Here's your guide to Arizona's spookiest places and how to win prizes by visiting
Fall road trips aren't just for leaves. They can be for ghost peeping, too.
Historic haunted places, as well as spooky attractions and festivals, use the ghost stories connected to them to cultivate people's interest in the supernatural side of Arizona landmarks. This passion, for many people, refuses to die when the calendar changes to November.
That's why the Arizona Office of Tourism just introduced a new Spooktacular Arizona passport for haunted attractions throughout the state, declaring: "Spooky season is year-round in Arizona!" The goal is to encourage people to explore the state's haunted highlights even after Halloween has passed.
Arizona haunted hotels: The spookiest lodgings in Flagstaff, Bisbee, Prescott and more
How the Spooktacular Arizona passport works
The free Spooktacular Arizona passport features 39 stops, including destinations in metro Phoenix, Tucson and around the state.
Go to visitarizona.com/spooktacular-arizona to sign up. The guide doesn't require downloading a mobile app.
When you check in using the mobile passport and upload photos using the hashtag #SpooktacularAZ, you're entered in a drawing to win prizes that include a Grand Canyon poster and a gift card to one of the passport's stops, Haunted Hamburger in Jerome.
Sound fun? Here are some of the creepy highlights of Spooktacular Arizona.
Haunted houses in metro Phoenix
Four haunted houses and attractions in metro Phoenix, all of which are included in our roundup of the region's must-see Halloween attractions, are passport stops: Fear Farm in Glendale, Sanctum of Horror in Mesa, 13th Floor Haunted House in north Phoenix and Mill of Madness in south Phoenix.
These attractions, which run until or just after Halloween, are immersive experiences that use horror film production values to deliver frights, including mutants in a post-apocalyptic world and chainsaw-wielding skeletons.
'If the walls could talk': This historic hotel transformed metro Phoenix into a travel powerhouse
Hotel Congress in Tucson
This historic hotel built in 1919 is a hub of activity in the heart of downtown. Club Congress hosts concerts and events, and foodies give rave reviews to Maynard's and Cup Cafe restaurants.
A historic place with a lot going on lends itself to the chance of finding ghosts. Some of the spirits known to appear once in a while include a woman who smells of roses and a man who looks out of the second floor windows.
The Surgeon's House in Jerome
No, you won't find scary surgeons who cut people for fun here.
The Surgeon's House is a bed and breakfast so named because it was built in 1917 for the chief surgeon at the nearby United Verde Hospital (now the Jerome Grand hotel) that served the town's miners.
It's believed this historic home was once the site of extravagant parties, and some guests at the B&B reported hearing "phantom music" and "a ghostly couple dancing" during their stays, according to the Spooktacular Arizona passport.
Vulture City Ghost Town in Wickenburg
In the late 19th century, Vulture City was a thriving mining town and home to Arizona's most successful gold mine, the Vulture Mine. The prospector Henry Wickenburg founded the mine, as well as the town that bears his name.
Vulture Mine, which was shut down in 1942 by a regulatory agency for processing gold during World War II, was partially restored in the 2010s as people came to learn more about its haunted history. Ghosts thought to have a presence there include those of miners who were hanged for stealing gold.
Wickenburg's house and the Wickenburg Pioneer Cemetery where he's buried are also destinations included on the passport.
Apache Death Cave in Winslow
A Route 66 road trip that includes a stop in Winslow might mean checking out La Posada Hotel, Meteor Crater or a downtown park that pays homage to the Eagles song that put the city on the map.
Only the bravest travelers might include a stop in the Apache Death Cave.
The site, off Exit 230 on Interstate 40, was where 42 Apaches hiding underground in a cavern were killed by local Navajo who started a fire near the entrance.
It was once part of a roadside attraction called Two Guns, where an eccentric businessman named Harry Miller sold skeletal remains of the Apaches to tourists. The destination was beset by troubles and Two Guns is now considered a ghost town.
After Halloween: The Polar Express holiday train ride is back in Arizona for 2023
Castle Dome Mine Museum in Yuma
Yuma is nationally renowned for its spooky sightseeing, as USA Today recognized the Yuma Territorial Prison (also a destination on the passport) as one of the best haunted destinations in the nation.
Castle Dome is a must-stop as well. The ghost town is a restoration of an old mining town called Castle Dome City, the longest active mining area in Arizona. It includes 60 buildings, as well as artifacts dug up from the mines and a cemetery.
Some come for the ghost stories; others come for the Arizona Fluorescent Mineral Wall inside the Hull Mine, where people can see bright colors and patterns from the minerals inside the mine.
Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.
Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's most haunted destinations: A travel guide