Spirits With The Spirits, Haunted Pub Crawl

Flagstaff’s ghosts are best encountered with a drink in hand and a short walk between old buildings. Spirits With The Spirits mixes railroad-town history, murder stories, strange local characters, and three historic pub stops into a 2.5-hour evening in downtown Flagstaff. I like the way the tour connects actual buildings to the tales, rather than treating the town as a generic haunted backdrop.

I also like the route’s variety: you spend time inside or around places such as the Weatherford Hotel and Zane Gray Bar, then sit on a patio for a drink while the guide tells less savory stories. Steve, one of the guides, has earned particular praise for bringing Flagstaff’s ghost stories to life and for his command of local history. The main drawback is simple: this is a walking tour built around alcohol, so it is not suitable for anyone under 21, and you should expect to pay for drinks separately unless your booking says otherwise.

Key points to know before you book

• Three historic pub stops: You visit three downtown bars, with time to order a drink and hear stories in each setting.
• Flagstaff stories with real names: Tales involve John Weatherford, Dr. Raymond, Marie Walkup, and other figures from the town’s past.
• A historic downtown route: The walk passes the Orpheum Theatre, Weatherford Hotel, Hotel Monte Vista, and the 1926 train depot.
• Steve may be your guide: Steve is praised for his storytelling and strong grasp of Flagstaff history.
• A short evening commitment: The tour lasts 2.5 hours and returns to the train station meeting point.
• Bring official identification: The activity is for people aged 21 and over, and a passport or ID card is required.

Why Flagstaff makes a good haunted pub town

Flagstaff began as a small railroad settlement at the foot of Mount Humphreys. Its historic center still holds the hotels, theaters, shops, and public buildings that grew around that rail connection. That gives this tour something useful: the ghost stories have physical settings you can see as you walk.

I prefer haunted tours that explain the town first and add the supernatural material second. Here, the old buildings are not just scenery. They are tied to robberies, murders, suicides, eccentric doctors, difficult family stories, and the people who helped shape early Flagstaff.

The result should suit you if you enjoy local history with a darker edge. If you want a serious paranormal investigation with equipment, experiments, or proof of ghosts, this is not that kind of evening. It is a guided historical walk with drinks, atmosphere, and stories that may or may not leave you checking the doorway twice.

Meeting your guide beside the 1926 train depot

The tour begins on the south side of the Flagstaff train station, on the track side. Look for a guide dressed in southwestern gothic attire, a useful detail in a busy downtown area and an appropriate bit of theater for the evening.

The meeting point matters because the depot is part of Flagstaff’s story. Built in 1926, the station is more than a place to gather. It is also known as a supernatural hotspot, so the tour begins with the right mood before you have taken your first drink.

You return to this same meeting point at the end. That keeps the logistics easy. You do not need to arrange a taxi from a distant neighborhood or figure out where the walk finishes. Since the tour is conducted in English, you should be comfortable following spoken stories for the full 2.5 hours.

The Weatherford Hotel and Zane Gray Bar

One of the central stops is the Weatherford Hotel, an important downtown landmark connected with John Weatherford. The nearby Orpheum Theatre was also born from Weatherford’s imagination, giving the two buildings a shared story and making the walk between them more meaningful than a quick photo stop.

The Weatherford is also home to the Zane Gray Bar, where you can enjoy a drink in a historic setting. The exact format of the stop can vary, but the idea is clear: you are not merely hearing about old Flagstaff from a sidewalk. You get time in one of the town’s notable historic bars while the guide links the setting to local characters and unsettling stories.

This is one of the tour’s strongest features. A building such as the Weatherford Hotel can feel remote if you only admire its exterior. Sitting inside with a drink gives you time to notice the atmosphere while hearing why the place matters.

Do not expect the entire evening to be spent in bars. The experience is still a walking tour, and the distance between stops is part of the design. Wear shoes you can manage on downtown streets, and keep in mind that alcohol can make a walk feel longer than it did at the start.

Patio stories and the less respectable side of town

The route includes time outdoors on a patio, where you can sip a cold drink while hearing seedy stories from Flagstaff’s past. This part gives the tour a different rhythm from the hotel stop. Instead of moving quickly from one landmark to the next, you have a chance to sit, listen, and let the guide build a story.

The tales cover the kind of events that shaped a rough railroad town: robberies, murders, suicides, and the personal troubles behind public buildings and familiar names. The tone is described as amusing as well as ghostly, so you should expect a mix of macabre detail, local color, and humor rather than unbroken horror.

That balance will appeal to you if you like history served informally. I would not choose this tour for children or for anyone looking for a polished museum lecture. The stories sound more like the sort you hear from a skilled local storyteller who knows which details make a town memorable.

Three downtown pubs, three different settings

The crawl includes stops at three historic downtown pubs. The supplied details identify the Zane Gray Bar and describe patio time, but they do not name every bar or promise a specific drink at each one. That is worth keeping in mind when you book. You can expect opportunities to order drinks and hear stories, but you should check the current schedule for the exact stop list.

The three-stop format gives you a practical reason to book this rather than a standard ghost walk. A normal walking tour can feel repetitive after the first hour. Here, the change of setting breaks up the storytelling and lets you experience downtown in a more social way.

Your $50 ticket covers the guided haunted pub crawl, but the available details do not say that drinks are included. I would budget extra for beverages. The value depends on what you want from the evening: if you only want ghost stories, a cheaper walking tour may suit you better; if you want a guided route, historic bars, and local context in one outing, the price is easier to justify.

The alcohol element also means you should pace yourself. The tour lasts 2.5 hours, and the point is to hear the stories, not to rush from bar to bar. You will get more from the experience if you treat the drinks as part of the setting rather than the main event.

