My friend and fellow ASU student Jesse German sized up the town of Jerome pretty well in a Facebook status update over the summer: "in jerome right now.. what a crazy little one horse town!"
A crazy little one-horse town, indeed.
It's tough to describe Jerome. It's certainly tough to describe it to a group of college students and convince them it's worth the two-hour drive to get there from the Tempe campus. Driving a couple hours out of town, then up a winding 2-lane road road to an abandoned mining town on a hill in the desert may not sound like an ideal way to spend a day. But I assure you, Jerome is worth at least several hours of your life.
Long story short, Jerome was once a flourishing mining town with a population of 15,000 in the 1920s. Once World War II was over, the demand for copper diminished and so did the town.
Fast-forward to today and Jerome, population 450, is a bustling little tourist town known for it's views, numerous art galleries, quirky shops and haunted pretty-much-everything. The entire town is designated as a Historic District and a National Historic Landmark.
The town's nicknames include "America's Most Vertical City" and "Largest Ghost Town in America."
When you head up to Jerome, I'd recommend just parking your car wherever you can find a spot then head out on foot. You can cover the whole town fairly easily, but be ready for some steep climbs as you zig-zag your way through town. There's plenty of shops to stop in and a few restaurants and bars to grab some food.
The Haunted Hamburger is one of the more popular places in town and it's where I ate on my visit. The burgers are pretty good, but it's more of the scenery and ambiance that brings people there. The patio, with it's scenic views on a day with great weather, was packed full when I went there. But we did score a second-floor booth by a window with sweeping views of the surrounding valley.
If you're looking to stay overnight, you can keep with the haunted theme and stay at the Jerome Grand Hotel and go on your very own ghost hunt. According to the hotel's website, EMF meter and IR thermometer usage are included in your $20 tour fee. If you already know what those things are, then I suppose that tour is for you.
Next time I head up, I definitely plan to stop at the Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room, owned by former Jerome resident and TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan. Open 365 days a year, the tasting room features wines from AZ Stronghold and Keenan's Caduceus brand. Check out the movie "Blood Into Wine" to learn more about the Keenan's AZ wine making (and notice the Jerome shirt he's wearing in the trailer).
This weekend may be as good a time as any to head to Jerome if you're looking to check out the town. The First Saturday Art Walk is from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. which features "26 participating galleries and studios and many sponsoring businesses and restaurants offering specials." Best of all, evening temperatures should be in the 70s while Phoenix will still be a brisk 105 degrees the first weekend of October.
Ready to drop the books and get away from campus for a while? Looking to explore more of Arizona than just Mill Avenue? On The Road is here to help you find things to do outside the valley and around the state when you need a break from campus life. From hiking the mountains around town for a few hours, to exploring the red rocks of Sedona for a day, to a weekend ski trip just hours away in the winter, this Arizona native is here to help you see and explore more of the state. Feel free to contact me with any ideas for future posts at chadmhays@hotmail.com or follow me on Twitter.
