Visit Jerome State Park and be sure to watch the movie. Then, visit the town. You will learn so much in that order! How interesting! Our children, ages 9, 13 and 15 enjoyed it all!
Jerome is an important part of Arizona's history that almost disappeared forever. But thanks to the perseverance of the town's 500 remaining residents, it has found new life catering to a thriving tourist industry (based on what I saw). This is a great place to spend a day learning about the origins of the town, its mining roots, its near-demise, and its "resident ghosts". There are numerous great places to eat or have a cold beverage, and like any tourist town, it has more than its fair share of shops selling expensive clothes, jewelry and art. But if you really want to see Jerome, wander its quaint streets and you'll find many photogenic buildings in varying stages of repair / disrepair. The town sits on a steep incline, which makes for some tricky navigation for cars and walkers both - but that's part of what gives it its unique atmosphere. I loved it, and highly recommend it.
As you wind your way up the narrow road from the canyon floor, you will be delighted and surprised at the gift of the little mountainside town that awaits. At times, you could never imagine that a town could hang so precariously off the sid of this place, but it does, and it does not disappoint. As you will discover from the museum and video, this boom town began with copper mining. Copper brought many characters and rich and colorful history, complete with ghosts and brothels. A most memorable activity for a Sedona vacation.
To me, the main draw is the James Douglas home, built around 1916 in a clean, southwestern style. The spacious rooms have commanding views of the valley below and the mining operations and town of Jerome on Cleopatra Hill above. I was excited to even be able to roam around upstairs and see how the house (very modern for its time) was laid out. The furnishings are all gone, replaced by museum displays about local mining and the community. That was interesting and well done, with helpful docents outside to explain the mining equipment and local sights.
It was a pretty interesting little town. We went to the mansion and watched the movie. The on going inside joke generated by the short movie was how many times the town had been "Destroyed by fire". We kept saying it for days to come.
We drove by and since it was inexpensive decided to have a look. We quite enjoyed our visit and would recommend it. There's a half hour film about the history of the town and many exhibits worth seeing.
Just before you climb the last hill into Jerome, one can make a right turn towards the old Douglas Mansion which is now the museum building of the Jerome State Historical Park. Be sure to attend the slide presentation on Jerome to give you a history of the city you are about to see. Then, on the second floor, there is a three dimensional construction of the town and the tunnels that permeate the mountainside. Armed with this information, you will have a much more informed trip to Jerome. The museum also documents panoramic photos of the evolution of Jerome, a mineral display, a medical display, history of the Douglas family and exhibits of a variety of mining equipment. Spend a little time learning of the construction of the Douglas home as it was a state of the art building for its time and completed entirely with products from Arizona.
I didn't want to go but my wife and daughter talked me into it, its probably the most memorable part of the trip. The ride up the mountain is intense but very cool, stop at the ore mine and look down the shaft, you won't forget it. The town is tiny but its amazing how its so precariously placed on the side of the mountain. Well worth the drive.
Many of the Building in the town are from the cooper boom. The Town has a very interesting history and the views of the valley are amazing
Wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the view of the area is spectacular and the museum has lots of photos and information about mining and other historic activities in the area. Worth the few bucks to take a look and get some local insight.