Haunt the Winchester Mystery House's final 2024 Flashlight Tour

SUMMER IS BRIGHT, very bright, with sun-strong days and hot afternoons simmering throughout much of California. But there is a curl of coolness on the occasional breeze, and while this chilly note may only exist in our imagination, it could be telling us that fall, and all of fall's charms, will soon be pumpkin-latte-ing-up our worlds. We don't need to wait for September to find fall-y fun, however; the Winchester Mystery House is setting out on its last shimmer-filled mansion stroll on the final Saturday of July. Indeed, we're whispering, in hushed and haunting tones, about the famous self-guided Flashlight Tour, an after-dark exploration that has long been on the colossal manse's annual calendar.

ALAS, there is one more Flashlight Tour to enjoy in 2024, before the Halloween-ish high jinks and holiday doings materialize at Sarah Winchester's rambling manor. July 27 is the date and tickets are available now, including some that will allow you to be inside the Winchester Mystery House just ahead of midnight (you'll want to look at the 11:30 p.m. slot if you're a night owl). The "mysterious lack of formal blueprints" for the Victorian abode has long intrigued both architecture enthusiasts and ghost buffs; now picture yourself wending through those famously strange passages that grow ever more ethereal when the moon is high. How to make a ticket materialize? Purchase yours here.