Haunted Places in San Mateo, California



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    Water Dog Lake

    Belmont, California

    3.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The ghost of the water dog is a local legend. Some say the water dog killed a boy who was walking around the lake alone. Others don't believe it, and they say, according to a newspaper story, the boy was killed by a murderer who dumped the body at the ...


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    Lullaby Lane Baby Store - Baby World

    San Bruno, California

    6.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The former Lullaby Lane Baby Store (now Baby World) has been in operation since the 1950s, and is believed to be haunted by a former employee named Jean Brown, who retired from the store in 1977 and died of lung cancer in 1980. Witnesses report unexplained noises, footsteps, moving chairs, ...


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    Zaballa House

    Half Moon Bay, California

    8.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    People claim that room 6 is haunted with strange noises and alarms going off. Guests on review websites claim the walls are thin which could explain the "haunting" reports.


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    Ocean View Inn

    Montara, California

    10.5 miles from San Mateo, CA


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    Moss Beach Distillery

    Moss Beach, California

    10.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This restaurant on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean was originally built in 1927 as a speakeasy, but turned into a restaurant in 1933. It is said to be haunted by the Blue Lady, who folks say died near the restaurant. The story has been seen on TV's Unsolved Mysteries. ...


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    St James Presbyterian Church

    San Francisco, California

    11.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    St. James Presbyterian Church is said to be haunted, as evidenced by footsteps heard walking up the stairs and doors that shut by themselves and are sometimes impossible to open again. The same doors will be found open later.


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    Bronco Billy's Pizza

    Union City, California

    13.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The building this branch of the local pizza restaurant is housed in is one of the oldest in town, and dates back to before the city was established. The back room of the place is supposedly where most of the supernatural activity is confined to. Submitted by Callum Swift


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    USS Hornet

    Alameda, California

    14.5 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This retired aircraft carrier, historic landmark, and museum is said to be the most haunted warship in the world. It has been used as a setting on many movies and has been featured on several TV shows, including MTV's Fear, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Scariest Places on Earth.


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    Kofman Auditorium

    Alameda, California

    14.6 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Witnesses at Kofman Auditorium have reported unexplained noises and the apparition of a woman who walks around in the backstage area.


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    1400 Bar and Grill

    Alameda, California

    14.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    A man dressed in period uniform has been seen here, accompanied by cold spots. Footsteps and other unexplained noises are also heard here. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    Safeway

    San Francisco, California

    14.9 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The ghost of a young boy has been seen in the halls leading to the storage room around closing time, or sitting beside crates with his head down and his arms around his knees. Some say the building was a motel in the mid 1900s but local gang members burned ...


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    Swell Bar

    Alameda, California

    15.1 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The local establishment is haunted by the original bar owner. Reports from patrons and staff indicate that lights turn on and off by themselves, doors open and close of their own accord and pool balls roll across the table without being touched. Submitted by Callum Swift


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    Hayward Plunge

    Hayward, California

    15.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    According to reports, in the late 1960s a swimming coach led his students to the creek and later murdered them. Now, witnesses say they have felt cold spots and seen eerie shadows, and those who stop in a clearing will see children's footsteps all around them and hear laughter, running, ...


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    Market Street Cinema

    San Francisco, California

    15.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Market Street Cinema is reported to be haunted by ghosts of homeless folks who stay in the theater at night. Legend has it that a former employee named James used to rent space out to the homeless in the basement overnight. After they all died, including James, their spirits kept ...


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    Rengstorff House

    Mountain View, California

    15.9 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Rengstorff House was originally built by German immigrant Henry Rengstorff on Stierlin Road in the 1860s, but was moved to its current location to be restored and turned into a museum. The 16-room mansion with beautiful period furnishings, a widow's walk and a garden was occupied by the Rengstorff family ...


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    CineLux Chabot Cinema

    Castro Valley, California

    16.1 miles from San Mateo, CA

    According to employees, the disembodied laughter of a man has been heard here, and shadows have been seen going up and down the aisles late at night.


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    The Bordello

    Oakland, California

    16.2 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Old house built in 1887, former saloon and brothel with very active paranormal activity. Everything from chairs being moved to figures of men and women sighted around the house. Not too bothersome but definitely present. History records suggest a bar fight leading to a stabbing in the saloon in the ...


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    Hotel Rex

    San Francisco, California

    16.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The housekeepers always said that they saw the apparition of a Chinese man with a clever particularly on the 4th floor. They also reported that many guests also heard the sound of horseshoes in the alley behind the hotel when there was nothing there. The building once housed Chinese ...


