5 Weird Places to Visit in Arizona

by Sandy Joe Karpetz | Mar . 18 . 2018 | Arizona, Travel, USA

While there are countless odd spots throughout the state, these are my top 5 weird places to visit in Arizona. It’s one of my favourite desert destinations and I’ve been there a number of times. My love of roadside attractions + obscure destinations naturally had me compiling a running list of bizarro spots to share. There seems to be no limit to the number of weird and wonderful places to discover there.

POST UPDATED APRIL 2024

On my most recent trip, there were 5 specific spots that really stood out to me. Keep scrolling for the breakdown as well as a YouTube video touring the spots. If you enjoy the video, subscribe to my YouTube channel as I’ll be updating frequently!

1. FLINTSTONES BEDROCK CITY

This may be at the top the list of the creepiest theme parks I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve been to the Spreepark in Berlin. Entrance to see the modern stone age family costs a whole $5USD but what awaits you is a glorious theme park that time has forgotten.

UPDATE : Despite being under the threat of closure when the park was up for sale, Bedrock City still exists! It’s main name is the Raptor Ranch, but all the structures are still there. The admission has also increased to $8USD.

Flintstones Bedrock City is located south of the Grand Canyon and also offers campground accommodations. I imagine it was quite the spectacle in its day. Now, it’s a grouping of slowly crumbling away faux rock facades. It may be a tie between the dinosaur slide and the beauty parlour for my favourite part of the attraction.

2. SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK

Towering over all else, The saguaro cactus are majestic in real life and seeing them in abundance within Saguaro National Park is a must. Thanks to the Junior Ranger program, I learned about all the different types of vegetation that are a part of this Sonoran desert ecosystem.

THE JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM

If you’re unfamiliar, the Junior and Not-so-Junior Ranger program is a free activity at most US national parks. Stop by the visitor center to pick up a workbook, fill it out during your visit, and receive a cute ranger badge specific to the park. It’s a great way to learn more about the area and fun to collect the different park badges as a souvenir.

HIKING IN THE PARK

There are a number of different hikes for all levels throughout the park. The landscape looks unbelievable at any time of day (though sunrise and sunset are always show stealers.)

TUCSON TRAVEL GUIDE

Since Saguaro National Park surrounds the city of Tucson, here is a Tucson Arizona City Guide I made in 2024. It includes kitschy mid century modern bars, delicious vegetarian food, and lovely boutique stores to check out.

3. TALIESIN WEST

In 1937, Frank Lloyd Wright built Taliesin West as a winter studio and school of architecture. To be fair, the actual physical/manual labour of the build was done by students and assistants. Perhaps FLW was the first official snowbird of Arizona? I digress.

Everytime I visit, I’m blown away by how a 90 year old building can feel so modern and current. That’s the thing about FLW, his architecture is timeless. And each tour, I always learn something new. The whole property is endlessly photographable as well. They even have evening tours, which I one day hope to attend too.

If you haven’t visited this site, I highly suggest to add it to a must-see travel list of Phoenix. Here is some additional information on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

MESA CITY GUIDE

Mesa is just south of Taliesin West and home to many mid century modern gems. Check out my Mesa Arizona Travel Guide for tips on places to see and eat in the area.

4. PIMA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

The Pima Air & Space museum is a massive graveyard of antique planes. It’s quite an overwhelming spectacle to behold. There are rows and rows of retired killing machines. I fortunately found the alternative corner of the museum where some artists painted over a couple of bombed out looking planes. That was much more my speed to be honest. Check out the Pima Air & Space Museum here.

MY POSTS FROM THE PIMA MUSEUM

Other posts that include this location are: Pink Satin at the Pima Air Museum.

5. THE CASA GRANDE DOMES

These domes are very eerie to come upon. Originally built in 1982 as the headquarters for InterConn Technologies, they were abandoned a year later and never completed. In recent years, they have been slated for demolition by the city of Casa Grande so it is unclear how much longer they will be standing. Bonus: climb up the west side of the Casa Grande mountain on the hiking trail to get a more aerial view. Or…. get a drone?

15-5-weird-places-to-visit-in-arizona-sandy-joe-karpetz

UPDATE : Sadly, the domes finally met their inevitable fate and the domes of Casa Grande were torn down January 2023. While I realize they were a complete hazard – the roofs were slowly caving in, I’m still so bummed they’re gone. The acoustics inside were unreal.

POSTS FROM THE DOMES

I recently wrote a whole post to accompany a style editorial, The Casa Grande Domes, should you want some more information on them.