Haunted Arizona: Tombstone and Tucson Ghost Tours

Arizona’s desert towns carry their history close to the surface. You can feel it in the dry air and the old wooden boardwalks that creak under your feet. Thanks to US Ghost Adventures, I joined two unforgettable ghost tours: the Tombstone Ghost Tour: Ghosts and Gunslingers of the Wild West and the Tucson Ghost Tour: Sinister Sins & Desert Tears. Both reveal the state’s haunted side, where tragedy and legend blur into something you can almost hear in the wind. Here is everything you need to know about the Tombstone and Tucson ghost tours.

Tombstone Ghost Tour: Ghosts and gunslingers of the Wild West

At sunset, my friend, Nick, and I joined the Tombstone Ghost Tour on Allen Street, surrounded by the town’s old saloons and theaters. The lanterns flickered as our guide began spinning stories of lawmen, outlaws, and unsettled souls. This is the Ghosts and Gunslingers of the Wild West Tour, operated by US Ghost Adventures, and it’s steeped in the town’s violent past. This ghost tour is definitely one of the exciting things to do in Tombstone. Tours are held nightly, rain or shine. Quick side note: Be aware of wild animals, as this is a wide-open town.

Meeting in front of the Bird Cage Theatre, we were given EMF readers to use during the ghost tour. Our guide mentioned that there was only one area that would for sure get a lot of activity. However, we were hoping to prove her wrong. She encouraged us to keep taking photos so that we might capture white mist around people’s feet or silhouettes of people walking across the street.

The Bird Cage Theatre felt especially heavy. It ran day and night for eight years straight when it opened in 1881, hosting bawdy performances, gambling, and violence. Today, visitors claim to hear laughter and gunfire long after closing. I’ve only been in the Bird Cage Theatre during the day, and even then, it gave me the creeps. There are about 140 bullet holes left in the walls. The ghost wandering this theater is a little show dog, named Silver, who was shot when someone didn’t know the dog was an acting. Another ghost is a little boy named Josh, who drowned in the nearby San Pedro River. No one knows why he is still haunting the theater, but he is sometimes found sweeping or walking around.

As we walked the streets of Tombstone, we learned about the Black Mariah. She would drive around town, her vehicle is on display in the Bird Cage Theater, and pick up all the dead bodies to deliver them to the Undertakers. The bodies were laid out for viewings lasting three to four days, so passersby would be able to identify them. Next door, at Doc Holliday’s Saloon, a spirit haunts the bathroom. The mortician’s office was behind these buildings, and people sometimes say they smell a strange odor when walking by.

Our next stop was at the most deadly intersection in Tombstone, 5th Street and Allen. There have been over 60 gunfights in this exact area. One particular story stood out that a gang leader, named Orante (spelled?), got into a gunfight with a marshal and killed him instantly at this intersection. But, not before the marshal shot him in the groin and shattered his pelvis. Because the town’s folk of Tombstone hated Orante so much, they left him there in the middle of the road for four days, dying, and just walked around him.

At the “haunted hotel”, not really a hotel, however, you can take a self-guided tour through this building that the Clantons still own today. You can see a photo of Ike Clanton right next to the current owner of the Ike Clanton property today. Although it is rumored to be haunted and they have a hard time keeping employees. A little further along the street, we stopped across from Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, which used to be the Grand Hotel, a 150-room hotel that burned down in 1882. The ghost of a miner called Swamper, who performed odd jobs and lived in the basement. He is said to guard his hidden silver stash, which could still be in his room, as you can see when you visit the gift shop.

As we stood across from Schieffelin Hall, our guide told us about the haunted piano and the other two ghosts haunting the building. Right as she was talking, a gunshot rang out. We actually heard the phantom gunshots in Tombstone! These phantom gunshots occur regularly at night in Tombstone, and residents actually talk about them on Facebook when they hear them.

The highlight of the tour was at Fly’s Photography Gallery when everyone’s EMF readers maxed out. According to Native American legend, every time your photo was taken, it was capturing a part of your soul. And there are thousands of photos of Native Americans and others taken at Fly’s Studio. And of course, traffic driving by honked and made our entire journey. At the O.K. Corral, the guide recounted the infamous 1881 gunfight in haunting detail, suggesting the echoes of that shootout still linger in the air, which ties into the phantom gunshots we heard earlier.

As we walked from the city park to the courthouse on Third Street, our group was getting a lot of activity on our EMF readers. Nick captured something incredible between two buildings. What do you think?

