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The 10 Best History Museums in Arizona, United States
The state of Arizona is one that features a fantastic diversity of landscapes and areas of geological interest. North Arizona is famous for the Grand Canyon, a colorful chasm with steep rocky walls more than a mile deep and stretching some 277 miles alongside the Colorado River. Other notable destinations in North Arizona include Flagstaff set alongside the San Francisco Peaks which has the largest ponderosa pine forest, Museum of Northern Arizona, and is close to a number of national parks and monuments. On the south side of Arizona lies the city of Phoenix, the largest in Arizona. Notable day trips in Phoenix include the Heard Museum which is one of America's largest collections of Native American art, Phoenix Museum of History, as well as the Desert Botanical garden which has a great collection of desert plants.
Restaurants in Arizona
1. Douglas Mansion
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 233 reviews
This former home of a mining baron became a state park and a museum in 1965.
Reviewed By AZJoeW - Sun City, United States
The Douglas Mansion is the main feature of the Jerome State Historic Park. This is well worth the stop. It is a self-guided tour of the mansion and there is a 30-minute film about the history of Jerome, AZ. The views are also spectacular looking north towards Sedona. Unlike the rest of Jerome, parking here is easy.
2. Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 224 reviews
Houses a collection of minerals and provides information about Jerome's mining past.
Reviewed By prescottmtngal - Prescott, United States
Went with friends. Add this to your day you will enjoy it. Very Friendly staff and nice gift shop with lots of copper items. Lots of local items to view.
3. O.K. Corral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,505 reviews
Actual site of the famous 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ. Subject of numerous Hollywood movies. See Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in daily reenactments. Stand where the legendary Gunfight began. Visit Doc Holliday's room. View over 100 photos of 1880s Tombstone and the Apache Geronimo taken by famous Tombstone photographer C.S. Fly. Open daily 9-5.
Reviewed By marijune27 - Bend, United States
What a great show! The actors obviously have fun and audience participation is a must!! Share in the making of history as the outlaws & in-laws fight to the bitter end!!
4. Petersen House Museum
5. Sharlot Hall Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 621 reviews
An educational and cultural center featuring the historical, social and natural aspects of Arizona, with emphasis on the Central Highlands... a heritage and historical site with 11 exhibit buildings (five historical), a research center for collections and conservation of artifacts, and a year 'round calendar of rotating and permanent exhibits, and related educational and cultural programs. Open 362 days a year, and presenting the area's culture from the Pleistocene Epoch (14,000 years ago) to the present.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, includes the first Territorial Governor's residence and offices, a 1930s ranch house, a Victorian house, a log cabin, a replica of the first public schoolhouse in the Arizona Territory, a transportation building and vehicle collection, an exhibit building, an 1870s kitchen garden, a pioneer herb garden, a rose garden and a gazebo. Located at 415 West Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona, two blocks west of the Courthouse Plaza and Whiskey Row, its centerpiece is the log house that was constructed in the summer of 1864 to serve as the home and office of the first Governor of the Arizona Territory, John Goodwin. It is the oldest building associated with Arizona Territory still standing at its original location. The town of Prescott did not exist at the time but President Abraham Lincoln wanted the capital of the newly established Arizona Territory to be located far from Confederate sympathizers in Tucson. The discovery of gold in the Bradshaw Mountains made it strategic to establish the territorial capital near that wealth. So the town of Prescott was born, named for historian William Hickling Prescott. And the Territorial Governor's new house was built. To preserve the history of the building, a woman named Sharlot Hall began restoring the house and offices in 1927 and the Sharlot Hall Museum was opened in 1928 with the log house situated at the center of the campus.
6. DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 573 reviews
On the National Register of Historic Places, this legendary landmark of Southwestern art and architecture was designed and built by acclaimed Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia. The 10-acre foothills site includes the adobe gallery with permanent and rotating exhibits, mission with interior murals, gift shop, cactus courtyard, the artist’s home, and his grave. Open daily 10-4, closed on these days: New Year’s, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plenty of parking and handicap accessible. Admission Fees – $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for ages 12-18, under 12 are free. An annual individual membership is $25.00, with two buddy passes or an annual family membership is $55.00, with four buddy passes.
