Discover your own perfect piece of Prescott
From breweries to nature to vintage lodging. Arizona's territorial capital offers variety of attractions
If Prescott brings to mind the Old West, Whiskey Row and Arizona’s one-time territorial capital, that’s understandable. The town has a flair for history and markets itself under a “True West” label.
But the central Arizona city is more than a museum of the region’s rugged past. It offers fine dining and unique accommodations, an animal sanctuary and outdoor adventure, plus locally brewed beers.
The Republic’s new Top 10 Explore Arizona mobile experience includes the best places to eat, play and stay around the state. Here’s a sampling of our favorites in Prescott. Go to exploreaz.azcentral.com for recommendations for other destinations around the state.
YOU’RE INVITED: WILD WEST WEEKEND LAUNCH PARTY
The Republic is partnering with Local First Arizona to host Wild West Weekend on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 25-27. The weekend includes a party Saturday, Oct. 26, where 12 News nightlife and events expert Megan Finnerty and Old West expert John Langellier will swap scandalous and entertaining stories about Whiskey Row and the Old West. You’ll also be able to meet the Explore Arizona team.
Local First Arizona has worked with Prescott businesses to offer oneand two-night packages that include hotel rooms, food, drink and events throughout the weekend, such as backcountry excursions and tours of early Arizona’s Governor’s Mansion.
Details: Launch party, 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26. Hassayampa Inn, 122 East Gurley St., Prescott. $20. Buy tickets or weekend packages or get more information at tickets.azcentral.com.
Eat
Prescott Brewing Co.: The brewery/restaurant caters to families and tourists during the day, and beer lovers and local college students starting around dinnertime, especially on weekends. The walls of the bar area are adorned with coasters and trophy plaques, a nod to the flavorful, made-onsite brews.
The award-winning microbrewery offers an extensive menu of pub fare: burgers, pizzas, wraps, salads and sandwiches. The restaurant provides a front-row seat for the action on Courthouse Square. Breads are baked daily; soups and salad dressings are made in house.
The flagship brew is Liquid Amber Ale, a medium-bodied beer with malty characteristics and light caramel tones. Also popular is Ponderosa IPA, not overly hopped but still bringing the robust flavor and higher alcohol content characteristic of an IPA. Bring some home: Both are available in six-pack cans. Lunch and dinner.
Details: 130 W. Gurley St. 928-771-2795, www.prescottbrewingcompany.com.
Murphy’s: This restaurant in a historical building just off Courthouse Square combines 1890s ambience and casual elegance with tasty cuisine. The menu highlights on steaks and seafood.
At lunch, the focus is on sandwiches and salads, such as a crab-cake melt or a blackened-chicken Caesar salad.
Prime rib is the big attraction at dinner, but meat lovers also can choose from rib eye, sirloin, filet and ribs. There are plenty of aquatic choices as well, including salmon, tilapia, shrimp and king crab. And you can’t go wrong with the rotisserie chicken. Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch.
Details: 201 N. Cortez St. 928-445-4044, murphysprescott.com.
Raven Cafe: This favorite is part coffee shop and breakfast hangout, part lunch stop and part local gathering place. The Raven displays local art on its walls and puts local musicians on stage. At the end of the day, you can settle in with a cold one because the Raven has dozens of beers on tap and hundreds by the bottle. Numerous wines are available as well.
A low-key spot away from Whiskey Row, this is a good place to kick back and listen to some jazz. The cafe also has a great patio and is a good place to get coffee the morning after a night on the town. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Details: 142 N. Cortez St. 928-717-0009, raven cafe.com.
Play
Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary: This preserve opened 25 years ago as a home for animals rescued from the wild or from inappropriate captive situations. They’re displayed in natural habitats, making a visit educational and fun. The best way to enjoy this 10-acre zoo is by taking a guided tour with a docent.
It’s an up-close look at a tiger, black bear, mountain lion and creepycrawlies such as those in the Tarantula Grotto and Reptile House. Bring a picnic and let the kids unwind on the playground.
Details: 1403 Heritage Park Road. 928-778-4242, heritageparkzoo.org.
