Before it found itself crammed between some movie theaters and a major freeway, the Winchester House was the residence and pet project of noted local eccentric Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune. Convinced the spirits of those killed by Winchester firearms were out to get her, she built the house full of twists, turns and dead-ends to throw them off course—a never-ending project that was in progress until the day she died. The Winchester House, though today a tourist attraction, still houses the happy haunts that kept Sarah company for 38 years.

Mount Madonna Park reportedly plays host to the ghost of Sarah, the daughter of early settler and cattle tycoon Henry Miller. Real-life 12-year-old Sarah died after being thrown from a horse on the property and her ghost is said to appear around the ruins of her family’s mansion, which still stand in the park today.

The ghost of a boy who died on a ride near the games section of the park is said to bring the games to life after closing. Workers cutting through the midway on their way to the employee exit swear they have seen lights flicker, sounds blare and machines switch on and off long after the electricity has been shut off for the day. Maybe that’s why its annual month-long Halloween Haunt is one of the best holiday events in town.

The Santa Clara, SCU’s student paper, has confirmed that the university sits on the site of several Native American burial grounds. However, that still doesn’t explain the ghosts of Jesuit monks that are rumored to wander near the bell tower of the mission after dark.

It’s well-known that SJSU’s Yoshihiro Uchida Hall was used as a processing site for Japanese internees during WWII. Students and staff have long claimed to hear faint human crying and voices coming from the building, named after SJSU alum judo coach whose parents and siblings were registered in the building before being sent to camps in the Imperial Valley.

• Hicks Road

• Hicks Rd., San Jose

This dark myth is a golden oldie. The eerie Hicks Road in San Jose passes through a wild area of the county, thus making it a prime backdrop for a pervasive urban legend. Legend has it that albinos, or sometimes witches or recluses, angrily chase trespassers who wander (or deliberately joyride) through their territory.

Right up there with the Hicks Road Albinos, the legend of the Toys R Us ghost has persisted in the South Bay for at least 25 years. The ghost of a farmer who is supposed to have lost his leg (and his life) in a wood-chopping accident is said to appear and disappear at will, turn faucets on and off and messing with the merchandise. Search ‘haunted Toys R Us’ on YouTube to find an early ‘90s episode of Unsolved Mysteries highlighting this spooky tale. It's hosted by Leonard Nimoy and features some superb so-bad-they’re-good re-enactments.

• Dottie’s Pond in Santa Teresa County Park

• 260 Bernal Rd., San Jose

There are several versions of the campfire story that involves the small pond in Santa Teresa Springs, but they all end the same way—a girl named Dottie is pulled under the water by a giant hand. Sometimes there is a sub-plot involving Dottie being angry at her parents and somehow mustering up the physical strength to hang them from the rafters in the nearby barn.

• The Athletic Field at Del Mar High School

• 1224 Del Mar Ave, San Jose

Before the school opened, a boy was reportedly murdered by his best friend on the grounds where the athletics field stands today. Legend has it that every night at 3:15am, screams can be heard coming from the field and sometimes a figure can be seen running up and down the bleachers.

• Highway 152/Pacheco Pass

• Pacheco Pass Hwy., Gilroy

Aside from being one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the state, this rural highway that connects the South Bay with the Central Valley is a magnet for spooky stories and cautionary tales. Some of the more popular ones involve an apparition of a woman who flags down passing motorists, the spectral sounds of the stagecoaches and horses that once traveled the highway and mysterious lights nearby at San Luis Reservoir.

• Marsh Road

• Marsh Rd., San Jose

It’s become almost a rite of passage for Milpitas high school kids to seek out the ghost of murder victim Marcy Conrad, who was killed by her boyfriend on Marsh Road. Unlike the back stories of most urban legends, this murder was real and well-documented. The area of Marsh Road where the ghost is said to roam has long been closed off by law enforcement, so leave the Mystery Machine at home.

The Santa Cruz Mountains have their fair share of supernatural stories, starting with the famed Mystery Spot. Whe gravity seems to be altered combined with a sense of uneasiness and curiosity. Drivers passing through the mountains have claimed to see spirits wandering on the side of the road or have heared mysterious sounds coming from the forest.