Banning House Lodge – Banning Inn

Tucked neatly away overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the easternmost point of Santa Catalina Island is the Banning House Lodge. The construction on this picturesque lodge is unknown, but its earliest origin is that of an actual hunting lodge from which hunters from California coast would visit. Beginning sometime in the early twentieth century the site was used a Coast Guard barracks both pre and post World War II. After the war, the property was converted into a sleep-away camp for teenage girls during the 1950s before finally being sold and converted into a scenic bed and breakfast lodge.

The Haunted Banning House Lodge

Three separate ghostly spirits are said to be haunting the property today. The most prominent entity is believed to be the ghost of a fisherman who perished nearby at sea. His formidable presence is felt with an overwhelming smell of freshly caught fish, as well as tobacco smoke that emanates from somewhere completely unseen.

Albeit the fisherman’s presence is just as harmless as another spirit dubbed, “The White Lady”. Her origin is an absolute mystery and she has been known to appear in any one of the lodge’s eleven guest rooms, as she quietly stares out the window waiting patiently until she fades away.

The third spirit is not directly on the Banning’s property, but on the nearby beach shore, visitors have reportedly seen the ghost of drowned actress Natalie Wood as her spirit wonders aimlessly. The romantic vineyards and scenery of this picture perfect lodging combined with the subtle feeling of the supernatural create for guests quite the sensory experience.