5 Unbelievably Creepy Haunted Locations in California

The Queen Mary operated as a luxury cruiser from 1936 to 1967, boasting famed guests such as Clark Gable and Winston Churchill. However, the ship is now retired and permanently resides in Long Beach, California.

During World War II, this iconic ship earned the nickname “The Grey Ghost," ferrying thousands of soldiers across dangerous seas. Considering the ship saw 49 deaths aboard the vessel, it seems the name was apt.

Some who died aboard the Queen Mary lost their lives through accidents, while others took matters into their own hands. Some people simply vanished, leaving behind a chilling mystery.

Stateroom B340 is especially well known for its eerie energy—perhaps from the suspicious death of British passenger Walter J. Adamson. Guests who visit this room report flickering lights, sheets being violently torn away, and painfully cold spots.

Visitors will also find that the First Class Swimming Pool is haunted by a pair of female spirits. The apparitions in this area are said to belong to a women who drown in the 1930s and 1960s, respectively.

You may also find other specters aboard the ship, such as a lady in with in the Queen's Salon and a man in 1930s attire in the First Class Suites. Expect to hear the sounds of children playing by the storage room, as well as the screams of a decapitated sailor from the boiler room.

Operating today as a deeply haunted museum and hotel, those who book a room aboard the vessel put their very sanity at risk.

Erected in 1894, Preston Castle was once a reform school for boys, particularly those who were abandoned and unruly. As you might expect, the history that comes with the building is as dark and horrific as the crumbling architecture.

It's said that the facility was a big fan of corporal punishment and toxic dunking baths. It's said that the lost souls of 17 boys are still trapped on the grounds, the most well-known being that of Samuel Goins, who died from a bullet to the back during an attempted escape.

Another unsettled spirit in the building belongs to Anna Corbin. Corbin was a housekeeper who was the victim of a brutal murder in the reformatory's basement back in 1950.

The reformatory was shut down in 1960s after a large number of reports of violence, but is currently open to tours year-round, as well as a haunted house experience in October. Visitors of the grounds report piercing screams echoing throughout the halls, assaults from invisible hands, windows and doors opening on their own, the sensation of being watched, and an uncontrollable feeling of dread.

Sarah Winchester began construction on this property in 1884—and never stopped until her death on September 5th, 1922. Shelling out an estimated $5 million on the project, Winchester essentially designed a labyrinth inside the mansion, including doors that open into solid walls and staircases that lead to nowhere.

But why was she so determined to turn her home into a maze of madness? She believed that the property was haunted by the ghosts of all of the victims of the Winchester Rifle, and hoped that her constant construction would confuse them and keep them away from her.

Following Winchester's death, the home was opened up to the public in 1923. Today, you can take regular tours of the property, or pop in for a haunted house around Halloween.

Those who visit the Winchester Mystery House report strange noises, eerie apparitions, and the touch of unseen hands.

The Bodie State Historic Park makes the phrase “ghost town” take on a double meaning. This once thriving mining town now stands completely deserted—by the living, at least.

Seeing a population of roughly 12,000 during the Gold Rush, Bodie takes up 500 acre sin Mono County, Over 100 structures from the time period are still standing, as if frozen in time.

It seems the restless spirits of prospects are also still standing strong—as is the legendary curse that hangs over Bodie.

When mining began to wind down in the 1940s, the town was slowly abandoned for more profitable land. Greed took on a new form as people began to steal artifacts from empty homes, hoping to capture a slice of California's historical Wild West.

It's said, however, that anyone who steals even the smallest, pettiest item from Bodie will inevitably be punished. Now, each morning when the staff opens up the park, they find letters full of apologies and pleas to return stolen artifacts.

Those who have taken from Bodie have reported all manner of karmic punishments: deaths of a loved one, failed relationships, health problems,  eerie hauntings, and a variety of other evils.

As for the spirits that remain in Bodie, visitors report the smells of food cooking from the Mendocini house, giggling in the cemetery from a girl allegedly killed in an accident with an axe, and a a woman peeking through the Dechambeau house window.

The Hotel del Coronado is a beautiful and luxurious San Diego resort which has welcomed guests since 1888. Unfortunately, the hotel got off to a bit of a rough start.

In 1892, 24-year-old Kate Morgan checked into the hotel—and promptly permanently checked out when she was found dead at the bottom of the staircase. Some say she took her own life, but the truth has never been confirmed.

To this day, the spirit of Kate still lingers behind in the hotel. Guests report an array of strange activity, from odd breezes, to flickering lights, to phantom footsteps.