San Francisco Ghost Hunt Walking Tour

San Francisco Ghost Hunt Walking Tour was created in 1998 by Jim Fassbinder, who has a true passion and talent for exploring the ghostly elements of the city. The ghost hunt begins at the historic Queen Anne Hotel in San Francisco, California, said to be haunted by the late Mary Lake. Without giving too much away, the story behind Mary Lake is fascinating. I was completely amazed by what happened in Room 410, it still gives me the chills! More on this later.

The building that is now the Queen Anne Hotel was originally constructed in 1890 and opened as the Miss Mary Lake School for Girls. The school was fashioned as a finishing school for girls which was an educational institution focused on teaching young women social graces and cultural norms to prepare them for marriage and high society. The goal was to equip young women with the knowledge and skills deemed necessary for their roles as wives and hostesses in upper-class society. Finishing schools were particularly popular among affluent families who wanted to ensure their daughters were well-prepared for their social responsibilities. The building didn’t become the Queen Anne Hotel until the 1980’s.

The Setup
My friend Abel and I had just completed a six-day, 1,200-mile West Coast road trip in an old 1970 VW Bus. We spent our last night in San Francisco before shipping the VW Bus home and flying back to Texas. Abel was in charge of booking our hotel rooms for this trip and I knew he had a interest in haunted hotels so I explicitly told him not to book any haunted hotels this trip. I am not a fan! Each day I asked what the name of that night’s hotel was so that I could Google it to make sure it wasn’t haunted. When I asked about our San Francisco hotel, he said it was the “Cow Hollow Inn” which came back clean after my search online. Little did I know he gave me an bogus hotel name and in fact, booked us a room at the VERY haunted Queen Anne Hotel.

Once we checked in and I saw the room, I noticed there was only one bed. Up until now, Abel had booked us rooms with double beds. When I asked Abel why we only had one bed, he said, “This is all they had available. Don’t worry, I asked for a rollaway cot, which I’ll sleep on.” I was so tired from the long week of traveling that I didn’t think anything of it.

Shortly after getting situated in our room Abel then broke the news to me that he booked us a Ghost Tour. I’m not fond of ghosts or ghost stories but I figured why not, I might as well go. We were only in the room for about an hour, then it was time to head to the Ghost Tour which as Abel put it was “not that far away”. For some reason Abel gave me my own hotel room key. He explained “If we get split up, just remember we’re in room 410.” I replied “Ok”. He then said, “Don’t forget, we’re in room 410”.

Abel then walked us out of the hotel and led me around the block only to return to our hotel’s entrance! When I asked why we were back, he simply said, “Oh, the tour starts here.” I scrambled to search the hotel’s name on my iPhone, but Jim, the tour guide was already calling us into the dining room to start the tour.

Haunted Room 410
Mary Lake’s office, when she was the headmistress of the Miss Mary Lake School for Girls, is now located in Room 410. Mary Lake left the building in 1902 and moved to the east coast where she passed away in 1904. Even though she passed away and is buried some 3,000 miles away, Room 410 is where she has chosen to spend her days in the afterlife. It goes without saying that Room 410 is the most active paranormal area of the hotel.

I didn’t realize at the time that Abel called ahead and specifically requested Room 410. He knew the history of the hotel, knew the ghost tour started here and had also spoken to the tour guide prior to us even getting to San Francisco! I didn’t find any of this out until we sat down and Jim, our tour guide began to tell the story of the hotel. Jim began to tell the story of the hotel and when he mentioned that room 410 was haunted I simply could not control myself. Looking back now I understand, this was the reason Abel kept reminding me we were in Room 410. He planted that room number into my mind so it would be triggered once it was mentioned on our tour. Abel played it perfectly. I even remember telling my wife that the hotel Abel booked seemed a bit creepy and different. I later found out that she was in on it too!!

The video below was taken at the very moment that I found out that the room Abel booked was in fact the most active area of the haunted Queen Anne Hotel. As you can tell the host Jim Fassbinder quickly compared Abel to Ashton Kutcher for his great Punk’d style prank.

