Sonoma County has no shortage of ghost stories. Passed down through generations, local legends have also drawn attention from paranormal investigators and curious visitors.
One of the county’s best-known allegedly haunted destinations is the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Boyes Hot Springs. Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently named the resort to its annual list of the 25 most haunted hotels in the country. The property has appeared on the list every year since 2019.
According to Historic Hotels of America, the resort’s reported paranormal activity includes sightings of Victoria, an early European settler said to wander the grounds when fog rolls in from San Francisco Bay.
“Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa in Sonoma, California, welcomes guests past and present, reflecting a belief that spirits linger where they were happiest,” the list states. “Victoria is said to have celebrated her wedding and many anniversaries at the resort.”
For those drawn to the macabre, here are eight places around Sonoma County with reputations for ghostly activity.
A note on the supernatural: The accounts that follow are based on local lore, reported sightings and paranormal investigations; they have not been independently verified. Some locations featured in the article are private property. Respect posted signs and do not trespass or disturb residents.
Sonoma
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
Originally opened as the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel in 1902, the property sits on land where Indigenous Pomo, Miwok and Wappo peoples frequented the area’s healing mineral springs. Fire destroyed the hotel in 1923, and it reopened as the Sonoma Mission Inn in 1927.
Beyond the legend of Victoria, guests have reported unexplained phenomena, including flickering lights, slamming doors, running water and shadowy figures darting through hallways. The inn’s so-called Round Room is reputed to be its most haunted space. According to one unsubstantiated story, a jealous lover beheaded a guest in a bathtub there in the 1920s.
Visitors interested in the property’s history can join historic walking tours led by local historians on the second Sunday of each month. The tours offer a closer look at the resort’s past, whether participants encounter anything supernatural or not. The next tour is scheduled for Nov. 8.
100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-938-9000, fairmont-sonoma.com
Sebastiani Theatre
Built in 1933, the historic Sebastiani Theatre near the Sonoma Plaza is allegedly home to a few benevolent spirits, including Barbara, a former stage manager who allegedly fell to her death from the catwalk above the stage.
Kelly, sometimes called Trixie, is a 16-year-old girl said to appear in the women’s restroom mirror wearing a 1920s-style yellow dress.
A more menacing presence, known as the Shadow Man, is said to haunt the balcony, where an alleged murder is part of the theater’s lore.
476 First St. E., Sonoma, 707-996-2020, sebastianitheatre.org
Buena Vista Winery
Buena Vista Winery dates back to 1857, but its ghost stories have become part of its modern mystique.
In a 2021 Sonoma Index-Tribune article, paranormal investigator Ellen MacFarlane of Napa Ghost Tours recounts a story about the winery’s cleaning crew, which allegedly quit one night during the Great Recession after seeing an apparition climb the tasting-room staircase.
MacFarlane’s team also reported hearing loud banging on the third floor, an otherwise empty warehouse space, likening the noise to “a herd of elephants.”
The team believes the winery may be haunted by an “insane woman” who lived in a nearby home for wayward women, as well as by Chinese laborers who reportedly died when a wine cave collapsed during its construction. According to the legend, the men’s cries for help can still be heard echoing through the winery.
18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, 800-926-1266, buenavistawinery.com
The Sonoma Plaza Ghost Walking Tour
For those who would rather hear ghost stories while exploring downtown, the Sonoma Plaza Ghost Walking Tour offers a guided introduction to the area’s haunted lore.
Ellen MacFarlane and Devin Sisk launched the Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour in 2014, followed by the Sonoma tour two years later. The walk visits sites around the plaza and draws on the region’s darker history, including violent battles and the enslavement and dispossession of Indigenous peoples.
Tours cost $30 per person, plus tax. Reservations and additional information are available online at napaghosts.com.
Meeting location: First Street East, Sonoma.
Petaluma
Phoenix Theater
Over the years, psychics, ghost hunters and exorcists have visited the Phoenix Theater in response to staff members’ and guests’ reports of paranormal activity. Longtime theater manager Tom Gaffey has recounted unexplained incidents, including calls apparently coming from the projection booth when no one was there.
One of the venue’s best-known stories involves a security guard working during a 1990s performance by the heavy metal band GWAR. After climbing down a ladder, the guard reportedly asked an employee, “Who’s that little kid back there in the exit?” According to the account, when no child could be found, the guard quit.
Gaffey has also said he saw the child, described as wearing 1920s-style clothing, on separate occasions.
201 Washington St., Petaluma, 707-762-3566, thephoenixtheater.com
Washoe House
The historic Washoe House, dating to the 1850s, has attracted its share of paranormal curiosity. According to a 2016 article in the Petaluma Argus-Courier, a five-person team from NorCal Paranormal Investigators examined the landmark and concluded that it was haunted.
The investigators used an electromagnetic field meter and photographed the building. One image allegedly showed two apparitions near a window: a balding man visible from the torso up and another figure wearing a cowboy hat.
2840 Roblar Road, Petaluma, 707-795-4544, thewashoehouse1859.com
Santa Rosa
Hotel La Rose
Built in 1907, Hotel La Rose is a historic fixture of downtown Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. The property appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1943 psychological thriller “Shadow of a Doubt,” though its ghost stories are rooted in local legend rather than the movie.
According to a 2017 Press Democrat article, hotel staff have reported paranormal activity in Room 42, where one family is said to have checked in and never left. A young boy named Daniel allegedly rides the elevators in search of his parents, while guests have reported flickering lights and elevator doors opening onto empty floors.
308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 707-579-3200, hotellarose.com
Bodega
Potter Schoolhouse
The historic Potter Schoolhouse in Bodega gained wider recognition as a filming location for Hitchcock’s 1963 horror film “The Birds.” It has also inspired stories of unexplained activity.
In a 2013 Press Democrat article, owner Leah Taylor described seeing a floating apparition surrounded by what she called a “silver aura.” She also recounted finding unusual grease stains on a chalkboard menu that appeared to resemble Calvin Keithly, one of the school’s first teachers, who died in 1876.
A separate Press Democrat article from the same year recounted a story from Taylor’s mother, Mary Taylor, who bought the building with her husband, Tom, in the 1960s. Mary reportedly heard an Irish woman wailing for her baby. Nearby, at St. Teresa of Avila Church, is the grave of Ellen Orr, who died in 1861, allegedly during childbirth. Taylor speculated that Orr might be the source of the cries.
The family also reported seeing a cradle rock on its own and hearing unexplained knocking and footsteps.
The Potter Schoolhouse is a private residence. Do not trespass or disturb the occupants. bodegaschool.com
The Press Democrat has also reported haunting legends associated with nearby properties, including the John McCrea House, the Franceschi House and The Casino Bar & Grill.
A grandson of former Casino owner Art Casini, who died in 1983, reportedly claimed that Casini’s spirit appeared near the pool table in the early morning hours.
Explore the fascinating history, mysterious legends, and historic destinations that make Sonoma County unique. From charming downtowns to scenic wine country communities, there's always something new to discover.
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