The sprawling Phoenix Metropolitan area draws thousands of visitors and business travelers each year to the area's spas, resorts, golf courses, professional and collegiate sporting events, cultural amenities and more.
But if a trip to the nation's fifth largest city becomes overwhelming, don't fret. Finding a quick, relaxing and culturally rich escape from the hectic hustle and bustle of Greater Phoenix is easy.
Just hours away are some very popular destinations: Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff and Tucson. But even these locations can become a bit too fast-paced.
Bisbee, Jerome, Mount Lemmon, Prescott and Tombstone are but a few of the cozier Arizona destinations that offer travelers a combination of friendly culture and Old West charm.
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All five can be visited in a day from a Phoenix base, yet all offer accommodations and amenities that make an overnight trip worthwhile.
BISBEE
Ghost and mine tours are just 90 miles southeast of Tucson in the picturesque artist and retirement community of Bisbee, Ariz., the county seat of Cochise County. This relaxed community, founded in 1880, is nestled amongst the Mule Mountains and was named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, a financial backer of the Copper Queen Mine.
Visitors will first notice well-preserved old west history that is rich in copper mining tales in numerous restored 19th century Victorian buildings. Saloons and boarding houses are now bed and breakfast sites, antique stores, studios, boutiques, restaurants, coffee houses and art galleries.
Attractions include the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum, the West's first rural Smithsonian Institute affiliate; the historic Muheim House, showcasing 19th century architecture and elegance; the Bisbee 1000 Great Stair Climb; and the Bisbee self-guided historic walking tour.
Perhaps Bisbee's most popular activity involves putting on a hard hat, grabbing a miner's lantern and descending 1,500 feet into the Queen Mine for a tour of the non-operational copper facility that closed for business in the mid-1970s.
Overnight accommodations are plentiful and include the classically elegant Copper Queen Hotel, numerous bed and breakfasts, ranches and inns.
Nearby: Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, the Dragoon Mountains, Coronado National Memorial, Sulphur Springs Valley, Chiricahua Mountains and the Chiricahua National Monument, Faraway Ranch, Apache Pass, Fort Bowie National Historic Site, Kartchner Caverns State Park, Slaughter Ranch Museum, the Zunani Experience Primitive Living Skills Outdoor Adventure School and Amerind Foundation, which houses one of the finest collections of Native American artifacts, relics, crafts, art and photographs in the United States.
TOMBSTONE
Just 20 minutes from Bisbee is the town of Tombstone, Ariz., a National Historic Landmark, where visitors can witness reenactments of hangings, shootouts and Wild West life as it was in the 1880s.
Tombstone, "The Town too Tough to Die," is the best known of Arizona's old mining camps and has been the subject of numerous books and motion pictures.
Ed Schieffelin gave the town its name in 1877 when he brought a party of soldiers to Camp Huachuca, Ariz., to prospect and was told that he would find his tombstone rather than silver. But in the years that ensued, the area boomed and mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold.
To this day Tombstone reflects Old West traditions, which is preserved in original 1880's buildings and through artifacts in local museums, such as the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum, Tombstone Historama, Pioneer Home Museum and the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, featuring interpretive exhibits about Tombstone's origins as a rough and tumble mining town.
Other groups entertain at the OK Corral and other venues as live performances reflect life as it was in the old west. Visitors can become a part of the era during the Tombstone Vigilettes fashion shows and hanging reenactments, Texas Kate's Wild West Show, and at the Crystal Palace Saloon where Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp and lovely ladies and other characters of the era meet and greet their patrons..
Numerous bed and breakfast establishments exist, including Crazy Annie's Bordello and Saloon and Curly Bill's. Additional motels, lodges, RV centers and furnished apartments are also available.
Nearby: Hikes and picnic areas in the Dragoon Mountains and Cochise Stronghold, part of the Coronado National Forest, Tucson, Mount Lemmon and Bisbee.
MOUNT LEMMON
Mount Lemmon, Ariz., and the village of Summerhaven are rebounding from the devastating 2003 Aspen Wildfire.
But as the lush forest re-grows, new life returns to Frog Mountain, the name given to the Catalina Mountains by the Tohono O'dOham Indians. Restaurants, businesses, gift shops and other new stores have reopened and dozens of multi-story cabins have risen from the ashes.