Peavine Trail: The Peavine Trail follows the route of the old Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway and leads through riparian areas to the Granite Dells, above Watson Lake. It’s about 10.4 miles round trip and fun for hikers, bike riders and equestrians.
The trail begins just south of Watson Lake and deposits you into the sculpted weirdness of the Granite Dells. The level, packed-gravel pathway parallels cottonwood-draped Granite Creek before curving along the eastern shore of the lake and entering the Dells. Weather-gnawed stone knobs and domes jut out of the water and loom beside the trail. The dells once were an outlaw hideout.
Details: 1626 Sundog Ranch Road. 928-7771550, cityofprescott.net.
Lynx Lake: Lynx Lake offers excellent boating and fishing. The Northshore access area has a restaurant, boat rentals, picnic tables and grills. The Southshore access point has a boat ramp, picnic tables, grills and restrooms. The 2-mile Lakeshore Trail is an easy walk for just about anyone. About half of it is asphalt, making it suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, but there are a few hilly bits. Nearby are hiking trails, the Lynx Creek Ruin archaeological site and the Salida Gulch trailhead and gold-panning area.
Hilltop and Lynx campgrounds are adjacent to the lake. Both are first come, first served. Rainbow trout are stocked; the lake also contains largemouth bass and crappie. Only boats with electric motors are allowed.
Details: 928-443-8000, fs.usda.gov/prescott.
Sharlot Hall Museum: Sharlot Hall was a frontier poet who was appointed territorial historian in 1909, making her the first female public official in Arizona Territory. She founded the museum in 1928.
The museum’s pioneer village includes the original Governor’s Mansion, built in 1864. Buildings open to visitors also in- clude the Fremont House, the relocated home of fifth Gov. John Charles Fremont, and the Ranch House and School House, replicas that give tourists a feel for the tight quarters shared by Arizona’s pioneers.
The Sharlot Hall Building houses exhibits on mining, ranching and firefighting during territorial days, as well as a cultural history of the Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe.
Details: 415 W. Gurley St. 928-445-3122, sharlot .org.
Stay
Motor Lodge: Going by the name, you might suspect you’re in for a retro experience. Don’t be surprised if the owners offer freshly baked cookies or a beer or glass of wine at check-in. Guests can hop on one of the loaner bikes, including a vintage tandem, and tool around in style.
Rooms are done up in period decor. Many have fireplaces and/or private porches.
The Motor Lodge originally was a cluster of summer cabins built in 1910, when Prescott was still the territorial capital of Arizona. Over the years, the property has been upgraded and renovated. In the 1940s, it was converted to a motel. Exterior walls connect the former cabins, and there are carports between the rooms (except for Rooms 1 and 2), which means you don’t hear your neighbors banging around.
Details: 503 S. Montezuma St. 928-717-0157, themotorlodge.com.
Hassayampa Inn: This property opened in 1927 as a first-class hotel catering to famous visitors such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz, Mabel Dodge Luhan and D.H. Lawrence. The hand-painted ceiling beams, wall murals, glazed tiling, and etched and stained-glass windows and doors combine to create an atmosphere that is warm and inviting.
The historic inn features a large, open lobby with two pianos, numerous paintings, a gas fireplace and an old-time elevator. Sit in the courtyard and drink a coffee on a sunny morning. When the weather cools, sit by a roaring fire in the lobby with a libation.
Details: 122 E. Gurley St. 928-778-9434, hassayampainn.com.
Prescott Pines Inn: This inn, a little more than a mile from downtown and Whiskey Row, consists of individual units rather than rooms in a house. Amenities include microfiber bathrobes, flat-screen televisions and Keurig coffee machines with an assortment of brewing options from tea to hot chocolate. Bottled water and Wi-Fi are included.
Each group of rooms — there are three clusters of them — has a separate porch. The main building has a common area with a fireplace, tourist brochures and complimentary DVD-lending library. Outside are a front porch with rockers and areas where guests can relax and read a book or snooze when the weather is nice.
One of the inn’s bestkept secrets for families and other groups is the renovated Lodge at Prescott Pines. The threebedroom, two-bath Aframe cabin, set just behind the inn, sleeps up to 11.
Details: 901 White Spar Road. 928- 445-7270, prescottpinesinn.com.