Prescott, AZ

March 31, 2015

A Unexpected Gem! – Prescott, Arizona

Wow, what a surprise! Prescott is one of the neatest places we’ve been in the Southwest U.S. It’s at quite a high altitude (around 5,300 ft/1,636m) and makes you feel like you’re in the desert and in the mountains all at the same time. Nestled against the Prescott National Forest the town boasts 4 lakes and 450 miles of hiking trails!

Prescott, Arizona

The town is quite old, first settled in 1864 by miners prospecting for gold. Abraham Lincoln chose an area just north of Prescott to be the first seat of government because the gold fields were nearby AND the Tucson area was populated by Southern sympathizers! It lost that title to Phoenix in 1889.

The Palace Restaurant & Saloon, Prescott

One of many colourful signs on Whiskey Row

Prescott also has a colourful history with characters such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and ‘Big Nose Kate’! Today there are many buildings around from that era such as The Palace Restaurant and Saloon which was constructed originally around 1870 and re-built after the ‘Whiskey Row Fire of 1900.

The Palace Restaurant & Saloon

Whiskey Alley, Prescott

The town hosts the ‘World’s Oldest Rodeo’ and has other annual events including the ‘Shootout on Whiskey Row’ and ‘Western Heritage Days’.

We’ve spent the past couple of days exploring the town and having a couple of ‘memorable’ meals in some of the local establishments. One of the most ‘memorable’ (skip this if you’re of a ‘delicate’ nature) was beer and a ‘Big Blue’ pizza at the Prescott Brewing Company. The pizza was a ‘white’ pizza with an olive oil base, garlic, caramelized onions and TONS of cheese, both mozzarella and gorgonzola! It tasted pretty good, although a bit TOO cheesy, but the real ‘memorable’ part came later that night with vast quantities of (ahem) ‘intestinal distress’ for both Bruce & I. It lasted well into the morning and kept us both alternately in the loo and outside gasping for ‘fresh’ air. Note to self: avoid that much cheese and doughy bread again at all costs!

Although and unlikely place to find a great seafood place, the lobster bisque at Prescott Lobster & Seafood Co was amazing…not to be missed!

The most amazing lobster bisque!!

We also visited the Sharlott Hall Museum. The mansion on the site was built for the first territorial governor of AZ, John Goodwin in 1894. Sharlot M Hall moved in in 1927 and turned it into a museum in 1928. It’s a stunningly beautiful building and grounds and well worth a visit!

Sharlott Hall Museum, Prescott

Sharlott Hall Museum

We’re thinking we might stay another day or so as we’d like to do a bit of hiking and maybe paddling. We’re not far from Sedona and will probably head that way next.

April 1, 2015

What wonderful hiking in the area! We spent the morning not far from our campground at Point of
Rocks RV Park & Campground in an area called the Granite Dells. It has some wonderful scenery and clambering over rocks and up and down hills was fun. No wildlife spotting so far except for the occasional lizard!