(39) Helldorado Days, Tombstone Photo by Sam Nalven

38 Nightfall Halloween
Tucson
A very scary individual named Dr. Jebediah Hyde runs the Goulliard Asylum, where he tortures the criminally insane through metabolic reassembly, gene splicing and various forms of hypnotic and psycho-therapy. This legend – you knew it was fiction, right? – leads to the annual spectacle called “Nightfall” at Old Tucson Studios. According to Nightfall’s Website, it has ranked in the top 10 of Halloween/amusement park events in the U.S. Enter at your own risk. They sell one-way tickets for their rides.
Elevation: 2,703 feet
Directions: Take I-10 east to Tucson. Exit west at Speedway Boulevard and follow as it turns into Gates Pass Road. Turn south on Kinney Road to the Old Tucson Studios entrance.
Driving Time: 2 hours (111 miles)
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday nights from
6 p.m. to midnight; early October through October 31
Admission: $24 for adults, $20 for children ages 4-11. Discount tickets are available online.
Lodging: visittucson.org
Info: 520-883-0100 or nightfallaz.com

39 Helldorado Days Tombstone
As Tombstone’s Helldorado Days’ Website tells the story, a disgruntled miner wrote to the Tombstone Nugget newspaper in July 1881 saying that, instead of finding an “El Dorado” of riches, empty-handed mining prospectors were ending up with a “Helldorado” of menial jobs. Apparently, the term stuck. Helldorado is Tombstone’s oldest festival and celebrates the rip-roaring 1880s with gunfight reeanactments, fashion shows, street entertainment, live music, a parade and even a beard contest. This year’s 80th-annual festival is scheduled for October 16-18.
Elevation: 4,540 feet
Directions: Take I-10 east past Tucson to the Highway 80 east exit into Tombstone, which becomes Fremont Street. Go right on Fourth Street to Allen Street. The visitor center is there, and Helldorado activities will be in view.
Driving Time: 3 hours (181 miles)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily
Admission: Free
Lodging: tombstonechamber.com
Info: 888-457-3929, 520-457-3291 or tombstonehelldoradodays.com

Room For Two?
According to the Arizona Office of Tourism, Arizona residents who overnight in another region of the state are comprised mostly of couples (37 percent), followed by adults traveling solo (32 percent) and families (19 percent).