Yavapai County Courthouse, Prescott, Arizona
Many know Arizona as the Grand Canyon State and the home of the inimitable Sedona—but beyond the well-deserved hype, Arizona has quite a few unique destinations just waiting to be discovered by visitors. For example, about 100 miles from Phoenix due north, the city of Prescott—once the capital of Arizona—is perfect for a weekend getaway steeped in cowboy culture.
Prescott, Arizona, enjoys four distinct seasons with nearly perfect weather (average temperature 70 degrees) and striking landscapes that include vast meadows, stands of dense ponderosa pines, streams, lakes and impressive granite mountains. This is the great outdoors at its best with plenty of room for mountain biking, kayaking, camping, fishing, hiking and horseback riding, not to mention the man-made pleasures of a good golf course and tribal casinos with all the trimmings.
Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona
Once the capital of the state, today downtown Prescott is a quaint getaway from the hustle and bustle of big city life, with old-fashioned saloons and restaurants lining its famous Whiskey Row and a list of historic landmarks, museums, art galleries and more.
SkyMed International’s COO, Dennis Chapin, and his wife, Dina, recently drove in to spend the weekend and shared with us some of the highlights of their two days in Prescott.
Where to Stay
“Dina and I wanted to find something different, not just ‘some motel,’” said Dennis. We wanted to stay downtown in historic Whiskey Row and visit the restaurants, bars, antique shops and clothing stores that downtown Prescott is famous for. We found a listing online for the Grand Highland Hotel. While not one of the least expensive places to stay in Prescott, it is one of the best if you want that ‘boutique’ experience.”
Dina Chapin at The Grand Highland – ready for the weekend!
“The owners have built a charming and very personalized hotel right over some of Prescott’s oldest bars and restaurants—basically they took what was once a downtown ‘flophouse’ and completely renovated it and added all the modern amenities.
Downtown Prescott, Arizona
“The rooms are each decorated with an old-time theme; the bathrooms have claw-foot tubs and showers and the personal service by the owners were perfect. We especially enjoyed the fact that the hallways are still the old, narrow hallways and the stairs both front and back are the same as when it was built over 100 years ago.”
The Highland Hotel’s Rough Riders Room
What to Do
“Downtown Prescott is considered the Antique Capital of Arizona,” said Dennis. “Being right downtown allowed us to park our car and spend the entire weekend walking from store to store enjoying the history and shopping.”
The blocks surrounding the Yavapai Courthouse are replete with Victorian homes and turn-of-the-century buildings, many of then dating back to the days of Wyatt Earp; in fact, it has more than 800 buildings on the National Register of Historic Buildings. In other words: antiquing is built into its DNA. Most of the shops are concentrated on and around Cortez Street, right off Courthouse Square.
Window Shopping in Prescott (Photo by Christopher Marchetti)
“The old Palace bar is still there, with all the mahogany walls and bar and even the old staircase up to the ‘rooms’ old west saloons are known for. They’re now used as offices.”
Two-stepping at Matt’s Saloon on Whiskey Row (Photo by Christopher Marchetti)
Away from town, Prescott’s North Central mountain location makes it a must for the outdoors enthusiast, the details of which we’ll save for a future post.
Where to Eat
“We also found this little diner—the Lone Spur Cafe—where the owner greets you at the door and the service and food is excellent,” added Dennis. “While not listing steak as their specialty, their chef obviously knows how to properly prepare and grill a steak; it was one of the best I’ve ever had. We ended up having steak for dinner and then steak for breakfast on both mornings.”
Your steak awaits at the Lone Spur Café.
“We look forward to going back and staying at the Grand Highland Hotel, eating at the Lone Spur and enjoying the dozens of specialty clothing and antique stores in downtown Prescott,” said Dennis in closing.
Hit the road, Jack. (Photo: poweron via photopin cc)
Ready for your weekend in Prescott? If you’re in the Phoenix area, slip your SkyMed TAKES YOU HOME membership in the glove compartment and head up to Cowboy Country: take I-17 north towards Flagstaff about 60 miles (from the I-17 / 101 Loop intersection) to Highway 69 at the Cordes Junction Exit #262. Then follow Highway 69 for about 30 miles to Prescott.
Photo credit: poweron via photopin cc
