5 haunted spots in California
The Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery in Colton
This weed-covered cemetery on a hill overlooking the Santa Ana River is the oldest graveyard in San Bernardino County and has become legendary among local ghost hunters and amateur paranormal research groups. Locals claim to have seen headless wanderers and floating apparitions on the site. Because of its reputation, county officials have hired security guards and installed barbed wire fencing to keep thrill seekers out. The legend of the cemetery only grew in 2004 when the caretaker, who lived on the grounds for nearly a year, took his own life there.
2001 W. Agua Mansa Road, Colton . Click here for the website. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.
Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times staff writer (Irfan Khan/ Los Angeles Times)
Alcatraz National Park in San Francisco Bay
If haunted isnt the right description, then maybe downright creepy is. Ghosttracker.org claims the former fort, brutal prison and current tourist attraction has a cast of otherworldly folks who never left the Rock. The National Park Service, which operates the island as a tourist site, pooh-poohs this, calling it Hollywood hype. Why not find out for yourself? To ratchet up the scare factor, there are night cruises when only a few hundred visitors are allowed on the island. You get a slightly different view than the daytime visitors and who knows? Maybe a ghost or two will appear.
Alcatraz Night Tours, almost three hours long, Thursday through Monday. $46.50 for adults ($41.50 for online buys). Call (800) 761-1907 or click here.
--Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times staff writer (Robert Durell/ Los Angeles Times)
