The Route

The Hotel Congress has stood at the corner of Congress and Toole since 1919. The Dillinger gang's capture here in 1934 is the most famous chapter, but Room 242, a Victorian gentleman at the window, and a cowboy in the basement all have their own stories to tell.

The Rialto opened in 1920 for vaudeville and silent films, reinventing itself through decades of change. Performers sense a presence on stage. The story starts in the orchestra pit, where a piano player met a tragic end.

The Santa Rita was Tucson's most elegant hotel when it opened in 1904. Seven people died here in separate incidents spanning decades. Paranormal investigators confirmed what staff had reported for years. The building was razed in 2009, but the stories remain.

St. Augustine Cathedral is the mother church of Tucson's Roman Catholic Diocese, home to a 600-year-old cross from Pamplona, Spain. A persistent presence near the entrance, a woman in black, has been reported for decades. Those who approach her describe something deeply unsettling.

When the Fox opened in 1930, Congress Street was closed and waxed so the whole city could dance. For four decades it was Tucson's crown jewel. A Depression-era spirit still lingers near the entrance, and backstage, props don't stay where you put them.

On December 20, 1970, a fire tore through the Pioneer Hotel during a Christmas party. 28 lives were lost. The Pioneer Hotel fire changed fire codes across the state of Arizona. This is the story guests carry with them long after the tour ends.

Francisco Studios sits near the train depot in the middle of Tucson's frontier history. Musicians rent rooms here for practice and recording, often late into the night. Instruments move, doors slam, and playback reveals sounds that were not present during the session.

The Southern Pacific Railway Station has stood since 1907. On March 18, 1882, a vendetta that began at the O.K. Corral reached its conclusion on these tracks when Wyatt Earp settled the score. The station still holds onto the people who passed through.