OC Haunts Come To Life
It’s the time of year when you allow yourself to enter the land of ghosts, goblins and goosebumps and actively seek out a good scare. You can get your fix of authentic hauntings right here in Orange County…if you know where to look for them.
Los Rios Street
Located in San Juan Capistrano, Los Rios Street is one of the oldest residential streets in California. Here you’ll find several original adobe homes, quaint cafes, shops and, if you look and listen very closely, ghosts. It is said that on Los Rios Street many spirits linger, such as the legendary “White Lady,” who appears near the giant pepper tree north of the Rios Adobe, tossing her mane of long, black hair, beckoning you to follow. There have been several other sightings in neighboring homes and adobes along this historic street, as well as at the nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano. Official guided Ghost Tours of this area take place the first Saturday before Halloween, conducted by the Old San Juan Historical Society.
Haunted Orange
Up the road from San Juan Capistrano in the city of Orange, the historic district known as Old Towne Orange is said to be one of the most haunted locations in Orange County. To underscore this fact, they have a special tour aptly called Haunted Orange. The Haunted Orange walking tour lasts about 90 minutes and intertwines the beauty of Old Towne Orange's history with the macabre. The tour profiles local antique stores, restaurants and buildings with deadly pasts and dusts off old tales and urban legends with chilling results. Admission is $18 per person. This otherwise quiet, vintage town filled with antique stores and Indie eateries is a natural location for hometown ghosts.
Santa Ana Cemetery
The Santa Ana Cemetery is a great place to get extra chills. Tours organized by the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society bring history to life with a theatrical and intriguing glimpse into Orange County’s past. The serene Fairhaven Memorial Park and Historic Santa Ana Cemetery dotted with 100-year-old ornately carved headstones are the perfect backdrops for tales of the dead to rise.
What’s better than a haunting ghost story? Exploring the urban legends and spirited tales for yourself.
