Stepping inside the Mission Inn, you probably won’t readily detect the paranormal history connected to this upscale hotel located Riverside, California. Serving as s historic landmark hotel, the Mission Inn not only offers a good time for the amateur and seasoned ghost-hunter, but also provides luxurious spa treatments and an undeniably romantic setting.
For starters, there are catacombs that run underneath the building , often a feature that fuels many ghost tales and legends. The former owners of the inn, the Millers, are believed to haunt the premises. They ran the Mission Inn Hotel, which was originally comprised of 12 rooms, located at the site where the pool is now found. It wasn’t until 1900 that construction for a bigger and better establishment began. C.C. Miller passed the hotel onto his son, Frank, in 1900, where his sister, Alice, was in charge of managing the hotel , a role she played until her death in the late 1940’s.
Over the years, the Mission Inn earned a reputation for strange activity, including the presence of many different ghosts. For instance, walk down the hallways of the Mission Inn and you may catch sight of one of the many ghosts reported to disappear along the halls of the hotel. Below are just some of the rooms and features of the hotel that may interest a paranormal enthusiast:
· Room 215: Blue lights described as the same size as a bowling ball have been sighted inside this room.
Alice Miller’s Old Room: Located on the 4th floor in the southeast corner of the hotel, the room of Alice Miller (the old manager) can be found. It is believed that this room, which offers two levels, possesses high paranormal activity, including the sighting of apparitions, cold spots, physical sensations, and a strong presence believed to be Alice herself.
· Bridal or Honeymoon Suite: Situated across Alice Miller’s old room, the bridal or honeymoon suite has a history of reports concerning people being pushed down the spiral staircase, including a couple who in 1993, checked out of the room shortly after midnight because they reportedly were pushed on the stairwell of their two-level accommodations.
· Frank Miller’s Old Room: The former owner of the hotel is believed to haunt his old room, which is located on the 4th floor in the northeast corner of the hotel. This is interestingly one of the only rooms that did not undergo restoration when the hotel was closed between 1985 and 1992.
· St. Francis Chapel Courtyard: Close to the left end of Flyer’s Wall memorial, people have reported experiencing a strong presence while visiting the chapel courtyard.
· Spanish Patio: Throughout the patio, strong presences have been felt, especially in the northeastern cloister located close to the bust of Lincoln. None other than Alice Miller, who died just before it was completed, designed the mission-themed Glockenspiel. The clock has a reputation for acting out of its normal boundaries.