Arizona is home to spooky prisons, hotels, mountains, mines and more. There are a lot of spooking places in America where ghost hunters detect paranormal activity, but the Grand Canyon State has more than its share. Below are just a few of the most haunted places in Arizona where you'll find some haunting paranormal activity.
Casey Moore's Oyster House, Tempe
Casey Moore's Oyster House is a paranormal hotspot. The two-story structure on the corner of 9th and Ash in Tempe was originally the home of William and Mary Moeur. It subsequently went through several owners before becoming Casey Moore's. If you're a ghost hunter, this is not a bad place to enjoy drinks and good food along with the spirits.
Dancing Spirits
Patrons, employees, and neighbors have reported strange occurrences and sightings. Several neighbors have seen a ghostly couple dancing in an upstairs room after Casey's had closed. It's been surmised that since William and Mary died in the house, they are the couple seen dancing.
The Hermosa Inn, Phoenix
The Hermosa Inn is a "boutique hideaway'" in Pleasant Valley, Arizona, an affluent suburb in Phoenix. The Inn opened in the 1930s and has a rich cowboy history. The original owner, cowboy artist Alonzo "Lon" Megargee, is said to be haunting the hotel. Rooms at the Hermosa Inn range from $250 to $320 per night. If you want to want to relax in a haunted room, the Hermosa Inn is perfect.
Haunted Hotel Rooms
Over the years, both staff and guests have reported eerie encounters. These include the feeling of being patted on the head, shutting doors, falling objects, cowboy apparitions in the mirrors, a nonexistent night watchman, and a ghostly lady in pink who hangs out on the bridge by the pool.
La Casa Vieja, Tempe
Located in Tempe, Arizona, the Charles T. Hayden House (La Casa Vieja) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The Hayden House once housed an 11,000 square foot restaurant called Monti's La Casa Vieja. When Monti's closed in 2014, it had been in business for 60 years. The building now stands vacant.
Monti's Hauntings
The hauntings reported at Monti's were two different types. The full-bodied apparition of a cowboy had been seen in one of the rooms named the Mural Room. Disembodied laughter and the sound of clinking glasses and cutlery has been heard in the Fountain Room. Do these restless spirits still remain on the property even though the restaurant is no longer open?
Old Octave Mine, Stanton
If you'd rather own a haunted mine than visit one, the nearly 150-year-old Octave gold mine near Stanton, Arizona is for sale. The most profitable gold mine in Arizona's history is not open to the public. However, it can be purchased along with 266 acres of land, a spooky old miners' cemetery and the ruins of many structures once buzzing with mining activity, as well as a two-bedroom house, for just under $4 million.
The Blue Devil of Octave
According to legend, the Octave mine is haunted by a paranormal creature called "The Blue Devil of Octave" who appears as a mist. Ghost hunters who have gone into the mine report capturing the mist on camera, having rocks thrown at them, hearing a huge sigh and seeing the Blue Devil moving.
San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson
The San Xavier del Bac Mission is located on the Tohono O'odham San Xavier Indian Reservation near Tucson, Arizona. The church was built in 1783 and is still open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, primarily serving the Tohono O'odham people who live nearby.
The Old Padre
It is rumored that, at dawn or dusk, an old padre wanders through the church. The property is also said to be haunted by a nun and five children who died in a schoolhouse fire in 1949.
Palace Saloon, Prescott
The Palace Saloon is located in Prescott, Arizona's historic Whiskey Row. It's the oldest bar operating in the state of Arizona and a popular Old West place for locals, tourists, and ghost hunters. The Palace and much of Whiskey Row were burned to the ground twice; the first fire happened in 1883 and the second in 1900. It's said that the Palace Saloon is filled with ghosts and paranormal activity.
Nevins the Gambler
One of the ghosts is Nevins, a mortician with a gambling problem who lost everything in a backroom poker game. It's said his spirit is still seen in the backroom replaying the hand that cost him everything. Every night at last call, it also seems a phantom cowboy saddles at the bar and requests his last drink.
More Eerie Events
Employees of the Palace have reported sounds of breaking glass when nothing had been touched. They've also witnessed a prankster ghost who pushes glasses off the rack, knocks over a mannequin in period dress and throws chairs and bottles across the room.
A Ghost Aficionado's Paradise
TV shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures have created a growing interest in the paranormal, and Arizona is a ghost lover's paradise. The University of Arizona is filled with paranormal activities, like the two spirits that haunt Centennial Hall. The psychology department's Laboratory for the Advancement of Consciousness actively researches the possibility that human consciousness transcends death, mediumship, spirit guides, angels, and divine higher power.
