El Campo Santo — Attraction in San Diego

El Campo Santo Cemetery is one of San Diego’s oldest and most fascinating historic sites, offering a glimpse into the city's rich past and enduring legends. Established in 1849, this small yet significant cemetery in Old Town San Diego was the final resting place for many of the area’s early residents, including pioneers, politicians, and notorious figures of the time.

Walking through the cemetery, you can still see weathered headstones, some with names barely visible, reminding visitors just how long this ground has held history. Many original graves were disturbed in the 1880s when San Diego expanded, and a streetcar line was built right through the burial site. Today, parts of San Diego Avenue run directly over unmarked graves, and you can even spot brass markers in the sidewalk, showing where bodies still lie beneath the road.

Beyond its historical importance, El Campo Santo is known for its paranormal activity. Many visitors and locals claim to have seen ghostly apparitions, flickering lights, and even felt cold spots as they walk through. Some say the spirits of those whose graves were paved over still linger, making it one of San Diego’s most haunted locations.

Despite its eerie reputation, El Campo Santo is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit, with its traditional Spanish-style crosses, iron fencing, and old-world charm. Whether you're a history buff, a fan of ghost stories, or just someone who appreciates preserved historic landmarks, this cemetery is a must-visit in Old Town. It’s a powerful reminder of San Diego’s early days, and a truly unique piece of the city’s past that continues to tell its stories, even after more...

Cemetery of El Campo Santo is a small burial ground and historical landmark established in 1849, with interpretive signs. This cemetery is rumored to be the nexus for a surprising amount of spiritual activity ranging from cold spots and misty figures to floating torsos of spirits and vanishing spectral people. A lot of spiritual activity is said to occur here. One possible spirit is Yankee Jim Robinson, a man who stole San Diego's only row boat, and was hung at the nearby Whaley House. Afterwards he was buried in this cemetery. If you walk just outside El Campo Santo's front gate, there are small brass circles that say “Grave Site” embedded in the concrete sidewalk. Only one guy, a state Assembly member, was exhumed and re-buried within the cemetery's new boundaries. The other graves are known to exist thanks to...

It’s a tiny old town cemetery from 1800’s. This is a close walk from the Old Town train station. First, you’ll see the park and the old town. And at the end of that road you’ll run into the old cemetery after the restaurants. It’s a treasure for the city and the graves are old some graves are inclosed to get protected from visitors. Some claim paranormal activity and ghosts but I have not seen any to believe it. It’s more of an urban legend than reality. Sure if you show up at 2am-4am it will feel spooky but still no ghosts because first of all it’s tiny and second of all the ghosts have no...