I have traveled extensively in the US. Lived in AZ and was needed diversion. I have seen most of the usual attractions in AZ and wa pretty jaded. Drove up to Jerome and saw the usual tourist traps that are also seen in Key West, Kennebunkport, and any other coastal town you can think of. Found something very unusual there though, the haunted junkyard. The barker who got us in a junkyard and we were stupid enough to fall for the scammer who told us it was haunted. Well let me tell you one junkyard is the same as another and if you ever have an inkling to visit the hauntedjunkyard in Jerome just save your money and visit your local junkyard. Piles of old rust just visiting others piles of rust.
Found Jerome at the top of a very windy road and found it to be a very 'Arty' Town ! Lots of great galleries , gift shops , bars , restaurants & museums to while away the time, pretty quite on a Wednesday but would be packed on W/ends & Holidays ! An old mining town with the relics of old bordellos & mining equipment and well worth the walk up and around the Town, very quaint but well worth the stop.
Ever wonder how a town of 495 people could support a 6 person police force? Easy, they just rob the tourists with bogus municipal codes.This past November while riding through Jerome I was stopped and harassed by the local police department for failure to follow a traffic control device. Guess what? There was no traffic control device to follow. So after making it clear I would be fighting the ticket, they switch charges to unsafe passing on the left. Wrong again, the road was 3 lanes wide and a one way. Needless to say the crooked judge could let me get away without a shakedown, so she invented a new charge, noise violation under Town of Jerome Municipal Code. Noise violations are completely arbitrary and without any measure of sound, it's preposterous to make such a charge. Needless to say $127 lighter in the wallet I suggest you DON'T support tourist shakedowns.(This is not the first/only shakedown I know of, just the only one that happened to me - standard line, "It's just a municipal code and there will be no points on your licence, just mail the $200 in.")
We were visiting a ruin outside of Sedona and one of the rangers suggested we visit the town of Jerome and we were not disappointed. The road to Jerome is not for the faint of heart. Although it is paved there are numerous switch backs. Stop off at the Chamber of Commerce and get a map. The town is built on a 60 degree angle and is an old mining town. Lots of history and a great selections of restaurants some quite quirky. The streets are mostly one way and there is good parking for tourists. You could easily spend 3 or 4 hours enjoying the ambiance.
This location is a bit off the path. You may or may not like it. It was fine for me.--High elevation; drive up a long, windy road.--Nice, unique art items.--Some restaurants and lots of shops.
IGNORE the FACADE!Don't miss out on "Gold King Mine." Great hidden OLD automobiles to include a 1902 Studebaker and a great indy car that starts with a crank. This indy car was a hay cart, owner (Don Robertson) is a hell of a talented man! He is friendly & very approachable. Absolutely a junkyard, one that is worth the time & the minimal entry fee. If you are a car enthusiast you will enjoy browsing.
If you are going to Sedona, make a side trip to Jerome. Even if you only have a few hours to spare, it is worth it for the views and to just see a mining town and imagine living on streets like this - with the different levels. Amazing. No admission to the state park.
Historical mining town of Jerome is a fun place to visit with its interesting shops, funky restaurants, museums, B & B's, and twisty, narrow roads. Activities include walking tours, the First Saturday Art Walks, and music festivals. Several interesting places are the Mile High Grill & Saloon, Jerome Grand Hotel with its Asylum Restaurant, and the Haunted Hamburger, among others.
Jerome is a cool little town on a hillside that used to be a mining town. Lots of history, funky shops and hills. It is fun just to drive up to it and cool also to continue on over the mountain pass toward Prescott. We got some neat Christmas presents. We ate at Mile high Grill. Plenty of places to eat, Passion wine tasting was neat, with agave wine , different and good. We bought a case for presents, then we had to deal with shipping it back home. (They ship but not to NY).We were there on Halloween, so it was even more fun. When we were headed back down to Phoenix we drive through it again just for fun of the winding roads in town and the mountains.
Jerome is a nice tourist town with a lot of history. We were able to do a quick shopping tour in about 2 1/2 hours. It is high on a mountainside, thus the name of a restaurant Mile High Café.