The Spirits of the Twin Inns

Posted: 03.22.2025 | Updated: 03.22.2025

Located off historic Pacific Coast Highway 101, the Twin Inns were two stunning Victorian mansions built in the early days of Carlsbad, California’s founding. Over the years, these grand homes functioned as private residences, restaurants, hotels, and even speakeasies. 

Although only one of the inns remains, they were both said to be haunted. The remaining Twin Inn still lives up to its reputation for being one of the most haunted buildings in Carlsbad. Phantom sounds and ghostly apparitions have been reported for decades and are seen to this day.

Planning a trip to Carlsbad and the greater San Diego area? You can learn all about its history and hauntings by booking a ghost tour with San Diego Ghosts today!

Is The Twin Inns Haunted?

Visitors and employees at the Twin Inn are adamant that the building is haunted. Many have seen full-body apparitions peering from top-floor windows or sitting on the grand staircase.

Ghost children have been seen frolicking on the lawn in front of the mansion. These ghosts are said to interact with the living, and it seems that those who work at the Twin Inn have learned to coexist with their paranormal coworkers. 

History of The Twin Inns

The Twin Inns were built shortly after the founding of Carlsbad. Located 33 miles north of San Diego, the town was founded by John A. Frazier in 1883, who originally named the area Frazier’s Station. 

When a 400-foot deep well was dug for the town, water analysis showed that Carlsbad sat atop an artisanal water source. The mineral-rich water was reportedly the same as that was found in Karlsbad, Bohemia, resulting in Frazier’s Station becoming Carlsbad.

The promotion of Carlsbad as a destination for artisanal water was spearheaded by the Carlsbad Land and Mineral Water Company. Its president, Gerhard Schutte, was a German immigrant and a veteran of the Civil War who moved to the area from Nebraska in 1887. Schutte had an extravagant Queen Anne-style mansion built for his family, which is the building we know today at the Twin Inn.

Schutte’s business partner, D.D. Wadsworth was so taken with the mansion’s beauty and grandeur that he had a mirror image built 200 feet down the road. The “Twin Inns,” as they eventually became known, could be seen from miles away and were considered marvels in modern architecture at the time.

By the early 1900s, the mineral water boom had subsided and both Schutte and Wadsworth sold their homes. Both mansions were turned into lodging for travelers and subsequently became known as “The Twin Inns.” 

As car travel advanced in the 1920s, the Twin Inns became a popular spot for travelers to spend the night and get a good meal. Around the same time, a speakeasy was built in the basement of the remaining Twin Inn during Prohibition. There was even a special doorbell at the rear of the building that bootleggers used for delivering alcohol.

The End of one of the Inns

By 1950, Carlsbad had again become a popular tourist destination, and more parking space was needed. This sadly resulted in the Wadsworth mansion being torn down and replaced with a parking lot. Today, a Starbucks sits on the location of D.D. Wadsworth’s beloved mansion.

Fortunately, the Schutte mansion survived. Over the years, it’s been called Neiman’s and The Ocean House. It was also home to chef Robert Ruiz’s The Land and Water Company restaurant. However, the mansion is most commonly known as the Twin Inn and is home to several businesses.

Ghosts & Hauntings At The Twin Inn

A number of hauntings have been reported at the Twin Inn over the years, which has led to its being known as one of the most haunted places in Carlsbad. Guests and tenants of the inn regularly report unexplainable noises throughout the old mansion at all hours of the day and night that they attribute to the ghosts. 

In addition to these phantom sounds, the apparition of a woman in turn of the century clothing has been seen staring at visitors from a top-floor window.

Outside the Twin Inn, there have been reports of a group of children playing on the grounds. Upon closer inspection, these children are dressed in Victorian-era apparel and somewhat translucent. 

One man who encountered the playful ghosts reported, “I saw a group of ghost children playing games like ‘ring around the rosey’ near the courtyard fountain of the Carlsbad Village Faire on an early Sunday morning.”

The other Twin Inn was also reported to be haunted, but it seems that with its destruction in 1950, these ghostly tales were lost to time. It could be that the ghost children were connected to the house and now haunt the grounds of the former mansion.

The Girl On The Stairs

The most famous ghost story to come out of the Twin Inn involves a delivery driver and a little girl. The driver was delivering a package to one of the offices on the second floor of the inn. As he ascended the stairs, he noticed a young girl sitting at the top, watching him. Nothing seemed especially strange about the girl except that she was dressed in Victorian-era clothing. 

Upon entering the office, the driver asked two of the office workers who the “cute kid” was playing outside the office. One office worker explained that there were no children in the building at that time. However, the other employee guessed that the man had encountered one of the Twin Inn’s many young spirits. When the perplexed driver left the office, the little girl was nowhere to be found.

Haunted San Diego

Carlsbad and the greater San Diego area are brimming with ghost stories and hauntings. From the Whaley House to the Hotel Del Coronado to the Twin Inns, the ghostly lore of Southern California is sure to scare and delight any visitor.

Want to make your next trip to the San Diego area a haunting one? Remember to book a ghost tour with San Diego Ghosts to learn all about the local lore! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real California hauntings.

Sources: 

• https://paranormalistics.blogspot.com/2018/10/haunted-twin-inns-carlsbad-village.html
• https://www.carlsbadfoodtours.com/blog/twin-inns-carlsbad/
• https://www.shopvillagefaire.com/the-historic-twin-inn-built-in-1887/