New hiking trails and roads are finished and ideas abound for a bar/nightclub, condominiums and more stores atop Frog Mountain.
Mt. Lemmon, located in the Coronado National Forest, rises more than 9,000 feet above sea level in the Santa Catalina Mountains and is 25 miles north of Tucson. Locals and visitors enjoy as much as a 30-degree temperature difference by escaping 100-plus summer degrees with a trip up the mountain.
A drive from the saguaro cactus-laden desert to the pine and aspen groves at the top of the mountain reveals many beautiful and fascinating rock formations and can take visitors from heat to snow during the winter months.
Hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, camping and fishing abound. Sky rides, sledding and skiing are popular in winter.
Because it is a National forest, there are some road fees in the mountains and fees for concessioned campgrounds and certain picnic areas. Hiking passes are required.
JEROME
For a feel of 19th Century Arizona head about two hours north of Phoenix to a former mining town first inhabited by prehistoric Native Americans seeking colored stones and later opened to United Verde mining operations in 1898.
Jerome, Arizona, was built on Cleopatra Hill and remnants of its prosperous mining days still exist among the more than 50 shops and galleries that line the streets. From the House of Joy, a former brothel turned restaurant, to the Spirit Room, a biker bar with live entertainment, most every building has been preserved. Remnants from the old town, such as the old jail and post office, are still visible.
In its heyday, about 15,000 people called Jerome home; now about 300 live in the city which was selected as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
In the 1960s, artists, writers, musicians, artisans and historians came to Jerome and their influence exists today. On the first Saturday of the month, galleries stay open between 5 and 8 p.m. for the monthly Jerome Art Walk.
Overnight accommodations are available in Jerome, but book ahead of time. Choose from the Connor Hotel, one of the city's original fine hotels; the Cottage Inn, Jerome's oldest continuously operating bed and breakfast; Ghost City Inn, an original boarding built in 1898; Heavenly View Bed and Breakfast, the city's newest B&B; the Mile High Inn and Grill, a restored inn with eight guest rooms; the Miner's Cottage, located in a historic home; or Jerome's only full service hotel - the Jerome Grand Hotel.
Nearby: The Blazin' M Ranch, Montezuma Castle, Sedona (and Echo Canyon Vineyard and Winery), Tuzigoot National Monument, Verde Canyon Railroad and Out of Africa Wildlife Park.
PRESCOTT
When Abraham Lincoln designated Prescott, Ariz., as the capital of the new territory of Arizona after its separation from New Mexico, he did so to ensure that the capital would be separate from the Confederate sympathizing cities to the south.
He then filled the new capital with Northerners and Midwesterners which makes the city the most Midwestern-looking city in Arizona. Victorian homes abound and its colorful and rich history is preserved for visitors at Sharlot Hall Museum, which features festivals, living history events, outdoor theater performances and more.
Prescott, Ariz., which is considered one of the top emerging metropolitan cities, is just 96 miles north Phoenix, and was laid out along Granite Creek where gold had been panned. It rests in Central Northern Arizona within the world's largest stand of ponderosa pines.
The Palace Saloon, joins more than 600 other buildings in the National Register of Historic Places, and features the same bar that served Tombstone legends Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. The saloon is located among numerous shops, galleries, boutiques and restaurants on Whiskey Row, located on the west side of Courthouse Square.
The Palace Saloon, also on the National Register of Historic Places, serves libations on the same bar that served the old gunslingers Holiday and Earp.
More active visitors can take advantage of numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, including hiking, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, fishing and playing golf.
Live entertainment is available at the Elks Opera house, Yavapai College Performance Hall and the Rodeo Fairgrounds, home of the world's oldest, continuously running rodeo. In the evening, live music is often performed in the town square.
Dozens of economical inns, Victorian bed and breakfasts and historic hotels and resorts are available for the overnight stay.
Nearby: Flagstaff, Jerome, Montezuma's Well and Castle, Tuzigoot National Monument, Camp Verde (Verde Canyon Railroad), Wickenburg, Grand Canyon National Park, Highway 89 (the scenic route that leads to Sedona), Del Rio Springs, Sullivan Lake, Limestone Canyon, Cedar Glades Cemetery and Drake. Other interesting sites you might encounter along Prescott's back roads include abandoned mining sites and historic ranches.
