Mystery Castle
Mystery Castle
4
Thursday
11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
About
Built by a father to realize his daughter's dream, this three-story castle, completed in 1945, is made of stone, adobe, automobile parts and petroglyphs and is held together by a cement mixture including goat's milk. Take a tour - usually led by the daughter, who still lives there - of this odd, yet imaginative dwelling.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
404 reviews
Excellent
145
Very good
167
Average
60
Poor
15
Terrible
17
Stanleydog508
Marlton, NJ6 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Really unique and interesting. The story behind it is a very sweet tale of a father's love for his daughter.
Written August 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MM
Springfield, MA22 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
Very interesting piece of phoenix culture. The tour guides do get very excited as they're going through all of the history of the house. It is definitely an interesting place to spend an hour or so for $10. Make sure to bring some water. There's also multiple steep staircases to climb during the tour.
Written May 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristen M
Indianapolis, IN111 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
I went with a friend and to say it was a strange experience is an understatement. They charge $10/person and it seems like none of it goes to actual upkeep of the property. The woman who owned it lived there until the early 2000s and I don’t think they have fixed or cleaned anything after she died. Seriously skip this one.
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Terry P
1 contribution
Feb 2023
Something different to do, didn't seem to be very professionally run. The one tour guide seemed to be running the whole operation, required you pay cash to him for the tour. The background of castle was interesting but the tour only lasted about 30 minutes. Seems like with a little professional management this could be so much more of a must see destination than it is currently.
Written February 27, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynn B
Cullowhee, NC59 contributions
Jan 2023
A friend and I were looking for something different to see in the Phoenix area and found the Mystery Castle. The story about the castle is fascinating and worth the visit. Our tour guide was excellent.
Written February 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alvin B
Phoenix, AZ5 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
I would love to have visited all the rooms on the property. Very interesting place with a good history behind it. Ramon was very good at explaining every aspect of the rooms we were visiting. He is a very funny guy and loved his sense of humor. Went back today and whoever was leading the tour group was not good at going over every details of the house. It definitely felt she was rushing us to get through and out. 10$ is a little bit much for getting rushed out of a historical place. I would loved if they took their time and explain everything available. Hopefully we will get to visit every room available
Written April 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
veryuniquetraveler
NEBRASKA599 contributions
Mar 2022
If you have free time you need to fill then I'd say go. I was sunburned and looking to get out of the sun and heat or awhile. It is somewhat cool inside the building. It is interesting and quirky, especially liked the fireplaces, but it only takes 30 min. to see. I feel the admission charge is steep for what you get. I think $5 would be much more reasonable than $10. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, especially if you are short on time to get to another destination.
Written March 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chrissnelson
Los Angeles, CA77 contributions
Feb 2022
Interesting place with a history. Docent led tours are great. The guides were friendly and helpful. Tours anytime they are open and go frequently. There were about 20 in my group and I only waited maybe 5-10 min for tour. The road is a bit dusty with some rocky areas. Not a big problem. I felt is was $10 well spent.
Written February 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rick S
Mesa, AZ19 contributions
Oct 2021
unique construction, good guides, interesting furniture and decorations, good views.
be careful on walking, few steps to step up/down. would like to go back with grand daughters.
be careful on walking, few steps to step up/down. would like to go back with grand daughters.
Written October 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AZSMF
Phoenix, AZ105 contributions
Apr 2021
Interesting home built by a guy from things he found in the desert. He built it for his wife or daughter, forgot which, but the daughter lived there for years until she recently passed. We went a couple times over the years, thie kids really liked it, she led the tour at a very advanced age. Cool visit
Written July 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cost to go see
Footprints801785
18 contributions
I believe it was $10, cash only.
When does it reopen?
AzUhl
Tempe, AZ295 contributions
Should be open now, from their website:
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE - We will be closed Thursday, November 23 for Thanksgiving. We will resume normal tour days and hours on Friday, November 24. We will be open December 24 and December 31.
Regular tour schedule is Thursday through Sunday beginning October 5, 2017, 11am to 3:30pm.
Reservations are not necessary.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12.
Location
The Mystery Castle is located in the Foothills of South Mountain Park (two miles south of Baseline Road) at 800 E. Mineral Road in Phoenix, Arizona 85040.
To visit, take 7th Street South to Mineral Road, then head east and follow the road to the Mystery Castle entrance.
For more information and special requests, email us.
The Castle is not wheelchair accessible. Visitors must be able to walk up a number of stairs.
offthechains
Fairhope, AL38 contributions
How long does the tour take?
liftman53
Orlando, FL196 contributions
We spent about an hour there. There is a surprising amount of things to see here, but if pressed for time you can see a lot with the short tour. Very unique place
Sam P
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States43 contributions
group guided tours??? If so, how much..
Pinkie2013
Scottsdale, AZ83 contributions
I have tried calling to ask about reservations for a group. Never an answer?
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Claim your listingMYSTERY CASTLE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Mystery Castle
- Mystery Castle is open:
- Thu - Sun 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
- Hotels near Mystery Castle:
- (0.95 km) Phoenix Area Retreat w/ Patio - Pets Welcome!
- (1.01 km) Situated right at the base of South Mountain - views of mountains and valley
- (8.87 km) Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Tempe
- (9.23 km) Homewood Suites by Hilton Phoenix Airport South
- (7.98 km) Drury Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport
- Restaurants near Mystery Castle:
- (1.60 km) Los Dos Molinos
- (5.93 km) Cocina Madrigal
- (9.86 km) Little Miss BBQ
- (10.13 km) Breakfast Club
- (11.04 km) Pomo Pizzeria Phoenix