Arizona is a fantastic state with a lot to offer for places to visit. We were lucky enough to be able to spend five days there recently, and while there wasn’t enough time to see everything, we enjoyed every minute we got there.
Our trip definitely didn’t start as planned; we were supposed to arrive in Phoenix late at night and get some sleep before starting our first day. But unfortunately, our flights through United Airlines were delayed and messed up to the point where we spent the night at Newark Airport. Due to the overall lack of customer service and support, and waiting hours in line, we will not be flying with United Airlines again.
This 12-hour delay with United Airlines caused us to miss part of our first day’s itinerary, and we had to cut off the Prescott part of our trip. However, we were able to pick it up with Jerome, and the rest of the trip was incredible.
Finally, in Arizona, we got our rental car from Budget (we highly recommend getting a Jeep Wrangler). Next, we stopped by Trader Joe’s to get plenty of water, food, and snacks for our on-the-go trip. We then made our way up 17 before hitting 260 and 89A to get to Cottonwood. The scenery changes from Phoneix to Cottonwood were more than enough to keep us inspired and awestruck (we felt this just about the entire trip).
We checked into the SpringHill Suites in Cottonwood before making our way to Jerome, a quirky little ghost town that lost most of its population due to the mining industry leaving. There is a lot of history here, including the Audrey Mine Shaft, the Sliding Jail, and some other attractions. There are also a lot of ghost tours and other things to do focused on the infamous ghost town. I was able to get the drone out for a few flights, steering clear of any State parks. Before settling back in for the night, we stopped at The Haunted Hamburger, which was a great place to eat.
Depending on your love for ghost stories and such, this may be a town that could be worth skipping. But if you’re coming from Prescott to Cottonwood, I’d highly recommend stopping in.
Well, that’s it for Day 1 of our Arizona trip. Stay tuned for Day 2!