We stayed at the Queen Mary while we were in Long Beach for Midsummer Scream at the nearby convention center. We explored it a little more and got a few more stories.
You can check out our original review here.
Queen Mary Hotel (update)
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Tag Archives: haunted
Winchester Mystery House (update)
Story from a tour guide:
Blind woman on the tour once asked if the tour guide ever saw any ghosts.
The guide said that he hadn’t.
The woman asked the tour guide if he wanted to know where we “picked up” a ghost.
The presence arrived in seance room & left at 3rd floor stairs.
Winchester Mystery House (update)
I just overheard one of the Behind The Scenes tour guides talk about a maintenance worker who heard someone walking above them in the 2nd water tower. They went in to catch the intruder, but no one was found… & there is only 1 staircase.
Six Flags Magic Mountain (update)
We received an email from someone who believes he may have an explanation for who is the ghost found on the Jet Stream. Apparently, back in the 90s there was an elderly gentleman who really loved the Jet Stream and the Log Jammer, and would visit the park at least once a month to ride those rides. He loved them so much he would even pick out specific boats and logs to ride while visiting. He was such a regular figure that the employees started to affectionately refer to him as “Floatie.” There was even a time that “Floatie” helped a guest who had gotten hurt but could find no one that spoke his language. The park was grateful and bought him food. Floatie died in the late 90s, so maybe it is his spirit still lingering on the ride that he loved so much.
Kaiser Hospital San Jose
The day after birthing my first child, my husband was hungry and left to get food. (Hospital only feeds the mother after the first night)
My newborn pre-term son was in the nursery between feedings so I figured I’d try to get a short nap.
The lights were off in the room but there was dim evening light filtering in, so the room was not dark.
I closed my eyes and felt 3 pats on my belly followed by 3 pats on my shoulder.
I opened my eyes but no one was in the room with me.
I didn’t feel anything sinister… I felt like something said “You just had a baby. Congratulations.”
I spoke with a few night nurses who said that they never have seen anything personally, but they have heard from others that people in old style clothing have been spotted in the hallways.
Someone once told me that the hospital was once used by the military, but I can’t find any record of this.
Delta King
The Delta King is a hotel converted from an old river boat. Located on the Sacramento River in Old Town, the hotel includes a restaurant, the Pilothouse, and banquet, conference, and meeting rooms.
Ghost Stories
The main ghost said to haunt the Delta King is that of a little girl. She appears to be about 9 to 10 years old with dirty blonde hair who wears a full length dress. We were told by several crew members that she is only seen by men. She mostly manifests as giggling heard in the hallways or as footprints in the morning dew on the deck of the boat. One waiter on the boat saw the little girl by the dry storage room that was once the boiler/engine room. He saw her bouncing a ball, but when he looked back she was gone. The explanation for her death and haunting given to us by the employees was that she was raped and murdered by a crew-member. The staff that we talked to mentioned that the girl has a name, but she could not remember it.
Another spirit that still lingers aboard the Delta King is that of a man. He appears wearing a light shirt, dark pants, and some sort of hat. He has been seen walking along the lobby wall like he is going to the office door, but he doesn’t go through; he turns and walks away.
Other manifestations that have not been attributed to a specific spirit include the random breaking of unattended glasses in the lounge. A staff member we interviewed told us about a time when she found a chair in the elevator that belonged in the theater which was locked at the time.
Some strange occurrences happened in our stay. While we were talking to staff members in the lounge a glass cracked in the hands of one of them when she put ice in it. The glass was not warm when she did this.
While we were having breakfast in the Pilothouse Restaurant a menu tilted, fell over, and knocked into a glass which broke. The wait staff came over to clean and reset the table and the same menu tipped again, and broke yet another glass.
A menu tilted & fell, knocking over a glass which broke. The staff cleaned it up, reset the table. The same menu fell, knocked over the new glass and it broke too.
Our full camera battery also drained over the course of one night.
Our Review
The rooms are small, but comfortable. The restaurant was very good, and the location amidst old town and near the train museum is convenient. The parking situation was not the greatest, however. There was supposed to be a valet, but both when we arrived and left there was no one there. Cars are squeezed together in a very small area. Luckily enough we were not packed in too tightly when it was time for us to leave..
