Halloween isn’t the only time of the year to have some spooky fun. Friday the 13th strikes at least once a year and makes for a good excuse to get your scare on. People might not think of San Diego when they think of ghost stories and scary experiences, but the California city has its fair share of creepy camp stories and haunted hot spots.

Whatever the spooky occasion, consider one of these creepfest ideas to have some fun with friends while double-checking to make sure you didn’t just see something that isn’t there...

Ghosts of the Gaslamp Walking Tour – Gaslamp

Davis Horton House photo courtesy of Ghosts of the Gaslamp Walking Tour

If you want to learn about the Gaslamp District's history of hauntings, check out the Ghosts of the Gaslamp Walking Tour. Lead by Davis-Horton House historian Sandee Wilhoit, you’ll visit former brothels, hotels, saloons, and an old funeral parlor, before finishing with the Davis Horton House. The tour starts Friday at 5:00 p.m., runs about two hours, and requires a half-mile of walking. Reservations must be made by Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Each tour sells out at 20 people. 

Haunted Puzzling Adventures – Old Town

Photo courtesy of Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant

If you love scavenger hunts and the macabre, Haunted Puzzling Adventures in Old Town might be the event for you. Nighttime tours are a hybrid of adventure race, self-guided tour, and of course, scavenger hunt. In order to make your move to the next location, you must solve puzzles or answer questions, all while learning horrifying facts and exploring the great unknown. The fun starts at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant and adventures happen daily through September 28 and start at noon. Get your tickets here.

Ghost & Gravestones Frightseeing Tour - Old Town

Photo courtesy of Whaley House

If spooky is what you want, the Whaley House is what you want to see. Considered one of America’s most haunted places by various experts, this is the final destination on the Ghost & Gravestones Frightseeing Tour through Old Town. Before you arrive there, this bus and walking tour will take you from Pioneer Park to El Campo Santo Cemetery and, finally, to Whaley House all the while regailing you with stories of the paranormal experiences that have happened in each. 

The Haunted Trail - Bankers Hill

Photo courtesy of The Haunted Trail

Every September and October, The Haunted Trail sets up shop on the west side of Balboa Park close to Bankers Hill. This mile-long trail not only sends you into the darkness during the spookiest time of the year but also has plenty of shocks, scares, and who-knows-what-else waiting for you along the way. Each year’s trail has a new theme and different characters, such as Jason from “Friday the 13th,” Pennywise the Clown from “IT”, and Leatherface from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” 

Scary Escape Rooms - Various

The Clownatorium photo courtesy of Nightwalker Caverns Escape

Escape rooms can be fun and challenging, and in some cases, very scary.

Located in Rolando Village, The Clownatorium locks participants in a cage and tasks them with figuring out how to escape into a carnival. Once there, they must use clues to get away before the creepy clowns get them. 

Meanwhile, in Kearny Mesa, The Harvest Motel divides guests into four rooms upon check-in, forcing each one to figure out how to unlock themselves. If you only have four players, that means you’ll be working solo until you make your escape. Once reunited, maybe you’ll be able to escape together. Then again, maybe not...