San Jose's iconic Winchester Mystery House is offering a virtual tour during its novel coronavirus closure.
The tour, available free at http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/video-tour, will remain available until the house reopens.
It's one of the ways the popular tourist stop, which closed to the public on March 12, is reaching out to potential visitors to the sprawling home of Sarah Pardee Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune.
Another offer to future visitors is a discount ticket voucher that can be used for any future visit with no blackout dates or restrictions. The vouchers, valid through May 1, 2021, are $26, a $13 discount off the regular price.
"For nearly 100 years, passionate caretakers and skilled craftsmen have looked after Sarah's mansion and offered informative tours in order to share her amazing story. We depend on our guests to help us continue her legacy and keep the history and intrigue of the house alive," Winchester Mystery House General Manager Walter Magnuson said in a statement.
At 1 p.m. on select days during the closure, staff will do a walkthrough Facebook live stream (available at https://www.facebook.com/winchestermysteryhouse) of the 24,000-square-foot mansion, which saw ongoing construction from 1886 to 1922.
In-person flashlight tours at the mansion, planned for two nights in March, have been rescheduled for May 15 and 16.
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The estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a California Historic State Landmark and San Jose City Landmark. It has hosted tours since 1923. For more details, visit www.winchestermysteryhouse.com.