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    Stow Lake Ghost

    San Francisco, California

    16.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This story has been around for over a century. In Golden Gate park, a lady was walking her baby in a stroller. As she sat on a bench to rest, she didn't notice that the stroller had rolled into the lake. She asked everyone she saw if they had seen ...


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    Vintage Court Hotel

    San Francisco, California

    16.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    I arrived very late at night, around 3am from my flight and had a really scary experience where I fell asleep for about 30 min to be woken up to noises in the bathroom. Now there was no window in the bathroom, so I was a bit puzzled and ...


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    Queen Anne Hotel

    San Francisco, California

    16.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Alleged to be haunted by Mary Lake, the headmistress of the girls school that originally occupied the location. She is predominately felt in the room that bears her name, room 410. People claim to feel her presence and hear tapping and other noises associated with her haunting.


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    Nob Hill Inn

    San Francisco, California

    16.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The fancy 1907 Nob Hill Inn is said to be home to at least 22 happy spirits with a sense of humor. Although they are said to be friendly and not harmful, they like to play pranks with electricity, appliances or doors, and hide people's personal objects from time to ...


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    Cameron House

    San Francisco, California

    16.5 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Lady Cameron's former house contained a basement that was a refuge for Chinese immigrants rescued from prostitution and slavery. But angry townspeople got wind of what she was doing and set fire to her house, killing the immigrants. The restored Cameron House, now a church, has its basement doors marked ...


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    The Neptune Society San Francisco Columbarium

    San Francisco, California

    16.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Once part of the Odd Fellows Cemetery, the Columbarium has been the site of some eerie happenings. A visitor once felt the sensation of a hand on her back, but no one was there. Afterward, a white handprint remained on her blouse.


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    Mansions Hotel

    San Francisco, California

    16.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    No longer operating as a hotel, this building was said to have been split into two private homes, and neither family has noted any supernatural activity, reports say. The old hotel was said to be home to Claudia, the ghost of the original owner's daughter, and some say the lights ...


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    Golden Gate Park

    San Francisco, California

    16.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    A ghost cop is said to haunt Golden Gate Park, even giving people speeding tickets. When they go to pay the ticket, the court will say it doesn't exist. Reports say once you are outside the park grounds, the ghost cop disappears.


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    Lone Tree Cemetery

    Hayward, California

    17 miles from San Mateo, CA

    At this haunted cemetery, witnesses have reported faces that appear in the bushes, unexplained noises, objects that move on their own, flashes of light and chiming bells. Some folks have seen orbs, others have had them show up later in photographs.


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    San Remo Hotel

    San Francisco, California

    17.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Room 33 and room 42 are apparently the rooms to get if you want a haunted room. The former is believed to be haunted by the former brothel owner who stayed there and the latter is apparently plagued by the ghost of a young girl who is repeatedly seen ...


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    San Francisco Art Institute

    San Francisco, California

    17.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This was built over the site of a cememtery and people have reported seeing a gray figure in the bathroom. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    Manrow House Site

    San Francisco, California

    17.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    J.P. Manrow built his dream house where these apartments now stand; his dream soon became a nightmare when he realized his house was haunted. Manrow, his family, and servants were all assaulted by an invisible known for having a very violent temper and throwing chairs at guests and residents. People ...


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    Haskell House

    San Francisco, California

    17.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This is the location where senator David Broderick was shot and killed in a duel back in 1857. Broderick is said to have not moved on and is known for pacing back and forth or reported as a shadow. (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    Presidio Officers Club

    San Francisco, California

    17.8 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Ghost hunters have said they saw, and captured on film, the apparition of an aristocratic woman in a flowing black dress gliding across the dance floor. The ghost was spotted during the daytime.


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    Quality Inn and Suites at NASA Ames

    Mountain View, California

    17.9 miles from San Mateo, CA

    1.) During a trip in 2014, while almost asleep, something jumped on my bed. After rapidly turning on a light, no-one or anything was there. 2.) A colleague was staying at the same hotel (same year). While sitting on his room bed, he said he felt as if at least three ...


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    Alcatraz

    San Francisco, California

    19 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The former maximum-security prison set on an island is now a musuem and tourist attraction. Visitors and tour guides alike have reported unexplained screams, slamming cell doors, banjo music and footsteps. The site has been investigated by both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Labs.


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    Pinehurst and Redwood Road

    Oakland, California

    19.1 miles from San Mateo, CA

    My girlfriend and I went out late at night on this road, as we tend to go on late night drives. However this night there were many cold spots, strange noises from outside of the car, an odd light caught on film followed by thumping against my car (which we ...


