Sitting precariously on top of a hill in the Verde Valley of Arizona is an old mining town, former Ghost Town, called Jerome, Arizona. Today Jerome is a lively little community filled with art, food, and lots of stories (and maybe even ghosts?) from the town’s colorful history. If you’ve ever thought about visiting or are planning a little road trip soon here is a list of things to do in Jerome, AZ.
Things to do in Jerome, AZ
- Jerome State Historic Park – A great place to start with amazing views of Jerome and Sedona. They play a great movie about the history of the city as well.
- Audrey Headframe Park – just outside the state park, this won’t take you long to see but definitely worth a stop to see down the DEEP mine shaft! This is free to visit.
- Gold King Mine & Ghost Town – If you really want to see more mining tools, vintage cars, vintage buildings, or just a lot of history in one place, definitely stop at Gold King Mine & Ghost Town! Expect to spend a bit of time here as there is a lot to see & walk around.
- Sliding Jail – Sliding Jail is a jail that has slid over time to its current resting place. You’ll understand when you see it but it’s free to visiti and right in town.
- Shopping – many great small shops can be found walking up and down the streets in Jerome (remember it is a small town). One of our favorites is Nellie Bly Kaleidescopes.
- Museum – The Jerome Historical Society Musuem is in town and is a fun little stop.
- Browse the Art Galleries & Spaces – there are some great art galleries, public art, and art spaces around the city.
- New State Motor Building – another one of my favorites, the New State Motor Building was a machine shop and garage, now a unique museum and retail space. I love the mixed use and the memorabilia displayed inside is really fun to look at.
- Read about the historic buildings as you walk around town, there are plaques along the buildings that explain their history.
- Eat – several great restaurants in town from hamburgers to cornish pastys. The Haunted Hamburger is a popular spot among visitors.
- Wine Tasting – there are also several wine tasting rooms right in town if wine is your thing.
- Live Music – some nights you’ll hear live music coming out of a bar or restaurant, grab some dinner and a drink and listen to a great band.
- Ghost Tours – Jerome is known for it’s haunted hotels and buildings so if history or ghosts are your thing, check out one of their tours.
- Stay overnight at one of several properties & watch the sunrise from Cleopatra Hill.
- Take the scenic drive via 89A. It’s one of the most popular motorcycle rides in Arizona!
Tips for visiting Jerome, AZ
Since Jerome is a small town on the side of a hill, as you can imagine, parking is limited. Pay attention to parking signs and rules. There are payed parking lots in town ($4 for the day) as well as parking past the fire department.
Check open dates/times for any store or museum you really want to visit to make sure they’ll be open when you’re visiting. Be prepared for inclines and stairs. Again, it’s a tiny town on the side of the hill so nothing seems very straightforward.
