[TUCSON, ARIZ., Sept. 25, 2024] -- While spooky season is on the forefront of everyone’s minds, Tucson's eerie entertainment is available year-round.
With nearly 250 years under its belt as a city, Tucson has its fair share of strange, dark, and haunted history. Outside of the usual Halloween haunts that pop-up seasonally, the city is full of mysterious and interesting stories to discover.
“Step into a city where the streets echo with stories of its dark past,” Felipe Garcia, Visit Tucson’s President and CEO said. “We invite visitors to come and explore.”
Guests can learn about Tucson's macabre past through Mauro Trejo’s Death After Dark walking tour in partnership with the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum. The two-mile walking tour happens every Friday and covers executions, gunfights, and accidents like the tragedies behind downtown street names and the deadliest fire in Tucson history.
Those who love a hangout with a haunting vibe can enjoy a drink at these bars with dark pasts. Tough Luck Club, which celebrates 10 years in 2024, lives in what was once the embalming room in the basement of a former funeral home, helping to inspire its name as the former occupants of this downtown basement were terribly unlucky. The dark, no-frills bar with an excellent drink menu is a popular hangout spot among locals hidden below Reilly Craft Pizza. The Owl’s Club in the historic Armory Park downtown neighborhood, lives in the former chapel of the historic Bring Funeral Home. The bar decor keeps the funeral vibes alive, even converting old church pews into booth seating.
Visitors can book a haunted stay at the infamous Hotel Congress. This historic, 100+ year old gem in the heart of downtown Tucson is said to be home to four ghostly regulars, including a World War II Veteran and a woman in a white dress.
Locals love to tell the urban legend of El Tiradito Wishing Shrine. Touted as the savior of the soon to be historic Barrio Viejo, this shrine comes with a dark past as the only Catholic shrine in the U.S. dedicated to a sinner, not a saint. While there are many versions of the tale, the most popular one starts with Juan Oliveras, a man who falls in love and has an affair with his mother-in-law and ends with the death of an entire family. Tour the Barrio Viejo neighborhood and hear the legend of El Tiradito during a downtown Tucson Borderlandia walking tour.
“Everyone loves something a little spooky, we hope people can have a little fun with it as well,” Garcia said.
While Tucson has spooky attractions year-round, visitors can enjoy seasonal events as well. Old Tucson’s Nightfall relaunches for their Halloween haunts on Sept. 27. This year, the faux town is ruled by Demon Queen, Mary Hyde. Visitors can immerse themselves in Tucson’s rich multicultural history with the All-Souls Procession weekend on Nov. 1-3. Attendees honor and remember those passed in a non-motorized parade, ending in the ceremonial burning of “The Urn.”
To plan your visit to Tucson or to learn more about Tucson attractions and events, visit www.visittucson.org .
About Visit Tucson:
Visit Tucson is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization that works to attract leisure visitors, group meetings, sports events, travel media, films, commercials, and photo shoots to the metro Tucson region. We are the official destination marketing organization for the City of Tucson and Pima County and partner with more than 500 business members throughout the community.
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