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    The Golden Gate Bridge

    San Francisco, California

    19.6 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This is the number one suicide location in the United States, with an average of 25 deaths per year (more than a thousand since construction). While the ghostly jumpers might still be there, another lessen known entity has been spotted in this vincinity. In 1853, the SS Tennessee sank in ...


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    Quality Inn and Suites Sunnyvale

    Sunnyvale, California

    19.9 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The full body apparition of a man is reportedly seen throughout the hotel.


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    Claremont Hotel Club and Spa

    Berkeley, California

    20.9 miles from San Mateo, CA

    In the late 1800s, this site contained a castle-like home, but in 1901 it burned to the ground. The Claremont Hotel opened in 1915, and to this day, folks say they can smell smoke in their smoke-free rooms. On the fourth floor, said to be the most haunted, witnesses report ...


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    Sunnyvalle Toys 'R Us

    Sunnyvale, California

    21 miles from San Mateo, CA

    This retail store is said to be haunted by a ghost of a man named Johnson, John, or Johann. Psychics who have investigated say he was an 1880s ranch hand and preacher who died of axe wounds while working in an orchard. Employees report that objects jump off the shelves ...


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    HI Marin Headlands Hostel / Marin Headlands

    Sausalito, California

    21.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The land here was originally that of the Miwoks; however, by 1907, the land belonged to the U.S. military seeing as the grounds were a perfect point to thwart a surprise attack. Now a hostel for visitors, some of the spots here are said to be pure evil. One man ...


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    Niles Canyon Road

    Fremont, California

    21.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    A woman in a white dress was ran over sometime in the 1920's. Some people have seen a woman in a bloddy white gown walking along this road and hikers using the secret sidewalk have supposedly gone missing trying to aid this woman. Submitted by Chris Berglund


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    Angel Island

    Belvedere Tiburon, California

    21.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Angel Island is referred to as the "Ellis Island" of the west; immigrants wanting to head into the mainland were detained here until they were cleared to go through. Unfortunately, that process was devastating to some. Some people were shamed, humiliated, starved, and the horrific encounters would be documented (being ...


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    Ohlone Burial Grounds

    Fremont, California

    21.5 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Reports say these grounds just down the road from Mission San Jose are fenced off, but a plaque designates the site as an Ohlone burial ground. Here, witnesses say they have photographed orbs, believed to be spirits of Ohlone Indians who died at the mission and were buried here.


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    Boccardo John / Sally Stanford’s Valhalla Inn

    Sausalito, California

    21.5 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Before it became Boccardo John, Sally Stanford's Valhalla Inn was made famous by an appearance in Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai. It's said that Sally Stanford is seen outside of her former inn, as well as several other women (dressed out of date). (Submitted by Chris Berglund)


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    The Faculty Club at UC Berkeley

    Berkeley, California

    21.7 miles from San Mateo, CA

    The Faculty Club has been around since 1902, and offers meeting facilities and lodging for University staff, alumni and prospective students/family. It is said that room 219 is haunted by the ghost of a long dead man, but there aren't any further details currently available. If you know ...


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    Mission San José

    Fremont, California

    22.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Mission San Jose was founded in 1797, and although it is now a museum and sightseeing site, it once suffered an earthquake. Witnesses have described various incidences of paranormal activity including unexplained sounds, cold spots, eerie feelings, and even apparitions of Native Americans.


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    Lord Bradley's Inn

    Fremont, California

    22.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    People claim to have seen apparitions in old-fashioned clothing throughout the building and hear footsteps and odd noises late at night.


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    California's Great America

    Santa Clara, California

    22.4 miles from San Mateo, CA

    At California's Great America, aka Paramount's Great America, a ghost of a boy who was killed on a ride is said to haunt the area where the ride once stood. Many other spots at this amusement park are also said to be haunted as well. For example, a man's ghost ...


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    Agnews Insane Asylum Site

    Santa Clara, California

    23.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    In the Great Earthquake of 1906, over 100 patients were killed and buried on this site. The hospital itself was said to be a place full of negative residual energy from shock treatment leaving the patients catatonic. Guests have been shoved and report the feeling of being watched. Objects have ...


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    Fireside Motel

    Mill Valley, California

    24.3 miles from San Mateo, CA

    Once a speakeasy, the Fireside has had a long history of strange activity, leading to a seance. It is believed that all disturbances within the motel are attributed to Miwok Indians that were buried underneath the site and have been disturbed. Unaccountable sounds have been reported since the mid-1950's when ...


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