Like Bisbee, smaller and steeper
Jerome: 48-Hour Escape from Phoenix
A copper-mining ghost town that became an artist colony, perched on a 7,000-foot cliff above the Verde Valley.
Jerome: A copper-mining ghost town that became an artist colony, perched on a 7,000-foot cliff above the Verde Valley.
At a glance
Jerome, Arizona is a 2 hr drive from Phoenix, best visited March-May or October-November. Like Bisbee, smaller and steeper. Top things to do: Jerome State Historic Park, Gold King Mine & Ghost Town, Main Street galleries. Where to eat: The Asylum, Bodoni, The Mine Cafe. Stay at The Connor Hotel or Jerome Grand Hotel.
65
of 100
Escape score
Best paired with a second town
A modest weekend: reasonable rooms, plenty to do.
- Drive
- 2 hr from Phoenix
- Best window
- March-May or October-November
- Typical stay
- ~$167/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Jerome was a copper-mining boomtown of 15,000 in the 1920s, the largest copper mine in Arizona. The mine closed in 1953, the population fell to 50, and the town became a ghost, literally, the Jerome Historical Society markets its ghosts. In the 1970s, artists moved in, and now 450 people live on a steep hillside above the Verde Valley, in a town that slides a few inches downhill every year. The main street is a mile of galleries, tasting rooms, and bars in original 1900s buildings.
Jerome is a town that has been three things. The first was a copper mine, the United Verde, which produced over a billion pounds of copper and made the town, at 15,000 in the 1920s, the fourth-largest city in Arizona. The second was a ghost, after the mine closed in 1953 and the population fell to under 50. The third, from the 1970s on, is the artist colony, where 450 people live in the surviving 1900s buildings, perched on a 30-degree slope 2,000 feet above the Verde Valley. The town genuinely slides, built on unstable rock, and the 1898 jail slid 200 feet downhill in 1938 and is now a tourist stop.
A weekend in Jerome is a gallery-and-ghost weekend. Walk the mile of main-street galleries and tasting rooms, tour the Douglas Mansion and the Gold King ghost town, eat at The Asylum for the 60-mile view, and stay in the 1927 hospital-turned-hotel. Come March through May or October through November. Two nights lets you add the wine trail of Cottonwood, 10 minutes below.
The plan
48 hours in Jerome
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inThe Connor Hotel
From ~$150/night
1898 hotel, 10 rooms, each themed and named for a Jerome mining family. Walk to every gallery. The oldest continuously operating hotel in Arizona.
Leave Phoenix after work: the 2 hr drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetThe Asylum
Inside the Jerome Grand Hotel. Fine dining with a 60-mile view. The ribeye and the seasonal game are the orders. Reserve for sunset, the patio is the...
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopJerome State Historic Park
$7. The 1916 Douglas Mansion, built by the mine owner. Mining exhibits, a 3D model of the mine tunnels, and the best view of the Verde Valley. 45 minu...
Saturday midday
LunchBodoni
Italian in a 1900s building. The bison bolognese and the wood-fired pizzas are the orders. Small, reserve on weekends.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopGold King Mine & Ghost Town
$10. A 1920s mining camp preserved. Operational blacksmith shop, a 1900s gas station, and the Stamp Mill demonstration at 1pm. 1 hour to see it.
Saturday night
DinnerThe Mine Cafe
The best coffee in town and the breakfast burrito. Outdoor patio, no reservations, walk in. The view alone is worth the stop.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeMain Street galleries
Free to browse. A mile of galleries, tasting rooms, and bars in 1900s buildings. The Nellie Cashman Mine is a must, the Mine Cafe has the best coffee....
2 hr back to Phoenix still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Jerome
The Connor Hotel
1898 hotel, 10 rooms, each themed and named for a Jerome mining family. Walk to every gallery. The oldest continuously operating hotel in Arizona.
Jerome Grand Hotel
1927 hospital converted to a hotel. 28 rooms, a great restaurant, and the most panoramic view in town. They say it's haunted. Ask for a room on the top floor.
Ghost City Inn
A B&B on a hillside street with valley views and a wraparound porch. The quiet, haunted-artists'-colony stay.
What to do
Jerome State Historic Park
$7. The 1916 Douglas Mansion, built by the mine owner. Mining exhibits, a 3D model of the mine tunnels, and the best view of the Verde Valley. 45 minutes.
Learn more ↗Gold King Mine & Ghost Town
$10. A 1920s mining camp preserved. Operational blacksmith shop, a 1900s gas station, and the Stamp Mill demonstration at 1pm. 1 hour to see it.
Learn more ↗
Main Street galleries
Free to browse. A mile of galleries, tasting rooms, and bars in 1900s buildings. The Nellie Cashman Mine is a must, the Mine Cafe has the best coffee. Don't miss the sliding jail, it slid 200 feet downhill in 1938.
Learn more ↗Pack for Jerome
Trail & waterfall kit
Curated for waterfalls, trails, and summit days in Jerome.
Lightweight hiking daypack
Room for layers, snacks, and the camera, without weighing you down.
See price on Amazon →Insulated water bottle
Cold water past the last switchback, hot coffee at the overlook.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof hiking boots
Grippy and dry through creek crossings and muddy gorge trails.
See price on Amazon →Rechargeable headlamp
For early trailheads and that one hike that ran long.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
The Asylum
Inside the Jerome Grand Hotel. Fine dining with a 60-mile view. The ribeye and the seasonal game are the orders. Reserve for sunset, the patio is the move.
Bodoni
Italian in a 1900s building. The bison bolognese and the wood-fired pizzas are the orders. Small, reserve on weekends.
The Mine Cafe
The best coffee in town and the breakfast burrito. Outdoor patio, no reservations, walk in. The view alone is worth the stop.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Jerome. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Haunted Hamburger
Burgers
The Clinkscale
Breakfast & Brunch
Asylum Restaurant
American
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Jerome
Once you've settled into Jerome, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
15 min from Jerome
Cottonwood
15 minutes west down the mountain, the Verde Valley base town, with Old Town tasting rooms, restaurants, and the practical lodging when Jerome fills up.
10 min from Jerome
Clarkdale
10 minutes west, the planned copper-company town at the base of Jerome, with the Verde Canyon Railroad scenic trip and the Tuzigoot pueblo ruins nearby.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Phoenix, take I-17 North to Exit 287, then AZ-260 West to AZ-89A North. ~110 miles, about 2 hours. The last 10 miles on AZ-89A are switchbacks up the mountain, take it slow. The road can have ice in winter, check conditions.
Drive time
2 hr
Best time
March-May or October-November
Questions & Answers
Jerome weekend FAQ
Jerome is about 110 miles north of Phoenix, roughly 2 hours via I-17 North, AZ-260 West, and AZ-89A North.
It was. The copper mine closed in 1953, the population fell to 50. In the 1970s artists moved in, and 450 people live there now. The Jerome Historical Society markets its ghosts.
The town is built on a steep hillside of unstable rock, and it slides a few inches downhill every year. The 1898 jail slid 200 feet in 1938 and is now a tourist stop.
Yes. At 2 hours, Jerome is the most unusual weekend from Phoenix, a copper-mining ghost town on a cliff at 5,000 feet, now an artists' colony with switchback streets and valley views.
A cliffside copper-mining ghost town that reinvented as an artists' colony, with the Jerome State Historic Park mine museum, the sliding jail, and sweeping Verde Valley views from Main Street.
The Dispatch
Next weekend, in your inbox
One underrated town every week, with the same 48-hour plan you just read. Starting with somewhere near Phoenix.
No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.