Official Website of the Delta King
Biba Restaurant
About Biba Restaurant
Known as the Old Tavern Building, the structure that now houses Biba was once used as a tavern (hence the name) and a bordello, (don’t all old buildings seem to have at one time been brothels?) Another trait this building shares with other old building we have visited is that what is now the first floor was once the second floor.
Biba itself is an upscale Italian restaurant.
Ghost Stories
The stories surrounding the haunting of this building are inconsistent due to the confusion about what floor of the building the restaurant is on. According to what I have read the current ground floor of the building was at one time the second floor. Some reports imply that the restaurant is on the current second floor (which it is not). Most accounts seem to suggest that the haunting is on the current second floor (which is occupied by offices) and includes phenomena such as the sounds of a party occurring when no one is there, phones and other electrical equipment not working. There was one report of a ghost appearing in a large mirror that once hung behind the bar, but this source also spoke as if the restaurant was on the current second floor.
Our Visit: The food is classy Italian style and had about another 30 min until opening. We sat at the bar waiting with our drinks and spoke to the bartender. He never had seen the ghost. The 3rd floor (now 2nd) is now offices.
After a great dinner, I asked the waiter for tales, but he only said that weird things happen upstairs and that he doesn’t go up there.
When asked for details about the place, he just told us to read the newspaper clipping on the wall near the restrooms.
Not seeing any sort of public stairway, we left the restaurant and took some outside pictures. It turned out that the offices were accessible through an unlocked door to the left side of the building. The door seemed like it was open to the public, and it took us upstairs to the various office suites. There were lots of doors, but nothing much too see except one interesting painted section of wall.
We took the elevator back down and went to the basement/first floor. You could see the original bricks and arches where windows & doors would have been.
On the way back to the car. We passed the dirt lot to the right of the building. Walking around the back, there was a great view of the underground tunnels due to the construction revealing the open space.
Our Review
Very good Italian food, not just your average spaghetti and meatballs kind of place. Our food was excellent and came out at just the right time.
The waiters were very attentive, and the atmosphere was upscale. This would make a nice place to bring a date or celebrate an event.
Official Website for Biba
Downtown Elk Grove
About Downtown Elk Grove
Elk Grove is a city south of Sacramento California that experienced rapid development during the housing boom. large sections of Elk Grove stand in mid development, as large expanses of land designated for future housing development has been halted due to the downturn in the housing market. The city was founded in 1868 (as you can probably see from the sign in the photograph above) as a stage coach stop, and functions today mostly as a bedroom community for nearby Sacramento although there is still a strong agricultural presence.
Ghost Stories
The old downtown area of Elk Grove is said to be visited by the ghost who haunts Elk Grove Boulevard and the railroad tracks that bisect the area. It is said people see a ghostly woman wearing white, but when people turn to see her face there is nothing there but a black void. This figure has been seen walking off along the railroad tracks and then disappearing. We could find no one who could comment on or elaborate about this haunting.
Our Review
Elk Grove is a nice looking city that despite its age has only recently been majorly developed. The “historic” Old Downtown Elk Grove is a reminder of the city’s past. Quiet and undeveloped, there is not much of a business presence in the area, and the only activity we saw, supernatural or otherwise, was from the local bar. There is not much to see or do in Elk Grove for visitors unless you wish to visit every location of every restaurant chain, of which Elk Grove seems to have a near complete collection.
Sacramento California
About Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of California and its seventh largest city. Famous for Sutter’s Mill or Sutter’s Fort the legendary epicenter of the California Goldrush, Sacramento became important as a major distribution center during the rush and as a terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad.
Ghost Stories
Old Town Sacramento: There are tunnels beneath the streets of this area of Sacramento similar to those of Seattle. After the buildings were constructed the ground level was raised to avoid flooding. These underground areas were used as brothels and opium dens. Owners of the buildings and businesses with access to the tunnels are said to have reported feeling a menacing and evil presence in the tunnels.
