Spirit of Arizona Murder Mystery True Crime Ghost Tour
Truthtelling as a form of storytelling is what makes Spirit of Arizona Tours so distinctive. Locally owned and operated by Phoenix native Jarrod Riddle, an Emmy-nominated Phoenix historian, Spirit of Arizona offers a variety of tour experiences across Arizona. Among the most popular year-round tours he hosts is the Murders and Mysteries True Crime Ghost Tour exploring the sinister side of downtown Phoenix’s history. The tours combine van transportation with some walking segments as Riddle takes participants on a journey through factual events and historical stops that will entice any true crime fanatic.“You can expect to hear about is the underbelly of Phoenix history,” Riddle explains. “One of my favorite things about this tour, especially with locals, is by the end of it they're always saying ‘I had no idea any of this happened in Phoenix.’”
Amid the new construction, one historical building stands to this day: the Winnie Ruth Judd House. A prominent stop on the tour, Riddle mentioned how ghost-hunting TV shows want access but are denied, which makes this tour all the more special to be permitted into a highly desired location. Winnie Ruth Judd was infamously dubbed the “Trunk Murderess” after being accused of murdering her two roommates inside this midtown home. Judd became the targeted suspect when the victims' dismembered bodies were discovered in her travel trunk while she attempted to board a train to Los Angeles. The murder trial made global headlines, putting the Phoenix justice system on the map. The house was restored and is currently used for a private attorney's office, which is not open to the public. Riddle guides you verbally and physically through this sordid tale as you view the crime scene.
While the three-hour tour mostly focuses on crime stories, downtown’s haunted history is represented. Other stops are the Gus Greenbaum Murder House, the territorial capitol, the Pioneer & Military Memorial Park and the old county courthouse. The tour even mentions the spirits that haunt the Orpheum Theatre. Regardless of your beliefs about ghosts, this experience has something for everyone. Converting skeptics is not the goal, but Riddle believes in the paranormal, claiming that unexplained activity has occurred during tours.
“The idea of paranormal and our spirits, there's something to it. There’s more out there than we know. Things have happened on tour that there's no logical explanation for,” he says. “In my opinion, there's plenty out there more than we can explain, and it feels like they have attempted to say, ‘Hey, I'm here.’”
Orpheum Theatre Haunted History Tours
To understand the resident ghosts of the Orpheum Theatre is to know the building’s background and the community that supports it. In its heyday, the theater was frequented by the likes of Walt Disney and its stage saw performances from Mae West, Fanny Brice and Henry Fonda. Built in 1929, the Orpheum Theatre experienced many changes in ownership and various name identities. After its purchase by the city of Phoenix in 1984, years of fundraising led to an extensive restoration process, and it was reopened in 1997. With extensive local history, it is no surprise many reports claim ghostly activity in the building.In 1992, the nonprofit Friends of the Orpheum Theatre (FOTOT) was established. FOTOT’s volunteers live up to the organization’s name by providing educational and fundraising support. Since its inception, their efforts have helped fund various extras for the theater, thanks to different events such as the popular annual paranormal tours, held during the last two weekends of October.
Laura Lovato Stenzel, treasurer and ghost guide for the Orpheum Theatre, developed her fascination as a child listening to her grandmother’s ghost stories.
“I've always kind of had the belief that we die three deaths,” Stenzel recalls. “One, the day that we die, the second is the day we are buried and the last death is the last time our name is spoken. So it's just really important to me to try to keep the spirit of some pretty incredible people alive, especially in the Orpheum.”
Now an experienced guide, Stenzel’s ghost tours are grounded in extensive historical research using public records, birth and death certificates and genealogical work. She refers to her investigations as “fact-based,” and recounts tales of the theater's most well-known spirits. During a paranormal investigation in the balcony, all the battery-operated equipment reportedly drained simultaneously and, an employee once captured soft piano music on their phone in an otherwise empty theater.
One of the most famous Orpheum spirits is Mattie, whose presence is often spotted in the balcony area. Though her identity remains unknown, her silhouette — claimed to have been captured in a photograph — suggests she hails from the early 1900s. Known as a protective presence, she is said to bump or shush those who disrespect the theater. Harry Nace, the theater's original builder, is also believed to linger in the area where his office once stood. There have been claims of him saying "hello" or even calling people by name.
“The spirits bring people in,” Stenzel says. “They’re helping keep the theater alive for future generations.”
There are two ghost tours to choose from at the Orpheum Theatre: the Haunted History Tour and Lights Out Investigation. The 60-minute Haunted History Tour takes participants through the theater, offering an account of its rich history, mysteries and legendary haunts. The 90-minute Lights Out Investigation is a darkened exploration using equipment spirit boxes, dowsing rods and EVP recordings — tools often seen on paranormal TV shows — in hopes of communicating with the Orpheum’s resident spirits.
For Stenzel, building community connections to the Orpheum through these experiences is at the core of what she does.
