If you live in Flagstaff or study at NAU, nobody needs to introduce you to the Zoo. If you are new here, or just skimming, let me tell you about one of Flag's most iconic bars, a Route 66 roadhouse that started life as a taxidermy museum and picked up a haunted reputation along the way. One thing to know before you plan a night out: as of summer 2026 the club is closed and the property is for sale, with its longtime owners hoping a new steward will carry the Zoo into its second century.
Why is the Museum Club called the Zoo?
Because it opened full of animals. When taxidermist Dean Eldredge built his museum in 1931, the spot was considered east of town, sitting off by itself on Route 66. Someone dubbed it "the biggest log cabin in the world," and travelers on the Mother Road could not miss the tree-trunk doorway. Inside, the walls were crowded with the mounted heads and torsos of animals Eldredge had preserved. He passed away in 1936, and the building was bought by Doc Williams, who turned it into a nightclub. The nickname stuck.
The honky-tonk years
The venue endured through the 40s and 50s, but its popularity exploded when Don Scott bought it in the 1960s. Scott had been a country-western musician, and his old bandmates and buddies were happy to stop by the Zoo when passing through town and play a few sets. Country favorites from Willie Nelson to Barbara Mandrell have played the Museum Club. Don and his wife Thorna knew how to throw a party and run a business, and the big dance floor they packed is still there, waiting for the club's next owner to fill it again.
Is the Museum Club haunted?
It carries one of the strongest haunted reputations in Flagstaff. Anyone who has lived here a few years has heard the stories, and many trace the activity to the Scotts' tragic deaths inside their beloved club, a story we will not spoil here. Locals say more strange phenomena get reported at the Zoo than almost anywhere in town outside the downtown blocks. For years the club's website collected ghost hunters' photos and accounts of anything freaky they captured inside the log walls, and the closed doors have not stopped the stories from circulating. Our Museum Club page in the haunted places guide tracks the full 1931-to-now timeline and the building's current status.
Walk this story
The Museum Club sits a few miles east of downtown, but the road that made it famous runs straight through the heart of Flagstaff, the only city in Arizona where Route 66 is still a working main street. Our Route 66 Centennial Walking Tour, partially funded by the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, covers that stretch daily at 6 PM, 90 minutes, $29 for adults, $25 for students and $22 for children, just in time for the Mother Road's 100th birthday in 2026. Roadhouses, neon and the highway's stranger residents all come up along the way.
Keep reading
- Is the Museum Club in Flagstaff Haunted? Timeline and 2026 Status
- Haunted Route 66: Phantom Headlights on the Mother Road
- The Haunted Highway: Exploring the Dark Side of Route 66
- Which Place Is the Most Haunted in Flagstaff