Records: The ghost of an elderly woman in Victorian clothing is said to have been seen wandering through the store, unfortunately, this record shop had moved when we went to investigate the reports of ghosts here and the building was boarded up. Some people in the area that we asked had heard of the reports, however.
Central Library: The Sacramento Room on the second floor is said to be haunted. We tried to investigate this more completely, but unfortunately the library is closed on Mondays.
American River: The ghost of a man who drowned in the river is said to haunt the banks. We did walk along the river, but did not see anything. We did not know which spot of the river the phenomena are said to be observed, however.
Our Review
Old Town Sacramento is a nice touristy area, there are quite a few shops selling over-priced touristy stuff, but the history of the area is interesting. The nearby Train Museum is a great place to visit. The food in the area is nice, but we would recommend dining on the Delta King.
We had a nice leisurely walk along the American River, but could not locate the site of the alleged haunting.
The other haunted locations we tried to investigate (Records, Central Library, Memorial Auditorium) were closed on the days we visited. Records had even closed and moved.
Leland Stanford Mansion
About the Leland Stanford Mansion
The house known as the Leland Stanford Mansion began as the home of Shelton C. Fogus, a prominent area businessman. Started as a more modest two story house, the mansion was enlarged (and even raised) by its most famous owner Leland Stanford, Sr. It served as the Executive Mansion for the state of California during Leland’s single one year term and for his successor, Frederic Low. In 1871 the Stanford’s began another ambitious expansion project which brought the mansion to its current size.
In 1900 Jane Stanford, widow of Leland Stanford, bequeathed the residence to the Catholic Church of Sacramento to be used as an orphanage. The Stanford and Lathrop Home for Friendless Children was run by the Sisters of Mercy. In the ensuing years the house served many functions. A fire destroyed portions of the 4th floor in the 1940s. In the 1950s the facility was overseen by the Sisters of Social Service. The home was made a State Landmark in 1957 and bought by the state through imminent domain in 1978. The sisters remained on the property until 1987. A major effort to renovate the mansion was begun in the early 90s which has brought the mansion to its current use as a State Park, and as California’s Governor’s protocol receiving building.
Ghost Stories
There is are no current reports of haunting, but it is said that Governor Stanford’s son’s ghost appeared and encourage him to built Stanford University
The lady at the front desk relayed this story to us about the haunting of the Stanford Mansion:
The Stanfords had tried unsuccessfully for 18 years to have a child, then at the age of 39 Mrs. Jane Stanford conceived later gave birth to Leland Stanford, Jr. She and her husband centered their lives around their son. When Leland Jr. was 15 the family went to tour Europe as a celebration before the younger Stanford would move back east to attend college. While in Europe, Leland Jr. contracted Typhoid Fever and died.
Devastated by the loss of their only child, the Stanfords had cried until they could cry no more, and in the sleep that exhaustion brings, Leland Stanford, Sr. believed that he saw his son appear to him. His son told him to give all that he wanted to give to his son to all the children of California instead. Inspired by this, Leland Sr. visited the great colleges of the East Coast, Yale and Harvard, and then founded a university on land in Palo Alto that the younger Leland Stanford had enjoyed as a youth. He named it after his son, and Stanford University was born.
Jane Stanford tried for many years to contact her son through the use of mediums.
The story is interesting and tragic, but we have to give this place only two spiders because the mansion has only one report of any ghostly occurrence.
Our Review
The gift shop and visitors center was nice. They have a video on the history of the building, and a model that helps demonstrate the different phases of the mansions growth.
There is, unfortunately, no photography allowed within the mansion, but pictures of the interior can be purchased in the gift shop on postcards and in books on the history of the mansion (at gift shop prices, of course), which is why our photographs are limited to the exterior. The mansion is beautiful, however, and it is unfortunate that you have to take our word for it or find other photographs online.
Our guided tour was just the three of us. Our guide, Janine, was close to our own age and put up with our joking and was able to joke with us. At the end of the tour she told us that we were the most fun group of her day.
The building still serves official functions for the State of California, and is therefore sometimes not able to be toured.
Official Website for the Leland Stanford Mansion