“I always go up into the balcony and sit in the same seat. I think of all the people who’ve sat there before me and those who will sit there long after I’m gone. It’s overwhelming,” she says. “I also tell everyone that this is the seat I’m going to haunt, so tell the guides in 30 years it’ll just be Laura up in the balcony, hanging out.”
Four Peaks Brewery: Nightmare on 8th Street Haunted Brewery Tours
Tucked away inside an unassuming downtown Tempe residential area, the original Four Peaks Brewery is a spot often frequented by college students and IPA-loving hipsters. Completely on creepy brand, the brewery resides in the fourth-oldest commercial building in the city and is said to also be inhabited by ghostly entities. Featured on the popular paranormal show "Ghost Adventures," the haunted brewery tour concept originated with some employees and a fictional script. Then, one of the head brewmasters, Andy Ingram, advised them to ditch the theatrics and focus on telling the actual accounts of paranormal stories reported over the years.Carter Nacke, pub events manager, reflects on the evolution of the original concept and how it affected what participants experience today.
“The more we talk about it, the more stories we hear, the more people that come forward, the more activity we experience and it just kind of builds upon itself,” he says.
Over the years, a bunch of different businesses occupied the building. Once an ice plant, then a creamery and later a recording studio, the space now a brewery rumored to hold spirits that reflect its historical transformations. What makes this ghost tour stand out isn’t just an opportunity to enjoy a pint as you explore the building. A one-of-a-kind experience, the combination of exploring around the brewery with paranormal equipment while the guide tells stories makes for a unique evening. Balancing entertainment and paranormal intrigue, the spooky-themed props, lighting and effects enhancethe real-llife accounts of the most popular ghosts, including Victor Vogel, a then-superintendent of Borden Creamy and Ice Factory. He passed away in 1972 and is claimed to still haunt the building.
Nacle has reportedly witnessed full-bodied apparitions, shadow figures and even heard footsteps with a presence looming behind him. Another younger spirit is said to haunt the premises, often interacting with parental figures. There are also claims of spirits tampering with paranormal investigations, mimicking the sounds of the equipment.
“You name it, we have it in the building. Everything from, you know, spirit people, to sounds, to touch, to screams, to cold spots, to smells. We run the gamut,” Nacke says.
Even if you do not get a glimpse of a ghost during the tour, you are not left empty-handed. With a tour purchase, participants get a T-shirt and a craft beer to commemorate the experience. The blend of local beer flavors with eerie tales makes it a must for ghost hunters and brew lovers alike.
Fear Frontier Goldfield Ghost Town Tours
Fear Frontier is the only ghost tour company with exclusive Goldfield Ghost Town, offering family-friendly immersive tours that transport guests back to the Wild West days. Guides dress in period attire and remain fully in character as participants embark on a nighttime guided adventure roaming the town, exploring inside Lu Lu’s Bordello, and even going underground to the Mammoth Gold Mine, all while hearing stories of the town’s lawless past and present paranormal happenings. Established in 2020, Fear Frontier was founded by owner and operator Matt Mason. He created ghost tours from his daytime tour job at Goldfield Ghost Town after noticing supernatural activity. This led him to do a deeper dive into some of the history within the town and the Superstition Mountains that surround the area.
Goldfield, originally established in the late 1800s during a silver mining boom, fell into disrepair after a flood in the 1980s caused serious damage, eventually leading to a historical restoration. Some may question the authenticity of these ghost tours in a partially reconstructed town, but Mason strongly believes the paranormal activity is rooted in the land.
“The number one thing that makes Goldfield unique compared to other places is that the haunting literally lies in the ground. The desert itself that this town lies on is cursed, and the Apache tribes that roamed it for centuries have made it clear no one's supposed to be here, yet people keep coming out,” Mason emphasizes. “Those hauntings are kind of due to the curse that's literally embedded into the very soil and rocks that surround us at all times here. I think you could build a Walmart here and it would still be haunted.”
Fellow Fear Frontier guide Riley Fitzpatrick recalls a haunted happening at the poker table in Lu Lu’s Bordello.
“There used to be poker chips on this poker table here. We were all talking at the end of the tour one night and everybody had their hands above (and) on top of the table. All of a sudden, you hear, almost out of a movie, the rolling of something on (the) hardwood floor, slowly going to a stop and clattering to the ground,” Fitzpatrick says. “I look over and shine my flashlight and there's a single poker tip in the middle of the hardwood floor. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a rug under this (table). So for a poker chip, we tested it, we tried to debunk it. What could that have been other than a spirit?”
Unlike some of the other supernatural spots that focus on a few star haunts, there are countless stories linked to Goldfield. Just on the tour alone, guides witnessed accounts of scratches from entities deep enough to bleed, people being pushed by an unseen force and even alleged possessions, in which those claim to leave the tour not feeling like themselves. There have been many testimonies of unexplained encounters from Goldfield visitors and employees, but not all stories are highlighted in the ghost tour. This inspired the members of Fear Frontier to launch a paranormal podcast.
“Goldfield is one of the only towns I've been in where the darkness will actually reach out and touch you,” Mason warns.
