Halloween is almost here, and for many, that means candy, costumes and haunted houses. Now, we aren’t talking about the overpriced and under-scary haunted houses that pop up in towns before the big holiday. But what about a haunted brewery? Here at Thorn Street, we have known we were the place of ghostly unrest for quite some time. Whether it’s the flickering lights that can be experienced in our front tasting room, or the moving of objects to weird places (the sales guys swear it’s not them), the TSB ghost seems to be having a lot of fun.

Thorn Street Brewery isn’t the only haunted place in San Diego, however. There are plenty of spooky spots for any ghost hunter to visit if they are so inclined. Here’s our list of some real haunted places that you can make a visit to and experience for yourself.

1. The Whaley House

The Whaley House is considered the #1 most haunted place in the United States. Apparently, a young woman named Violet Whaley shot herself in the chest after being ostracized for her recent divorce. Also, the house was built on the site of the old courthouse, which was a favorite spot to hang people. Unexplained sounds, spots, mists and shadows are reported here and they even have a large photo album of pictures of what some people consider spirits/orbs. To the uninitiated, it looks like people had trouble in the processing phase of their photos so it would be interesting to see if the pictures keep coming after the popularity of digital cameras took over.

2. Hotel Del Coronado

This famous hotel is haunted by the ghost of a 24 year old woman, Kate Morgan. Apparently in 1892 she was stood up by her estranged husband and after a few days of waiting for him, she shot herself on the steps of the hotel. Now, she haunts the Del where people have reported hearing strange noises and feeling chills, along with sightings of her at the ends of dark hallways dressed in black lace. Not only can you stay in her room, 3502, but it’s one of the most popular rooms at the resort, so book early. Tons of paranormal activity has been found in the room too, with more than 37 abnormal readings taken in a single day by parapsychologists.

3. Del Mar Race Track

These ghosts aren’t hanging at the Del Mar Race Track because they were killed there. These ghosts are supposedly haunting the track because they had so much fun there while they were still alive, they just couldn’t leave it in the afterlife. Long time employees and ghost hunters from Chula Vista are just a few of the people who think that the hollywood elite who used to party at Del Mar back in the day, are still partying there now. Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper, and Oliver Hardy are just a few of the famous faces thought to still haunt the hallways. Want to judge for yourself? Here is the video thought to be some of the most compelling paranormal video around. Look for a dark mass move from the left of the screen to the right of the screen with a sudden pop of light on the right at 24 seconds. They say that where the light came from is a dark hallway, not somewhere one could see oncoming lights or something like that. Spooky!

4. El Cortez

The historic El Cortez building in downtown San Diego, used to be a flashy hotel that hosted celebrities, politicians and presidents during its heyday in the 1930s. Then it fell into disrepair and became a haven for drug addicts and homeless people. When it was renovated into a trendy apartment building in 2002, the real estate companies are rumored to have covered up the fact that they had to pull numerous bodies from some of the top floors. Ghost sightings include a little boy and a young mother who were said to have died there in the 1980s.

Happy Halloween from Thorn Street Brewery!