Pack up the car—it’s a great time to experience what we call “Funky Arizona!” Strange and wonderful (of course, some of these places are more of one and less of the other), here are some DESTINATIONS around the state that you and your family will always remember. Happy travels!

Haunted Hotel Is Spooky Fun!

Sort of between Phoenix and Flagstaff, the mining town of Jerome, Ariz., peaked in the 1920s. To add to the community, the United Verde Copper Company opened a new hospital in 1927 for miners who became ill or injured.

But by 1953, the last of Jerome’s mines closed. The town was too tough to die, though, and today it attracts thousands of tourists with its art galleries, artist colony, museums, shops and restaurants. The hospital shut down in 1950, but has new life as the Jerome Grand Hotel.

And like much of the rest of Jerome, the Grand Hotel is said to be HAUNTED!

Amateur and professional ghost hunters, and curious tourists, stay at the hotel hoping for a high-spirited encounter. The hotel management doesn’t DENY a thing and even holds a ghost hunter night for brave guests.

Jerome Grand Hotel
200 Hill St.
888-817-6788
JeromeGrandHotel.net

Desert Castle Was a Labor of Love!

On South Mountain, just south of Phoenix, stands a three-story, 18-room castle made of stones, mortar and just about every scavenged or recycled material you can imagine!

The story behind the building is amazing as well. In 1930, a man named Boyce Luther Gulley up and left his wife and young daughter in Seattle, Wash. A doctor diagnosed him as having tuberculosis, so he headed for our hot, dry climate, which would help his disease.

As a tribute to his daughter, Mary Lou, Gulley crafted a castle made from whatever materials he could find. Luckily, the town dump was nearby. When the father died, Mary Lou and her mom learned that he left them Mystery Castle, which made national news. Mary Lou still lives there and sometimes shares stories with lucky visitors. All sorts of wild, hand-made items decorate the place!

Designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride, tours are available. Adults pay $5, kids are less. The money helps maintain the castle.

Mystery Castle
800 E. Mineral Rd.
602-268-1581

From South Africa to Southern Arizona!

At the base of Picacho Peak, just off of I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson, is an amazing sight—a flock of over a thousand flightless feathered friends!

The giant black-and-white birds are South African black ostriches. Ostriches are the largest bird on Earth, with males growing up to 9 feet tall and weighing up to 400 pounds! Birds this big are hungry, and you can feed ‘em for just $5. For a more colorful experience, you can also feed cups of nectar to the beautiful rainbow lorikeets in a special 5,000-sq.-foot forest aviary. And the ranch has deer to feed, too!

On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, you can go on a monster truck sightseeing tour to check out the 600-acre ranch and the beautiful surroundings; you can even go ostrich fishing! Cost is $10 a person and $5 for kids 5 and under. The gift shop has enormous eggs, feather dusters and other eggceptional stuff.

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch
Picacho Peak • Take 1-10 Exit 219, frontage road exit
RoosterCogburn.com

The Bisbee 1000

If you thought the best part of October was Halloween, you were horribly MISINFORMED. The third Saturday in October every year is the Bisbee 1000: the Great Stair Climb!

For the past 19 years, Bisbee has had a fundraiser to “save our stairs.” Since Bisbee used to be a big mining town, the whole town is built into hills. Therefore, you need stairs to get up to any of the houses or businesses in Bisbee. To save the stairs, a few thousand people sign up and donate money to climb roughly 4 miles up stairs, down hills, and then back up stairs again. If you think that sounds tough, you have to realize we’re talking about 1,000 steps!

Anyone can do the Bisbee 1000, even a baby riding on someone’s back or an 80-year-old. This climb is really fun. All along the route, people are playing instruments and handing out drinks Some people get dressed in kooky outfits. There are art displays along the way. At the end of the race, organizers pass out awards to the participants.

Bisbee 1000 • Oct. 16, 2010
I-10 East, Exit 303 onto Highway 88 for 49 miles
www.Bisbee1000.org

Superstitious Fun in the Old West

The Superstition Mountains are great for seeing nature. They got the name ‘Superstition’ because of all the legends about The Lost Dutchman’s mine, panning for gold and the Indians who lived there more than 900 years ago. On my field trip, I panned for gold and got to see and learn about a hawk up close in the Wildlife Exhibit!

“The bus drive was an hour but it was worth it. I think it’s the second best field trip this school year,” says my classmate Olivia Bellantoni. “I liked the lassoing, but it was somewhat difficult.”

We also learned about miners and what a tough life they led. They mined for gold and copper. Hurry and enjoy the park and the beautiful weather! The state is closing the park June 3.

Lost Dutchman State Park
Apache Junction • 480-982-4485
www.azstateparks.com/parks/LODU/index.html

Meteorite Left Its Mark!

There’s more than one big hole in the ground in Arizona. Sure, you might have seen the spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon. But have you ever circumambulated a giant crater before?

Between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago, a massive meteorite sped through space, lit up as it entered Earth’s atmosphere and smashed into what’s now Northern Arizona! Scientists say that the meteorite was half a football field wide and crashed into the ground at around 28,000 mph. About 350 million tons of rock and dirt were ejected, leaving behind a giant crater that’s almost a mile across and 550 feet deep! Inside, the terrain is rocky and dusty—the perfect place for NASA to test its spacesuits and equipment for the moon.

There’s a nice visitor center with a 10-minute introductory movie, a 1,400-pound meteorite and all sorts of space stuff. You can even walk the rim of the crater on a guided tour!

Meteor Crater
I-40 Exit 233 • 35 miles east of Flagstaff/20 miles west of Winslow
Toll Free: 800-289-5898

More Funky Places in Arizona!

Tubac Presidio State Park

Biosphere 2

Ruby Ghost Town

Mini-Time Machine Museum

Goldfield Ghost Town & Mine