TUCSON (KVOA) - Halloween is going to be a very different experience this year with COVID-19 restrictions still in place. But that will not stop one of Tucson's oldest downtown landmarks from welcoming guests for a good scare.
For over 100 years Hotel Congress has been a part of downtown Tucson. During that time a lot has happened inside its walls. And that includes many tragic occurrences, leaving behind what some belief are lost souls haunting its rooms. So many that Haunted Historian, Conner Gossel, calls it one of the most active paranormal locations in the country.
"The Hotel Congress having been around since 1919, it has a lot of such ugly and dark stories from murders and suicides on various floors in various rooms that a lot of people over the course of decades, over the case of a century have reported experiencing", said Gossler. "And every staff member that currently works here has first hand knowledge of encountering."
Gossel said the vast majority of experiences happen on the second floor of the hotel, encounters that have led to some guests checking out early.
"I personally spoke to one of the employees here saying that prior to two AM and after that that they have had guests that come down from their rooms claiming that people are standing over their bed, they're feeling uneasy, someone is watching them, odd noises out in the hall", Gossler said, "So much that in the middle of the night they end up running out and leaving Hotel Congress."
But while Hotel Congress may have the most ghosts, Gossel said there are plenty of other locations in Tucson to send chills down your spine.
"The thing about Tucson is you have restaurants that have such reportings and a number of museums or historic landmarks and mansions that people can go and visit."
Overall, Gossel said, Arizona may not have the most haunted locations in the country but likens it to quality over quantity and he believes given all of his travels, Arizona is among the top five haunted destinations in the U.S.
