Watson Lake in Grantie Dells is a nearby getaway for Prescott with hiking trails, kayaking and picnicking. (Photo by Austin Corbett)

Prescott

 Prescott has a lot going for it, including outdoor recreation options -- hiking, mountain biking and kayaking -- and a great summer climate for desert visitors.  Prescott's temperatures are typically  20 degrees cooler than Phoenix. 

The Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza  is the city's focal point. Days start with dog walkers and others circling the plaza at dawn. Weekend nights end with revelers bar-hopping on Whiskey Row -- Montzeuma Street -- west of the courthouse.

Visitors can count on a variety of festivals and music on the square virtually every summer weekend.

Prescott's Frontier Days includes an Independence Day parade and its rodeo that started in 1888. It's one of the world's oldest rodeos. 

Established in 1864, Prescott was the original capital of the Arizona Territory and has a rich history full of tales of brawling miners and cowboys in raucous saloons. The Territorial capital moved to Tucson in 1867 and then back to Prescott in 1877. Phoenix has been the capital since 1889.

 Around 1900, Prescott had 47 saloons on Montezuma Street -- better known as Whiskey Row. The frontier town lost 25 of those saloons and five hotels when the block went up in flames in July 1900, according to Arizona state historian Marshall Trimble. 

The story goes that Palace Saloon patrons rescued the Brunswick back bar and its booze,  carried it to the Courthouse Plaza, where they resumed drinking while firefighters battled the blaze.

The Palace remains a mainstay of Whiskey Row and it's been a movie set for several films, including Junior Bonner (1972) with Steve McQueen and directed by Sam Peckinpah, Wanda Nevada (1979) with Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields, and Billy Jack (1971) with Tom Laughlin.
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Prescott's Montezuma Street has other worthy drinking establishments including Matt's Saloon, a lively cowboy bar, Jersey Lil's, and a rebuilt Bird Cage Saloon. The Bird Cage back bar was also rescued and refurbished from a 2012 fire that destroyed two buildings on the Row. 

Nearby Gurley Street has the Prescott Brewing Co. brew pub and Superstition Meadery, an award-winning maker of mead, an alcoholic beverage  made of  honey and water.

​In 2019, the Lazy G Brewhouse opened  south of Whiskey Row at 220 W. Leroux St. The brewpub is on a site next to Granite Creek that was a trailer park starting in 1945. 

A great stop for lunch or happy hour is Park Plaza Liquor & Deli, 402 W. Goodwin St., a few blocks west of Whiskey Row. It's in a former Safeway supermarket with aisles and aisles of liquor and
wine, along with a craft beer and wine bar, cigars and a menu of delicious sandwiches, salads and wood-fired pizzas. 

​Outdoor enthusiasts can pedal to a variety of mountain bike trails
surrounding Prescott. Watson Lake is an ideal  paddling spot for kayakers. Thumb Butte is a nice day hike. Campers can set up for the night at the Prescott National Forest's White Spar Campground on the edge of town along State Route 89. 

Merchant William Cole Ashford lived with his family in this 1877 Victorian home that was later moved to the Sharlot Hall Museum site.

Prescott shares its history at 5 museums

One of the town's  prominent cultural attractions is the Sharlot Hall Museum. It includes Arizona's original Governor's Mansion, other historic homes and displays on frontier  Arizona.

​Phippen Museum, on SR 89 on the north edge of town,  features Western art. The Museum of Indigenous People is in historic rock buildings at 147 N. Arizona Ave. 

Fort Whipple has a museum in an historic home that's adjacent to the modern VA hospital here.

Whiskey Row has its own museum -- the Western Heritage Center. 
 
Finally, Yavapai College and the Elks Theater attract a steady lineup of entertainment for Prescottonians.

Bunk in an historic hotel or motor lodge 

Stay overnight at one of Prescott's historic hotels, including the elegant 1927 Hassayampa Inn, 1917 Hotel Vendome and 1901 Hotel St. Michael. All are within walking distance of the Courthouse Plaza.

​Prescott also has two vintage motor courts -- the 1946 Apache Lodge and 1937 Motor Lodge.

Founded: 1864
Elevation: 5,410
Population: 44,837
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Jerome is 45 minutes away: http://www.ontheroadarizona.com/jerome.html

The Palace was rebuilt in 1901 after a fire swept through Whiskey Row. Patrons rescued the back bar by hauling it across the street.

A favorite with movie producers, the Palace anchors Whiskey Row and the building also houses Jersey Lil's Saloon on the second floor.

Bill Nebeker's "Early Settlers" sculpture (left) and a bronze of Spanish-American War hero Buckey O'Neil at the courthouse square.

Prescott's wealth of Victorian homes is a reminder of what the town was like a century ago when Arizona wasn't that far removed from the frontier.

Prescott's 1907 former Santa Fe depot is now private offices.

Hassayampa Inn, built in 1927, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Motor Lodge on Montezuma Street started as summer cabins in 1910 and is now a boutique motor court with 13 rooms.

Apache Lodge is a restored 1946 motor court and Prescott landmark near the junction of State Routes 69 and 89.

Arizona's Governor's Mansion housed John Goodwin, the first territorial governor, on this site in 1864.

Prescott's Thumb Butte is the town's most recognizable natural feature.

Granite Mountain at 7,626 feet is northwest of Prescott.

Hiking and climbing are popular in the Granite Mountain Wilderness Area northwest of Prescott.