Prescott draws tourists with charm, historical buildings

Prescott, Ariz., strives to honor its heritage as a frontier center for mining, logging, ranching and territorial government. This charming Western town with its mild climate and beautiful forest setting in Central Arizona looks like a hometown should. By preserving its past, Prescott re-creates itself as a tourist destination, while attracting new residents as one of America's top retirement areas.

Prescott lies about 235 miles from Las Vegas. Follow U.S. 93 over Hoover Dam into Arizona. In Kingman, get on Interstate 40. Head east about 100 miles from Kingman to the junction with Highway 89 near Ash Fork. Follow this highway south about 50 miles to Prescott.

Prescott retains an intact downtown centered upon its stately county courthouse. Special events all year draw visitors to Courthouse Square. Be sure to stroll around the building to see the fine bronze statures prominently featured. Some are the work of noted Western sculptor Salon Borglum, brother of the creator of Mount Rushmore's four great presidents.

While many aged downtowns suffer from blight, Prescott's old business and financial district still functions. The city encourages resurrection of areas that have seen better days. Now repurposed, venerable buildings house boutiques, designer stores, antique shops and eateries. Restaurants and bars along colorful Whiskey Row attract people downtown after dark. Several historic hotels still house guests, including the 1927 Hassayampa Inn. Long a center for entertainment, the 1904 Elks Opera House near the courthouse once again draws audiences with shows like the upcoming "Arizona Revue: That's Entertainment," playing during December.

A self-guiding walking tour booklet available from the Prescott Chamber of Commerce includes many of Prescott's 525 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. Some of these line residential streets within strolling distance of downtown. Fine refurbished Victorian homes of many styles still house Prescott families or serve as inviting bed and breakfast inns.

A collection of historical buildings and replica structures on 3.5 acres near the courthouse comprise the Sharlot Hall Museum, named for an early Prescott woman determined to salvage threatened buildings important to her state's history. For a $5 admission fee, you'll while away at least an hour visiting the 1934 museum exhibit hall and satellite buildings set amid shade trees and gardens. The museum stays open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. from October through April.

Occupying central place of pride, the original territorial governor's mansion, a substantial log home built in 1864, became Sharlot Hall's residence in 1927. A Victorian built in 1877 now houses the museum store. Walk through a neighboring home occupied by John C. Fremont when he served as territorial governor from 1878 to 1881. Tour the oldest log structure in Arizona, a replica of Arizona's first schoolhouse, a ranch building erected in 1934 and an exhibit of early vehicles.

The museum hosts special events like the upcoming Frontier Open House with refreshments and entertainment, following the downtown holiday parade and holiday lighting ceremony at the courthouse on Dec. 1. As Arizona's official Christmas City, Prescott plans many festive events from Thanksgiving through December. For details, call the museum at (928) 445-3122, the Chamber of Commerce at (800) 266-7534 or use the Internet at www.visit-prescott.com.

Learn about the area's pre-frontier past at the Smoki Museum on Arizona Street near downtown. Fine collections of artifacts interpret the history of native cultures in the vicinity. Baskets, pottery, implements, ornaments, clothing and jewelry provide glimpses of life in local cultures dating back to 800 A.D. Call the museum for winter hours at (928) 445-1230.

Prescott makes a good vacation hub since highways fanning out from there access ghost towns, short line railroads, ancient ruins, frontier forts, state parks, national parks and fabulous scenery. Regional recreation lures campers, hikers, anglers, horseback riders and off-pavement explorers for year-round adventures.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.