The Mystery Castle (MC) was not on my list of things to do when I first landed in AZ--in fact it wasn't even on my radar. My sister thought of MC randomly one day and whined that she'd never been--all the time knowing full well that I'm always down for some bizarre stuff. So, we set off to see what we could see.
MC is an odd and very unique place that's located at the southerly edge of Phoenix, at the base of South Mountain. It's an interesting tribute to a man's love for his daughter that raises more questions than it answers. I'd love to share with you the history but it's really better to come down and experience it for yourself.
Here's the tour info per the website: Tours are given October thru June on Thursday-Sunday from 11am-4pm. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids (5-15). The tour lasts about an hour and there are no official tour times; you just show up whenever and join the tour currently being given. We came in about 1/4 of the way through and you just stick around as they pass you back and forth between the two guides until you've seen everything there is to see. I recommend it even for kids because there's so much to see in this place that it keeps your eyes and your mind busy.