At the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, our guide talked about the last five people who were hung there who were tried for the 1884 Bisbee Massacre. You can even see the gallows when you visit the courthouse. Our tour ended beside the tree where John Heath was hanged horrifically by a vigilante mob because he was not hanged with the other men from the Bisbee Massacre. The silence there felt different from the rest of the tour. After an hour of ghost stories and history, that final stop grounded everything, even with the EMF readers going off by the tree. The past wasn’t just a legend; it was human, tragic, and very real.

Walking back through the dark streets, I felt as though Tombstone hadn’t changed much since its roughest days. The ghosts seemed less like specters and more like memories refusing to fade.

Tucson Ghost Tour: Sinister Sins & Desert Tears

A week later, I joined the Tucson Ghost Tour: Sinister Sins & Desert Tears, another US Ghost Adventures experience. I didn’t even know that Tucson had a haunted ghost tour. So, happy to have found it. Tucson’s hauntings feel different, quieter, heavier, and more intimate. I was the only person on this tour this evening, just me and the tour guide. What was nice about this tour was that the guide shared history, street murals, and haunted stories. After the introduction, she handed me my EMF reader, and we were off.

We met in front of the 1929 Pima County Historic Courthouse, where the guide began with stories of justice and injustice, and the lingering spirits tied to both, dating back to 1873. Clemente Lopez, who owned a nearby boarding house that unfortunately had two murderers stay in her establishment. The town lynched her by association, just after she cursed the townspeople for doing this to her for just boarding them. She still wanders the hallways and stairwells in the courthouse, and her spirit lingers in the shadows and trips off the sensors.

Tucson just celebrated 250 years. They commissioned four muralists to celebrate Tucson’s 250 years. Part of the stipulations was that the mural had to have the three different versions of the name of Tucson. We got to see two of these murals on the Tucson ghost tour. Did you know there are over 100 murals throughout Tucson? There are even three dozen electrical boxes decorated throughout the town. I thought these were painted, but they are vinyl appliques. I love it when cities have these boxes decorated. It beautifies the city and, at the same time, supports the artist.

If you are interested, Tucson also has a self-guided walking tour that follows a turquoise trail through history and architecture, lasting about 4 hours.

Our next stop was at the Art Deco Fox Theater, built in 1929 during the Great Depression. Three entities linger here. The stories are vast and frequent. The guide’s brother-in-law worked through college here, and one night, he was working alone in the basement heard people running across the stage above him. In 2013, the Tucson Ghost Company captured an image of a little girl seated in the lobby. In 2006, a couple attending a performance saw a homeless man in the corner of the entrance, panhandling for change. They told him that if he were still there when it was finished, they would give him some change. When they came out, they walked up to him, and he disappeared. In this corner, you can experience some EMF activity. I didn’t that night, but she had someone two days earlier that did.

Our night changed considerably changed, when we stopped at the 1840 adobe Charles O. Brown house. He, his wife, Clara, and his 14 children lived in this little home. Today, it is the home of Bens Bells. In 1920, the Spanish Flu took their youngest son. Four years later, Smallpox took two of his daughters. Clara Brown still haunts this house, standing at a window, watching her kids play in the courtyard, where employees can still hear them. As we were looking through the windows, we encountered a homeless man who was on the porch, who made our guide feel uncomfortable. We quickly moved on. The interesting thing is that my EMF reader started going off as we walked away.

The next stop was the 1902 luxurious Santa Rita Hotel, which is no longer there, but so much of the tragedy and sorrow still lingers where it once stood. In 1920, Mr. Ferguson and his wife checked in for a romantic weekend. After a horrible argument, in which he found out she was having an affair with his business partner, he strangled her. He then took the sheets from the bed, went to the elevator shaft, and hung himself.

In 1939, a couple and their nine-year-old son checked in, promising him they would go swimming in the pool the next morning. After putting him to bed, the parents went downstairs to the saloon, had a bit too much to drink, and went to bed. The next morning, the police banged on their door, asking them to come downstairs to identify a nine-year-old boy found at the bottom of the swimming pool. After being questioned and released, the couple went to the roof and both jumped to their death.

In 1954, three men in town attending an ancient Native American seminar were found dead when they didn’t check out the following Monday. All three died from sudden heart attacks in the same room. Bizarre! The Santa Rita Hotel was built over a Native American burial ground. When the hotel was demolished, any remains found were returned to them. So much death for one corner of Tucson, and yes, my EMF reader was jumping, especially on the stairs to where the hotel used to stand.

As we headed to our next stop on this busy Friday night in Tucson, I noticed that my EMF reader was extremely active. I even mentioned it to my guide, and she said that was highly unusual. As we continued, I kept an eye on the EMF reader to see what it was doing. While we walked, I kept the EMF reader in my right hand as if I were holding hands with someone. The EMF reader remained at a consistent high red signal as it followed me. I asked her again if this had ever happened on a previous tour, and she said with a definite no.