Mary’s Haunting
During our Ghost Tour, we learned that Miss Mary Lake is still present within the walls of the hotel. She is known to mess with the hotel staff by pulling on their clothes and/or their hair. She was been often seen roaming the halls and stairways of the hotel by staff and guests. The hotspot for her activity is in Room 410, which was once her office. Guests have reported waking up to their bags being unpacked and their clothes being neatly placed in the dresser drawers. Others have experienced waking up with the blankets fully tucked underneath them so tight that it was difficult to free themselves. There are different theories as to why she haunts the hotel, especially since she passed away well after her career here, but our tour host, Jim, believes she just wants to keep the place tidy and make guests feel comfortable. It’s a relief that she is a friendly ghost.

My Haunting Experience
Once we finished the Ghost Tour we retired to the hotel room to get some rest before our flight the next day. I had the bed to myself and Abel laid in the rollaway cot at the foot of the bed. I am a very light sleeper and that night after taking the tour and hearing all of the stories about Mary Lake I was determined that I was not going to go to sleep. I laid down on the fully made bed perpendicularly, at the foot of the bed, on top of the comforter. I did not get under the bedding at any point on my own accord. I turned the TV on and told Abel that he would just have to sleep with it on as I planned to stay up all night and watch TV.

I stayed awake as long as possible but ended up falling asleep some time during the night. I woke up to the sound of Abel walking out of bathroom, and the TV was off. I was wrapped like a burrito! I was no under all of the bedding and the sheets were tucked in deep around me. I physically could not possibly do this. I released the tucked in covers and told Abel “I know what you did, it’s not funny.” He just replied, “I turned off the TV when I got up to use the restroom since you were asleep.” That was not what I was talking about. I explained to him that I woke up fully tucked in under the covers and he swore he had no hand in that. I am about 275 pounds, so there was no way that Abel could have moved me and tucked me in without waking me up. It still gives me chills thinking about it!

Back to the San Francisco Ghost Hunt Walking Tour. The walking tour covered about 8 blocks and took about 2 hours to complete. As the tour moves from location to location we’re treated to a local ghost story told by our host. Jim, our host for the evening was very entertaining and his presentation and delivery keep the tour very upbeat. Along with the ghost stories and tales, he also shares a lot of the cities unique history which makes for an easy walk. I know Abel loves taking Ghost Tours in various cities because you can learn a lot about the cities dark history that they don’t normally print in travel brochures!

Our group stopped to hear one of the many tales Jim shared about the local history. As a photographer, these tours offer great photo opportunities, allowing you to capture some really cool old architecture. Our tour, on this chilly November night, had only about 10 guests. I know that ghost tours in October are always crowded and fully booked since it’s their peak business month. So, if you are planning a trip in October and considering a ghost tour in any city, be sure to book it as far in advance as possible!

Since we only had one night in San Francisco, it was wonderful to explore and see some of the homes that still feature their original architecture. Jim shared an interesting tidbit with us: some of these homes, ranging from just 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, have been selling for upwards of $2 million in recent years. That’s some serious money, but given the unique charm and history of the area, it might just be worth it.

Our last stop on the tour was The Mary Ellen Pleasant Memorial located under a set of gum trees. We learned about the history of Mary Ellen Pleasant which was considered the “Mother of Civil Rights in California” for the time she spent advocating for fellow citizens in the late 1800’s. The Eucalyptus trees that surround her memorial were in fact planted by her in 1904 just before her death. It was noted that people believe that her ghost haunts the area and is known to throw gum nuts from the Eucalyptus trees at those who are disrespectful.

I was genuinely glad I took the time to join this ghost hunt; it’s a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours in San Francisco if you have the time. At just $30 per person, it’s well worth it and a lot of fun. I never would have thought to book something like this myself, but I’m glad Abel decided to do so.

Full review of the Queen Anne Hotel