I live in the Greater San Jose area and would NEVER, ever, recommend the Winchester Mystery House. It's a waste of time to sidetrack to San Jose to pay ($34) the equivalent of half of a one-day ticket in Disneyland to see a house that has few, if any, "mysteries" in it. IMHO, waste of time and money.

I agree. The mystery house is IMO kinda boring. But some people seem to like it. So different strokes.........

Jumping back in here, in case I wasn't clear. I totally agree with easy traveler's suggested itinerary. You'll have plenty to explore in a more relaxed fashion. UNLESS you really have your heart set on visiting the giant redwoods in the north. Then you'd do best to skip the Monterey/Big Sur portion.