Prescott is in love with its past, and that’s not a bad thing. No garish chains surround the wedding-cake courthouse and grassy central square, which still serves as this Arizona city’s de facto front porch. Storefronts have maintained their embossed tin ceilings and swinging saloon doors, and a neon-lit cowboy boot annually marks the countdown to the New Year. Shops hoard enough antiques to supply every prop guy in Hollywood. Even the surrounding hills look vintage thanks to Prescott’s commitment to preserving open space rather than allowing developments to pave over the ruggedly picturesque rock formations where hikers roam and bald eagles soar. Here’s how to experience the city’s charms for yourself.
Morning
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaZ37iAjUdg/Historic but hardly antiquated, the 1917 red-brick Hotel Vendome ($99-$418) combines old-fashioned furnishings (claw-foot tubs, iron radiators) with present-day amenities (blessed air-conditioning). Stage your Maxwell House moment on the second-story veranda to sip complimentary coffee with a dose of vitamin D (Prescott averages 277 sunny days a year). Stroll a half block north to Courthouse Plaza to admire the arching branches of the plaza’s stately arbors, including the Statehood Tree (a white oak planted February 14, 1912, the day that Arizona entered the Union). Chow down on brisket Benedicts and cowboy skillet breakfasts at the Lone Spur Cafe bordering the square, then hunt for treasures on Antique Row (on Cortez Street between Gurley and Willis streets): Ogg’s Hogan specializes in Native American art; vintage toys and sport cards dominate at Antiques Off the Square; Snap Snap (located within Gypsy Street Antiques) sells fantastically dated duds; Gray Dog Guitars stocks collectible instruments and stacks of vinyl that attract buyers from across the West. If antiquing isn’t your bag, browse the latest crop of locally crafted art at Van Gogh’s Ear, a gallery exhibiting jewelry, sculpture, paintings, and even hand-colored shoes. Or inhale the sumptuous fragrance of leather at Prescott Trading Company, home of all the fringed jackets, fancy belts, and western hats and boots you can handle.
Afternoon
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwVV9jUg35f/Prescott maintains more than 450 miles of trails, so you don’t have to hop in the car to enjoy a scenic promenade. From Courthouse Plaza, walk one and a half blocks west on Gurley to pick up the Greenways Trail along Granite Creek. But the best hiking awaits ten minutes northeast at Watson Lake Park, where mesmerizing lumps of rounded granite surround azure water. Lakeshore Trail bobs for two miles among sculpted canyons and cool, watery coves; you can even rent a canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard (offered on-site by Prescott Outdoors) to navigate the rocky fins. Postexcursion, drive to the nearby Phippen Museum to ogle renderings of Prescott’s cowpoke past. The institution honors George Phippen, an influential western artist and cofounder of the Cowboy Artists of America, meaning its galleries showcase mounted wranglers, bucking broncs, and vast, dusky landscapes rolling beneath ethereal skies. On your way back to town, swing by Rustic Pie Company, where pastry perfectionist Kim Pinker makes swoonworthy apple, chocolate, pecan, and 47 other varieties of pie by hand—no canned fillings or electric mixers to be found.
Evening
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxY5tgglkXY/The Vendome’s tiny lobby bar is a lively nook come happy hour, when guests and locals mingle over glasses of Arizona beer and wine. Next door, the Barley Hound gastropub pours more local brews and serves everything from Scotch eggs to duck-fat fries on its front and rear shaded patios. One mile from Courthouse Plaza, BiGA is Prescott’s foodie haven, concocting ambitious and delicious plates in a shoebox-size space that feels like a pop-up (don’t skip the bread pudding). Closer to town, Farm Provisions uses meticulously sourced ingredients for its country-chic fare: Steaks come from grass-raised Arizona cattle while salads celebrate local greens. For a nightcap, wander Whiskey Row, a series of long-standing watering holes bordering the west side of Courthouse Plaza. The Palace has quenched thirsts since 1877 (when Doc Holliday was a regular) and still displays its original carved-wood bar—patrons hauled the gorgeous relic to safety during a 1900 fire. Sip a peach old-fashioned there, then pop a couple doors over to see the fiery-eyed steer’s skull above the entrance to Matt’s Saloon. Country and western bands draw dancers onto the bar’s spacious oak floor, where the boot scootin’ lasts well into the night.
Side Trip
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxFaNX9hY5F/After studying with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West, visionary architect Paolo Soleri constructed Arcosanti, a utopia showcasing sustainable development. Drive 37 miles southeast to tour cantilevered concrete buildings and cliffside sculpture gardens that overlook the stark Sonoran Desert, then shop a selection of bronze and ceramic windbells cast from original Soleri designs.
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