One of the busiest areas of the tour was on Congress Street. First, we stopped to talk about The Rialto, which opened in 1919, and had the first talking movie, The Jazz Singer. A man who sat in the middle row up front died while watching this film. Was it because the movie went from silent to talking? Who knows. In 1930, a lady who was seven months pregnant sat in the middle row up front (same seat?), and her water broke. She gave birth to a baby girl in the manager’s office. In 1940, while the orchestra was playing, the piano fell, and the piano player fell backward and hit his head and died. The orchestra returned several days later to play without the piano or pianist, but they still heard piano music.

According to the History Channel, Travel Channel, and PBS, the Hotel Congress is the most haunted hotel in the United States. We crossed the busy street to the Hotel Congress, which was built in 1919. On the left was the Copper Room, where the gamblers would go. A gambler named T.S. won a lot of money and wanted to leave. The loser shot him in the back as he left, killing him. In room 214, a pinstripe-suited man with a hat is seen.

In room 242, the suicide room, a jilted bride barricaded herself and shot at cops, who returned fire. Twenty-nine bullets later, she was dead. Supposedly, there is still one bullet hole that can be seen in the closet. You can still smell her rose fragrance in that room today. In room 220, the haunted room, a man checked in in 1965 and stayed for 35 years. His essence hovers above you while you sleep…a bit creepy for me. Do you want to stay overnight in Hotel Congress with these ghosts and many others? Book your stay at Hotel Congress.

In 1934, a fire started in the coal room, went up the shoot, and burnt the third floor. John Dillinger’s gang was staying here during that time. They evacuated, but asked a firefighter to go back and get their carpetbag luggage. The firefighter couldn’t understand why it was so heavy. He looked inside and saw Tommy Guns, ammunition, and money. The next day, he saw the faces of John Dillinger’s gang in the newspaper. The group and John Dillinger were arrested soon after. John Dillinger is reported to have said, “We evaded the FBI throughout the United States, and a bunch of hicks in Tucson, Arizona, captured us.” If you are interested, the Hotel Congress will start its own ghost tours soon.

After walking through Hotel Congress’s lobby, our final stop on the tour was the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, where tragedy struck more than once. Frank Stillwell was shot and killed by Wyatt Earp at this train depot. Some say phantom footsteps echo along the tracks and that figures in old uniforms appear just before passing trains. Plus, the workers in this building experience strange events that make it hard to keep employees at night, such as doors opening and closing, and feeling someone grab their ankles.

As part of the extended tour option, we stopped at a few more sites. We ended at the site of the 1775 buried cemetery (11 acres) beneath Alameda Street by the courthouse, a reminder of how Tucson’s past was literally paved over. The idea that thousands of forgotten souls rest beneath the city’s core was one of the eeriest parts of the night, and a fantastic way to end the night.

Tucson’s haunted stories aren’t just about scares. They speak of loss, survival, and memory beneath the desert moon. The stillness of the night made every creak and whisper seem amplified.

Experiencing the Tombstone and Tucson Ghost Tours was fantastic. This one in particular felt a little close to my heart. Since the Charles O. Brown house, the EMF reader had shown high activity when we were alone at night. But the EMF went quiet when we were in crowds. I believe that I had a guardian angel protecting us and walking with us throughout the entire tour. The guide was so excited that he was walking with us. I wasn’t creeped out by this; in fact, it was comforting to know we were protected. On both tours, I experienced more activity than the guides said was normal. I’m not sure why that is, but I’m grateful for the experience.

Why I’ll Remember These Nights

Both tours are part history lesson and part ghost story, rooted in the real people who built, fought, and sometimes died for these towns in southeast Arizona. The guides don’t rely on jump scares or tricks. Instead, they connect local folklore with verifiable history, making each tale feel both believable and chilling.

In Tombstone, the Wild West lives on through restless spirits who never left. In Tucson, the ghosts whisper from beneath the surface of a city still growing above them. Together, they form two sides of Arizona’s haunted soul. If you’re curious about the past and not afraid of what might still linger there, schedule one or both of the Tombstone and Tucson ghost tours with US Ghost Adventures. US Ghost Adventures offers ghost tours in over 200 cities, including Phoenix.

For those who are scared of ghost tours, there is no reason to be freaked out. I personally don’t invite anything in, because that is just bad news. As long as you appreciate the history and have empathy for what happened, you’ll be fine. Nothing happens to you. It is continuing the history and sharing the stories, so they don’t get forgotten. And that is what everybody wants, not to be forgotten.

You might not believe in ghosts, but after a night walking through Arizona’s haunted history, you’ll understand why so many do.