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All United States Arizona

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Arizona

237 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Arizona

Updated April 14, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
Tucson
“You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies” at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Phoenix
Smooth, massive walls make for an intriguing surprise compared to typical cave architecture
Flagstaff
Winslow
Petrified Wood
Holbrook
The world's largest rose tree
Tombstone
All Cities
  1. Ajo
  2. Benson
  3. Bisbee
  4. Camp Verde
  5. Casa Grande
  6. Chandler
  7. Clarkdale
  8. Dragoon
  9. Flagstaff
  10. Florence
  11. Golden Valley
  12. Grand Canyon Village
  13. Green Valley
  14. Holbrook
  15. Jerome
  16. Kayenta
  17. Kingman
  18. Lake Havasu City
  19. Leupp
  20. Littlefield
  21. Marble Canyon
  22. Mesa
  23. Oracle
  24. Page
  25. Parker
  26. Payson
  27. Peach Springs
  28. Phoenix
  29. Picacho
  30. Quartzsite
  31. Rimrock
  32. Scottsdale
  33. Sedona
  34. Tempe
  35. Tombstone
  36. Tucson
  37. Wickenburg
  38. Willcox
  39. Williams
  40. Winslow
  41. Yavapai County
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in Arizona

Self-Portrait over the Wave (On the high point)

Marble Canyon, Arizona

The Wave

Rippling sand dunes frozen in the Arizona rock.

Page, Arizona

Antelope Canyon

Most-visited and most-photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest.

Supai, Arizona

Havasupai Falls

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.
“You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies” at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Phoenix, Arizona

Yayoi Kusama Firefly Infinity Mirror Room

The installation’s official name, “You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies,” says it all.

Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend

Dramatic river bend surrounds a natural red-rocked pedestal.
Montezuma Castle National Monument

Yavapai County, Arizona

Montezuma Castle

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

Phoenix, Arizona

Mystery Castle

A self-built castle made by a mysterious man.

Winslow, Arizona

Meteor Crater

This 4,000-foot-diameter hole is touted as "the most well known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth."
See All 237 Things To Do in Arizona

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Arizona

Peach Springs, Arizona

Caverns Grotto

In a 345-million-year-old cave that's 200 feet underground, dinner awaits.

Phoenix, Arizona

MacAlpine's Soda Fountain

Open since 1938, this diner has kept its fountain, malt machine, and all the gum that greasers left beneath its counter.

Phoenix, Arizona

Fry Bread House

Founded by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, this one-room joint's James Beard–winning fry bread is light as a cloud.
Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

Seligman, Arizona

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

A classic Route 66 landmark that was built with scrap lumber and is held together with kitsch and puns.
See all 10 Places to Eat in Arizona
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

These 8 Arizona Ghost Towns Will Transport You to the Wild West

In the desert of Arizona, a string of ghost towns have been preserved and refurbished to give visitors a glimpse into the history of miners and the businesses who served them during the boom times of the turn of the century. Whether you want to pan for gold, discover junk art, or stay a night in a mining engineer’s cabin, these ghost towns will transport you into Arizona’s Wild West past.

View Itinerary
All the ghosts are friendly in these towns.

Explore Arizona

History 27
Native Americans 27
History & Culture 20
Deserts 20
Ecosystems 20
Geology 18
Ruins 18
Architectural Oddities 15
Nature 15
Memorials 15
Art 14
Water 14
Places To Stay 6
Unique Restaurants & Bars 3

Arizona Leaderboard

Places Added

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    WhiskeyBristles
    33
  2. Avatar image for Edward Denny
    Edward Denny
    7
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    rickbbiking
    6
  4. Avatar image for CuriousMichele
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    5
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    4

Places Edited

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    59
  2. Avatar image for brendonstinson
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    44
  3. Avatar image for CoolCrab
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    18
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    17
  5. Avatar image for knoxium
    knoxium
    14

Places Visited

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    WhiskeyBristles
    146
  2. G
    gardnermcelroy
    136
  3. Avatar image for Edward Denny
    Edward Denny
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  4. S
    SomeGuy
    103
  5. J
    junkgarage70
    94

Recent Arizona Activity

  • E

    erj1031

    wants to go to Gold King Mine Ghost Town

  • E

    erj1031

    has been to The Shady Dell

  • E

    erj1031

    wants to go to Apache Death Cave

  • Avatar image for ChaosWalking94

    ChaosWalking94

    wants to go to San Pedro Chapel

  • E

    elizabethtabares95

    wants to go to HGTV Art Cars

Stories About Arizona

Just 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, a field of California poppies paints Walker Canyon a vibrant orange. The poppies appear in several Indigenous legends. In one Chumash story, a talking lizard describes the flowers by saying, “it is as if the sun itself is on the ground.”

Stunning Wildflower Superbloom Photos That Will Have You Racing to the Hills

Orange, yellow, and purple petals blanket the southwestern United States.
by Sarah Durn
April 14, 2023
A 171-foot-tall white stain, left by the retreating waters of Lake Powell, looms over a lone human as he strides across a sandstone fin in the heart of Glen Canyon.

The Return of Glen Canyon

As Lake Powell's water levels continue to drop, a stunning landscape resurfaces—along with questions about the future of the Colorado River and those who depend on it.
by Craig Childs
March 6, 2023
Saguaro National Park in full bloom.

The Unique (and Surprisingly Wet) Biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert

In Arizona, the country’s most diverse desert teems with kaleidoscopic spring flowers, charming desert tortoises, and the famous saguaro cactus.
Sponsored by Visit Arizona
Beware hungry cows.

The Arizona Cattle Ranch Hiding 10,000 Year-Old Petroglyphs

Brantley Baird’s Rock Art Ranch offers tours of canyon-wall petroglyphs and a stunning collection of ancient pottery.
Sponsored by Visit Arizona

Podcast: Tumbleweed Christmas Tree

This is how you do the holidays in the desert.
by The Podcast Team
December 19, 2022

Podcast: Navajo Code Talkers Burger King

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
October 12, 2022
Skinwalkers are not hapless victims who fell prey to dark magic—they want to be monsters.

Beware the Skinwalkers, Werewolf Witches of the American Southwest

These canine-humanoid shapeshifters travel between worlds using magical doors.
by J.W. Ocker
October 5, 2022

Podcast: The Plotz Plot

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
November 9, 2021

Lists Featuring Arizona

Fierce little cat.
Elephants playing in the mud at Elephant Nature Park.
Oh, hello!
Little Spotted Kiwi

10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019

Unique experiences from Nairobi to Chiang Mai.

12

Including Cat Island, Elephant Nature Park , and India's Giant Technicolor Squirrels

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
Double Negative's north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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