Wandering the streets, soaking up the atmosphere, and shopping are the main pastimes in Jerome. But before you launch yourself on a shopping tour, you can learn about the town's past at the Jerome State Historic Park, off Arizona 89A on Douglas Road in the lower section of town (tel. 928/634-5381; www.azstateparks.com). Located in a mansion built in 1916 as a home for mine owner "Rawhide Jimmy" Douglas and as a hotel for visiting mining executives, the Jerome State Historic Park contains exhibits on mining as well as a few of the mansion's original furnishings. From its perch on a hill above Douglas's Little Daisy Mine, the mansion overlooks Jerome and, dizzyingly far below, the Verde Valley. The mansion was constructed of adobe bricks made on the site and once contained a wine cellar, billiards room, marble shower, steam heat, and central vacuum system. Admission is $3, and the park is open daily (except Christmas) from 8am to 5pm.
To learn more about Jerome's history, stop in at the Jerome Historical Society's Mine Museum, 200 Main St. (tel. 928/634-5477; www.jeromehistoricalsociety.org), which has some small and old-fashioned displays on mining. It's open daily from 9am to 5pm; admission is $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under. The second floor of the gift shop Theatre & Gifts, 110 Jerome Ave. (tel. 928/649-9016) was a theater back in the town's heyday. The theater is now being restored and is open to the public. Although small, the theater museum here is fun to wander through, and a film about the history of Jerome is usually playing in the old theater. For that classic mining-town tourist-trap experience, follow the signs up the hill from downtown Jerome to the Gold King Mine (tel. 928/634-0053; www.goldkingmineghosttown.com), where you can see lots of old, rusting mining equipment and maybe even catch a demonstration. The mine is open 9am to 5pm daily, and admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children ages 6 to 12.
Most visitors come to Jerome for the shops, which offer an eclectic blend of contemporary art, chic jewelry, one-of-a-kind handmade fashions, and unusual imports. Of course, the inevitable ice-cream parlors and shops full of tacky souvenirs are now present, too. The Raku Gallery, 250 Hull Ave. (tel. 928/639-0239; www.rakugallery.com), has gallery space on two floors and walls of glass across the back, with views of the red rocks of Sedona in the distance. Don't miss Nellie Bly, 136 Main St. (tel. 928/634-0255; www.nbscopes.com), a shop full of handmade kaleidoscopes. Sky Fire, 140 Main St. (tel. 928/634-8081), features an interesting collection of Southwestern and ethnic gifts and furnishings. On the same block as Sky Fire and Nellie Bly, you'll find the fun Magdalena's Bazaar, 154 Main St. (tel. 928/634-2558), which is full of fun fashions and a curious selection of religious art from Mexico.
To see what local artists are creating, stop in at the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery, 502 Main St. (tel. 928/639-4276; www.jeromeartistscoop.com), on the west side of the street where Hull Avenue and Main Street fork as you come up the hill into town. At this end of town, you'll also find Pura Vida Gallery, 501 School St. (tel. 928/634-0937; www.puravidagallery.com), which has a fascinating and eclectic selection of fine art, jewelry, and unusual Southwest-inspired pieces of furniture. Adjacent to Pura Vida is Aurum Jewelry, 369 Main St. (tel. 928/634-3330; www.aurumjewelry.com), which has a beautiful and eclectic collection of jewelry. For leather goods, stop in at Altai Leather Designs, 415 Main St. (tel. 800/213-8112 or 928/639-2221; www.altaileather.com). Don't miss the eclectic offerings -- everything from surplus Russian army and navy uniforms to feather boas -- of the House of Joy, 416 Hull Ave. (tel. 928/634-5339; www.jeromesfinest.com).
If you're in the market for local art, be sure to drop by the Old Jerome High School, which is on Arizona 89A downhill from the main part of town and is full of artists' studios. On the first Saturday of each month, all of the studios here are open from 5 to 9pm for the Jerome Art Walk.
