11 Things to See in Arizona if You’re Into the Creepy & Macabre

Arizona Creepy Attractions

Whether you’re a paranormal enthusiast or just someone who enjoys getting spooked, Arizona’s got way more than just desert heat and cacti. From abandoned mining towns to haunted hotels, the Grand Canyon State serves up some seriously creepy locations that’ll satisfy your appetite for the supernatural and strange.

Here’s our curated list of Arizona’s most haunting spots where history meets mystery, and where the past refuses to stay buried.

Jerome Grand Hotel

Perched atop Cleopatra Hill, this imposing Spanish Mission-style building operated as United Verde Hospital from 1927-1950 before reopening as a 30-room hotel in 1996. 

Word goes around that the most haunted spot is room 32, where guests report violent bed-shaking at 3:15 AM. The original Otis elevator where maintenance man Claude Harvey died in 1935 still operates, occasionally moving between floors unoccupied.

Lost Dutchman State Park

This 320-acre park at the Superstition Mountains’ base offers six trails with breathtaking desert vistas. But it’s best if you don’t hike it alone.

Multiple visitors reported encountering an elderly German-speaking man in period clothing who vanishes at Treasure Loop Trail’s three-mile marker. During September’s third-quarter moon, unexplained lights dance across Black Top Mesa. 

Vulture City Mine

This remarkably preserved 12-acre ghost town showcases 15 original structures from Arizona’s most productive gold operation (1863-1942).  And like most abandoned mining towns, it has a dark past.

In 1923, a cave-in at the Vulture Mine tragically killed seven miners and twelve burros, whose remains are still entombed in the mine.

Two-hour guided tours ($15) include Henry Wickenburg’s original assayer’s office, where temperature inexplicably drops 30 degrees at 3:14 PM daily. The blacksmith shop displays tools that security cameras have captured moving independently. 

Hotel Monte Vista, Flagstaff

This iconic seven-story brick hotel on Route 66 has welcomed guests since 1927, including Hollywood legends like John Wayne. Wayne reported encountering the building’s most active spirit – a ghostly crying baby in the basement. 

Room 305 is also said to harbor the “Meat Man,” nicknamed for cold meat packets found after he attacked three housekeepers in 1970. Rooms start at $89, with paranormal activity (allegedly) most intense on the third floor.

Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Operating from 1876-1909, this forbidding granite and adobe fortress housed 3,069 prisoners, including notorious stagecoach robber Pearl Hart. The preserved cell blocks, guard tower, and solitary confinement “Dark Cell” reportedly offer visitors a glimpse into harsh frontier justice. 

One is Cell 14, where tuberculosis patient Elias Conway was rumored to have died in 1887. It’s said to be 15 degrees colder than surrounding cells.

The prison’s museum displays inmate photographs, weapons, and the iron restraint cage. The original gallows, site of seven executions, produces audible creaking during windless nights at 7:30 PM – the time of the last hanging in 1903.

Casey Moore’s Oyster House, Tempe

This charming two-story Victorian home built in 1910 now houses Tempe’s favorite Irish pub, with original hardwood floors, stained glass, and wrap-around porch.

Previous owners William and Mary Moeur apparently never left, though. Their silhouettes have been seen dancing in the second-floor window. During 1993 renovations, workers discovered a hidden room containing William’s antique bottle collection and Mary’s bloodstained lace gloves.

Copper Queen Hotel, Bisbee

Arizona’s longest continuously operating hotel (since 1902) offers 48 Victorian-styled rooms still has a lot of its original furnishings. Some say that it’s one of the most haunted places in the state.

Room 401 hosts “Julia Lowell,” a female entertainer who committed suicide there in 1910, manifesting as lavender scent and whispering to male guests. 

You can also join ghost tours highlighting the third-floor hallway where temperatures drop 12 degrees when approached from the west staircase. 

Guests checking the antique lobby register occasionally find handwritten entries from deceased guests, particularly on February 17 – when the hotel was once temporarily closed.

They also often report interactions with several spirits, including a child named Billy who is said to play pranks on visitors.

Oliver House, Bisbee

This elegant 1909 boarding house features 12 guest rooms with claw-foot tubs, antique furnishings, and unsettling activity that’s earned it features on multiple paranormal TV shows.

For example Room 16 still has the original headboard with bullet holes from the April 1920 murder-suicide where mining executive Nat Anderson killed rival Richard Barnes over Elizabeth Roberts. The Oliver House serves full breakfast daily in a Victorian dining room where, apparently, silverware rearranges itself overnight. 

Room 13 also houses “The Bootman,” known for activating antique boots that walk across the floor at 2:47 AM. The parlor’s grandfather clock stops at midnight during full moons, resuming precisely 13 minutes later.

Bird Cage Theatre, Tombstone

Operating 24/7 from 1881-1889, this legendary combination theater and gambling hall remains exactly as it was when it suddenly closed. That includes original furnishings, gambling tables, and 26 bullet holes from gunfights.

The museum displays Tombstone’s largest collection of Victorian artifacts, including the ornate rosewood piano that occasionally plays “Camptown Races” by itself.

The building’s 14 cribs (small rooms) where entertainers worked remain intact above the gambling floor. The staircase landing shows black leather boot footprints of Johnny O’Rourke, shot in 1888, said to be visible only when freshly mopped.

Gila County Jail & Courthouse, Globe

This imposing 1910 stone building served justice for 70 years and now operates as a museum showcasing three floors of original cells, the sheriff’s quarters, and courthouse.

Cell #3 housed Eva Dugan before her botched 1930 execution, where her head detached from her body. Visitors have reported feeling choking sensations in the execution area. 

The courthouse also has its original black walnut judge’s bench that produces unexplained gavel sounds at 10:17 AM – the time of Kingsley Olds’ murder acquittal. Guided tours ($8) include the jail’s gallows room and access to the oak staircase where footsteps ascend but never descend.

Hull Cabin, Grand Canyon

The oldest surviving structure on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, this rustic 1892 log cabin built by buffalo hunter William Hull operated as a tourist lodge until 1968.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the one-room cabin features original furnishings including the rocking chair that moves only during early morning hours in October. 

Park rangers offer history talks outside the cabin, but interior access requires special permission due to unexplained phenomena. The cabin’s northwest wall supposedly produces sobbing sounds where Hull allegedly murdered his wife.