History Events in Tucson

Sundays at 2pm. Run Time: 30 minutes. Adults $15 | Kids $10. For over a century, the Hotel Congress has stood at the heart of Tucson, a living witness to the city’s history—and to those who refuse to leave it behind. Built in 1919, the hotel was designed for travelers stepping off the Southern Pacific line, with guest rooms, a café, a beauty shop, a barber, and the now-famous Tap Room bar. Beneath the grandeur of its architecture lies something far older: the land itself has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years, making Tucson one of North America’s oldest, and most haunted, living communities. On this 30-minute walking tour, you’ll be let in on the hotel’s best-kept secrets. Meet the lace-shrouded lady of the staircase, drifting through the lobby trailing the faint scent of roses; the Victorian Gentleman in Room 214, quietly surveying the plaza in seersucker and top hat; the Locksmith’s Apprentice, tinkering at unseen locks; Vince, the butter-knife handyman, still tending to his work decades after his passing; and the Lady in White, whose presence has startled more than a few male guests. You’ll even hear the story of infamous bank robber John Dillinger, who passed through Hotel Congress in 1934 before a fire exposed his gang’s presence and led to his capture—without a single shot fired. The tour wraps up in the rarely seen séance room, a space of quiet reflection, lingering echoes, and centuries of footsteps—perfect for anyone curious enough to step just a little closer to the unexplained. It’s more than a ghost tour; it’s a backstage pass to a living portrait of Hotel Congress, where history, humanity, and spirits mingle in plain sight.