10 Best Things to Do in Prescott, Arizona!

It’s summertime, which for some means extra time to fill their days, or kids at home to keep occupied for the next two months. Here are the top ten best things to do in Prescott, Arizona according to AZCENTRAL.COM.

Watson Lake:

• Boating, fishing, and kayaking on the water give you an up-front view of the gorgeous boulders that make up the Granite Dells.
• Hike one of the many trails around Watson Lake, one of which makes a 4.8-mile loop around the lake and takes you all throughout the beautiful Granite Dells. The loop takes you behind the lakes damn, where water flows past you as you are ensconced by towering boulders.

Visit Downtown Prescott:

• The famous Whiskey Row makes up one side of the courthouse which is centered in the historic downtown area. Named Whiskey Row for a reason, it is a stretch of fun bars and saloons to help liven up your weekends or go out for a mid-week drink with friends.
• Visiting Downtown in the summer means there will be one of numerous art festivals occurring. There is some kind of event going on every weekend, which always gives you something to do!
• Walk around the Courthouse and see the different statues and plaques to read, learning more about Prescott’s rich history
• Wanting to come to Prescott when it’s a bit cooler? Visit at Christmas. The holiday decorations light up the square and are a glorious site to see.

Lynx Lake:

• Lynx Lake is in the middle of the pines with beautiful viewing surrounding. Come spend the day and enjoy the warm weather as the sound of the breeze rustling through the pines helps you relax even more.
• Hiking, boating, kayaking, camping, and fishing are just some of the fun activities to partake in at Lynx Lake.

Sharlot Hall Museum:

• Sharlot Hall Museum is a museum that was built around the Territorial Governor’s mansion, a rustic log cabin from 1864 that still stands.
• The museum hosts the Prescott Indian Art Market, the premier Native American art market in the Southwest.
• Sharlot Hall, whom the museum was named after, was a respected poet, historian, and activist years before women had gained a right to vote. She successfully fought a measure that would have brought AZ and New Mexico into the union as one state.
• She also preserved and restored the first Territorial Governor’s Mansion and stocked it with her extensive collection of artifacts. The mansion as well as buildings added around it to complete it as a museum, opened as a museum in 1928.
• The living history program at Sharlot Hall Museum features staff and volunteers dressed in period appropriate clothes to help make your experience complete.
• Other buildings that are included in the Sharlot Hall Museum are the Bashford House and Fort Misery. Slated for demolition, the Bashford House was transported to the grounds of Sharlot Hall Museum and restored in the 1970s. Fort Misery is the place where the town people met and decided to become a town, and to call it Prescott.

Phippen Museum:

• An amazing art museum that showcases Western Art.

Smokie Museum:

• The host of an annual Navajo rug auction full of amazing Native American rugs, and an event you do not want to miss.

Goldwater Lake:

• Yet another lake in Prescott that offers boating, kayaking, fishing, and hiking. This lake also has a great playground for kids as well as multiple gazebos you can reserve with seating and grills for picnics.

Thumb Butte:

• Hike the iconic peak or enjoy its views from all around town. You can even drive around the peak, going up Copper Basin, the road loops around the backside of Thumb Butte and shoots you out onto Thumb Butte Road (thought use caution and have a car that can handle bumpy roads).

Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary:

• With animals such as mountain lions, mule deer, wallabies, tarantulas, and more!
• Their motto is “Conservation through Education” and they offer a home for animals that have no other.

Peavine Trail:

• A converted railway bed, the Peavine trail begins south of Watson Lake and Leads into the Granite Dells.
• Part of the Prescott Circle Trail, a 54-mile loop around Prescott that has been in the works for 25 years.
• Watson lake and the Dells are visible from the Peavine Trail and the trail goes all around them.
• The trail is good for biking, hiking, and walking since most of the actual trail is flat, with rockier inclines on the off-shooting trails.

We hope some of these activities will help keep you busy this summer! When in doubt, Prescott has a summer event going on downtown nearly every weekend and our town is infamous for its amazing trails and outdoor recreational activities. We’re sure you’ll be able to find something to do!