Reviewed By Kkoleary - Scottsdale, United States
This museum was well laid out. Each room represented a different theme for the artist. I had never heard of DeGrazia so really appreciated all the interesting details of his life along with seeing and hearing his views of his work. You really need to explore the compound to fully appreciate this museum. There is a nice courtyard where you can wander amount the cacti with a fountain. To the left of the museum is a church, little space for visiting artists, and his original house tucked in the back. If you plan to watch the video (recommended) this should take 1.5 to 2 hours.
7. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,418 reviews
On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. Today at Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park walk through the actual strap iron cells and solitary chamber of Arizona Territory’s first prison. Now a museum, the prison houses photographs and colorful exhibits of those who once “involuntarily” stayed there and the harsh life they had to endure.
Reviewed By Road_Tripper49
This is definitely a must see for anyone interested in understanding the early history of Arizona and Yuma. You take a self-guided tour around numerous buildings including the cell blocks and a great deal of artifacts from inmates. You can go at your own pace and will leave better understanding what prison life and the impacts of the environment both in prison and in the surrounding area, must have been like. Bravo to the community for ensuring this history lives on!
8. Heard Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,899 reviews
The foremost showcase of Native American art and culture in the U.S., the Heard Museum reveals the cultures of tribes in the region through exhibits, demonstrations and live performances and displays the work of contemporary Native American artists. Artists demonstrate their work during the week and musicians perform on most weekends.
Reviewed By MsInformedALWAYS - Las Vegas, United States
This place was a real surprise, nice architecture, beautifully displayed/housed native America goods from clothes, baskets, paintings, and general artifacts in excellent condition. Very well laid out with a nice bookstore AND gift shop (a bit pricey) Most enjoyable visit and stands out above and beyond most I've seen (I'm a fan of native American indian works - I've been to a half dozen wonderful museums...)
9. Jerome State Historic Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 574 reviews
The Douglas Mansion has been an eye-catching landmark in Jerome since 1916, when James S. Douglas built it on the hill just above his Little Daisy Mine. This former home is now a museum devoted to the history of the Jerome area and the Douglas family. The museum features photographs, artifacts and minerals in addition to a video presentation and a 3-D model of the town with its underground mines. There are more displays outside along with a picnic area offering a beautiful panoramic view of the Verde Valley.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
My wife and I love to visit ghost towns, the remains of old mining camps in California, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. One of our favorite stops is Jerome, Arizona, a 45-minute drive from Sedona, across the Verde Valley. Established in 1965, the Jerome State Historic Park has survived budget cuts that closed the park from February 27, 2009, to October 14, 2010. Today, it is open seven days a week thanks to additional funding by Yavapai County, the city of Jerome, the Jerome Historical Society and the Douglas family, which built the Douglas Mansion in 1916 that remains the major attraction in the park. The mansion was built by Jimmy Douglas, the head of a family of mining entrepreneurs, on a hill above his Little Daisy Mine. It features a museum with photographs of the family, the town of Jerome during its mining years, mining artifacts, minerals, antique mining equipment, a video detailing the history of the town and a 3-D reproduction of the town showing the mine shafts underneath the town. The mansion also features a wine cellar, billiard room, marble shower, steam heat and a central vacuum system which was much ahead of its time. Constructed of adobe bricks made on the site, the Douglas Mansion is the largest adobe structure in Arizona. Outside, a picnic area offers a panoramic view of the Verde Valley and Verde River and the Red Rocks of the Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon region. The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
10. Williams Depot
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 671 reviews
This train station, built in 1908, is the boarding point of the Grand Canyon Railway.
Reviewed By slash67024
Love the station with its historical vibe, the decor, gift shop selection, and the activities for the little ones. Also enjoyed the warm tents for waiting on the train. Looking forward to our next train adventure!
