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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Arizona

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

Updated July 11, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Ajo
  2. Benson
  3. Bisbee
  4. Camp Verde
  5. Casa Grande
  6. Chandler
  7. Clarkdale
  8. Douglas
  9. Flagstaff
  10. Florence
  11. Globe
  12. Golden Valley
  13. Grand Canyon Village
  14. Green Valley
  15. Holbrook
  16. Jerome
  17. Kayenta
  18. Kingman
  19. Lake Havasu City
  20. Leupp
  21. Littlefield
  22. Marble Canyon
  23. Mesa
  24. Oracle
  25. Page
  26. Parker
  27. Payson
  28. Peach Springs
  29. Phoenix
  30. Picacho
  31. Quartzsite
  32. Rimrock
  33. Scottsdale
  34. Sedona
  35. Tempe
  36. Tombstone
  37. Tonalea
  38. Tucson
  39. Wickenburg
  40. Willcox
  41. Williams
  42. Winslow
  43. Yavapai County

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

11 Out-of-This-World Places You Can Reach in Your Car

Sponsored by GMC Terrain

The best road trips are those that seem to take you to new worlds: surreal-looking beaches, wondrous parks, and roadside oddities that make you do a double take. For instance, in Wisconsin, a local plumber has rigged a natural aquifer into a series of ice sculptures; in Utah, erosion has created a series of rock formations that look like something between an army of goblins and a series of abstract landscapes; and in New Mexico, rippling white sands stretch out to the horizon as far as the eye can see. The best part? You can reach these—and eight more—places by car (with the occasional walk from the parking lot). So pack some snacks, pull up this itinerary, and hit the road.

View Itinerary

Unusual Attractions in Arizona

See All 284 Things To Do in Arizona

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Arizona

See all 23 Places to Eat in Arizona
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Arizona

Native Americans 32
History 29
Architecture 25
History & Culture 24
Geology 23
Deserts 23
Museums 22
Ecosystems 20

Arizona Leaderboard

Recent Arizona Activity

Stories About Arizona

Eroded rocks of the badlands in the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.

Arizona’s Petrified Forest Is Changing What We Know About the Dawn of the Dinosaurs

New discoveries of small animals that lived more than 200 million years ago are changing how paleontologists think about biodiversity in the Triassic.
by Shaena Montanari

How to Be a Food Bank Influencer

Kristina Wong uses comedy to address inequality in the food system.
by Andrew Coletti
Montezuma Well.

What’s Beneath the Bubbling Sand at the Bottom of the Montezuma Well?

A dive to the bottom of this ancient sinkhole reveals bubbling sand, thick like Silly Putty. Is there another pond beneath it?
by The Podcast Team
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
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
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

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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