The Orpheum Theatre and Flagstaff’s shared past

The Orpheum Theatre sits beside the Weatherford Hotel. Both buildings are tied to John Weatherford, whose projects helped shape the historic downtown district. Passing the theater gives the guide a chance to connect architecture, entertainment, business, and the people who built the town’s early public life.

A haunted building is more interesting when you understand its original purpose. The Orpheum was not simply an old facade waiting for a ghost story. It belonged to the town’s social world, where people gathered for entertainment and community life. That background gives the supernatural stories more weight because you can picture the building as part of a living town.

The tour does not promise entry into every building along the route. Some stops may be viewed from outside, while the pub stops provide the indoor time. If you want a full interior tour of the Orpheum Theatre or a formal hotel tour, this experience may not meet that expectation.

Dr. Raymond, Marie Walkup, and the human stories

The guide also discusses Dr. Raymond, an eccentric but beloved town physician whose home and offices were on Leroux Street. A character like this adds welcome variety to the evening. Not every story is about a crime scene or a ghost in a hotel. Some are about the unusual people who made early Flagstaff what it was.

The story of Marie Walkup and her murdered children is darker. Set in 1930s Flagstaff, it brings the tour into painful territory and reminds you that the town’s past was not all colorful characters and amusing anecdotes. This part may be especially difficult for people sensitive to stories involving children and violent crime.

That contrast is important. The experience is promoted as fun, but it does not stay light all evening. You will hear about tragedy as well as eccentricity. I appreciate that the route appears to treat these events as part of the town’s human story rather than using every incident only for a cheap scare.

Hotel Monte Vista and the railroad-era atmosphere

Hotel Monte Vista is another historic building associated with supernatural activity. Along with the train depot, it helps show why Flagstaff works so well for this type of walk. The town’s older hotels and transportation buildings remain central points in the downtown district, so the route can tie local history to places you can still recognize.

You may pass some buildings without a long stop. That is not necessarily a weakness. A walking route gains texture from seeing several connected places, even when the guide spends more time at selected bars and landmarks. The important question is what you want your evening to accomplish.

If your goal is a broad introduction to haunted Flagstaff, the route covers a good range of names and locations. If you want a detailed architectural tour of every building, this is not the right format. Its strength lies in combining movement, storytelling, and social stops.

What the guide adds to the experience

The guide is the heart of this activity. Steve receives especially strong praise for his storytelling, with the evening described as passing quickly because of his command of Flagstaff’s past. That tells you what to value here: the guide’s delivery matters as much as the buildings.

A good guide needs to do more than list dates and tragedies. The stories have to connect to the street where you are standing, the bar where you are sitting, or the hotel you have just passed. Steve’s role appears to be exactly that, bringing both older and more recent ghost tales into the walk.

The guide is also described as eccentric, which fits the southwestern gothic dress code and the subject matter. You should expect personality rather than a dry script. That will be a plus if you enjoy theatrical storytelling, but someone who prefers a quiet, academic presentation may find the style less suitable.

Practical details that affect your evening

The tour costs $50 per person and lasts 2.5 hours. That is a moderate price for a guided evening with three pub stops, though the value depends on whether you plan to buy drinks and how much you care about the historical storytelling.

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund, and you can reserve now while paying later. Those policies help if your Flagstaff plans depend on weather, transport, or a changing schedule. Starting times vary, so check availability before building the evening around dinner or another event.

Bring a passport or ID card. The activity is not suitable for anyone under 21, and the identification requirement is worth taking seriously even if you are well over the minimum age.

The tour is wheelchair accessible. Because it includes walking between downtown locations and time outdoors, you may still want to confirm current route details if you have specific mobility needs. The provided information confirms accessibility, but it does not spell out the surface, slope, or interior arrangements at every pub.

Who will enjoy this Flagstaff evening

I would recommend this crawl to you if you like:

• Local history presented through memorable characters
• Historic hotels, theaters, and railroad buildings
• Ghost stories with a humorous and social tone
• A moderate-length evening walk
• Visiting bars as part of a guided cultural experience
• Hearing about darker events without expecting a horror attraction

You may want another activity if you do not drink, dislike stories about murder or suicide, or prefer a quiet daytime tour. The route also requires enough attention to follow a spoken English presentation while moving between stops.

Couples, friends, and solo visitors who enjoy joining a small social activity may find the format easy to settle into. The meeting point and return point are the same, and the downtown setting keeps the evening focused rather than requiring transport across Flagstaff.

Should you book Spirits With The Spirits?

Book it if you want Flagstaff’s old buildings explained through local personalities, crime stories, and ghost lore, with a drink at three historic pubs along the way. The strongest reason to choose it is the guide-led storytelling, especially if Steve is leading your departure.

At $50, it is not the cheapest way to walk downtown, and your drinks may cost extra. Still, the combination of the Weatherford Hotel, Zane Gray Bar, Orpheum Theatre, Hotel Monte Vista, 1926 train depot, and unusual local stories gives the evening a clear identity.

I would choose this tour for an adult night out with history at its center. I would skip it if you want a serious paranormal investigation, a full interior tour of every historic building, or a family activity. For the right audience, it offers a lively way to see Flagstaff after dark without giving up the town’s real past.

FAQ

Where does the haunted pub crawl begin?

Meet the guide on the south side of the Flagstaff train station, on the track side.

Where does the activity end?

The tour ends back at the meeting point beside the train station.

How long does the tour last?

The activity lasts 2.5 hours.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $50 per person.

How many pubs does the crawl visit?

The route includes stops at three historic downtown pubs.

Is the tour conducted in English?

Yes. The live guide conducts the tour in English.

Is the activity suitable for people under 21?

No. The activity is not suitable for anyone under 21.

What identification should I bring?

Bring a passport or ID card.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

Can I cancel for a refund?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.