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Winchester Mystery House has announced the return of their popular Flashlight Tours. Launching on Friday the 13th (January 13, 2023)—one of the most popular “holidays” at Winchester Mystery House—the self-guided tours give guests the opportunity to roam through the halls of the purportedly haunted Victorian mansion while hearing tales of its former and (possibly current!) inhabitants.
Guests will guide themselves through the mansion that is famous for its dizzying floor plan and lack of formal blueprints. Tour Hosts will be stationed throughout the house to ensure guests don’t get lost.
To commemorate the kick-off of the Flashlight Tours, Winchester Mystery House will hold a bell ringing on Friday, January 13, 2023 where daytime tour guests will hear the iconic bell ring 13 times at the 13th hour (1 pm PST). Flashlight Tours will be offered every Friday after sunset beginning on January 13 and continuing through February 24, 2023. Tickets are available now at winchestermysteryhouse.com.
Sarah Winchester’s affinity with the number 13 is hard to dismiss. Many windows of the home have 13 panes and there are 13 bathrooms, with 13 windows in the 13th Bathroom. There are also 13 wall panels in the room before to the 13th Bathroom, and 13 steps leading to that bathroom. The Carriage Entrance Hall floor is divided into 13 cement sections.
The number 13 occurs often on the grounds as well; for example, there are 13 cupolas in the greenhouse and 13 fan palms lining the front driveway. Among the other 13s: There are 13 rails by the floor-level skylight in the South Conservatory, 13 steps on many of the stairways, 13 squares on each side of the Otis electric elevator, 13 glass cupolas on the Greenhouse, 13 holes in the sink drain covers, 13 ceiling panels in some of the rooms, and 13 gas jets on the Ballroom chandelier (Sarah had the 13th one added). It’s also interesting to note that Sarah’s will has 13 parts and she signed it 13 times.
