sorts of other products that had nothing to do with guns, such as roller skates and washing machines). There’s a pretty nice museum attached to the gift store, that has a large selection of other Winchester products on display, including a lot of kitchen gadgets, which was a huge thrill for me : )

I wish I could afford to be a really nutty old bat. I think I’d enjoy it more than poor Sarah did.

@Jeruba so why haven’t you written the Great American Novel™ yet?

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard, I have all the words. All I have to do now is just figure out how to arrange them.

Damn good retort.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard That was a good Report on her Retort : )