Day Trippin' › Arizona › From Phoenix › Best history spots
Our picks for the best history spots within 3 hours of Phoenix: 36 places, 1 under an hour away, 17 between 1 and 2 hours and 18 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 85004.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Taliesin West, 33 min northeast of Phoenix.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Keyany, CC BY-SA 4.0
#1 · Historic site · 1 hr 47 min southeast
A white mission church from the late 1700s, still in use, with a richly painted and carved interior; people call it the White Dove of the Desert.
Heads-up: It is a working parish on Tohono O'odham Nation land, so dress modestly and expect Masses. The church and museum keep shorter hours than the gift shop.
Photo: National Map Seamless Server, Public domain
#2 · Landmark · 2 hr 43 min northeast
A nearly mile-wide crater left by a meteorite 50,000 years ago, with a museum on the rim.
Heads-up: Privately run. There's a pet ramada outside for dogs.
Photo: Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0
#3 · Town · 2 hr 47 min southeast
Walk the wooden boardwalks of Allen Street in the 1880s silver boomtown made famous by the Earps, then step into the 1882 county courthouse, now a museum, for the town's real story.
Heads-up: The courthouse is open 9 to 4:30 October to May and 9 to 3 June to September, and no pets inside. Gunfight shows and other private attractions keep their own hours and prices.
Photo: Ralph Hawkins, CC BY-SA 3.0
#4 · Historic site · 2 hr 48 min west
Walk through the 1876 cell blocks, the "dark cell" and the guard tower over the Colorado River at one of the Old West's most famous prisons.
Heads-up: Closed around Thanksgiving and Christmas, with shorter summer hours. No pets in buildings.
Photo: Don Graham from Redlands, CA, USA - God bless it!, CC BY-SA 2.0
#5 · State park · 1 hr 55 min north
Slide down a natural sandstone water chute in Oak Creek, in a historic apple orchard.
Heads-up: Entry by car only (no walk-ins or drop-offs), and no waiting on the highway when the lot is full; arrive early. No pets in the creek area, and no pets at all May through September. After 2026 Pocket…
Photo: Tony the Marine, CC BY-SA 3.0
#6 · Ghost town · 1 hr 20 min northwest
A restored 1860s gold-mining camp outside Wickenburg with original buildings and guided tours in the cooler months.
Heads-up: Open Thursday to Sunday in season. Dirt paths with little shade.
Photo: Elitemedia.network, CC BY-SA 4.0
#7 · Landmark · 1 hr 5 min north
An experimental desert town of concrete domes and arches, famous for its bronze and ceramic wind bells.
Heads-up: Visits are by guided tour; book ahead. Many spots are reached only by stairs. Leashed dogs OK on the grounds. The café is closed for now.
Photo: Tony the Marine (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
#8 · Town · 1 hr 6 min northwest
An Old West town with a strong Western art museum (the Sigler Western Museum, formerly Desert Caballeros), bronze statues and the old Jail Tree in the historic district.
Heads-up: The museum is open Monday to Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 11 to 3. Summer afternoons are hot.
Photo: The original uploader was Elf at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
#9 · Historic site · 1 hr 22 min north
Original 1870s army post buildings with rooms set up as they were.
Heads-up: Open daily; closed Christmas Day.
Photo: Marine 69-71, CC BY-SA 4.0
#10 · Museum · 1 hr 38 min north
Territorial-era buildings including Arizona's first governor's mansion, and history of the region.
Heads-up: No pets except service animals.
Photo: Seasider53, CC BY 4.0
#11 · Train · 1 hr 43 min north
A 3.5 to 4 hour, 40-mile round-trip train ride from Clarkdale to Perkinsville through a roadless red rock canyon along the Verde River.
Heads-up: Book ahead; trains often sell out. No pets on board. Manual wheelchairs only (no scooters).
Photo: Benjamin Cody, CC BY-SA 3.0
#12 · Museum · 1 hr 49 min north
The Douglas Mansion museum tells the mining story, with a big view over the Verde Valley.
Heads-up: Closed Christmas Day.
Photo: Johndedios, CC BY 3.0
#13 · Museum · 1 hr 53 min southeast
Walk through the huge glass science building near Oracle, with a rainforest, an ocean and a desert under one roof, and see what life inside the sealed experiment was like.
Heads-up: The self-guided route is about 1 mile with around 100 stairs, though most biomes can be reached by wheelchair. It gets hot and humid inside, and no pets anywhere on the grounds.
Photo: Aspersions at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#14 · Museum · 2 hr southeast
Go down into the only Cold War Titan II missile silo open to the public, with the missile still standing in its launch tube.
Heads-up: The guided tour is about 45 minutes with 55 stairs down and back up and no elevator. Leashed pets are allowed topside only, and tickets cannot be refunded or rebooked.
Photo: Mfield, Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com, CC BY-SA 4.0
#15 · Historic site · 2 hr 3 min north
Sinagua cliff dwellings and rock art from several cultures, with a ranger or volunteer on site.
Heads-up: Book a timed tour slot on Recreation.gov before you go. The last miles are rough gravel. Closes over 100 F and after heavy rain or snow. No pets past the parking lot.
Taliesin West (33 min), Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site (1 hr 34 min), Downtown Prescott and Whiskey Row (1 hr 37 min), Chapel of the Holy Cross (1 hr 46 min), Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (1 hr 47 min), Pima Air & Space Museum (1 hr 47 min), Amitabha Stupa and Peace Park (1 hr 54 min), Riordan Mansion State Historic Park (2 hr 4 min), Lowell Observatory (2 hr 8 min), Honanki Heritage Site (2 hr 9 min), Downtown Flagstaff and Route 66 (2 hr 10 min), Museum of Northern Arizona (2 hr 11 min), Oracle State Park (2 hr 12 min), Tubac and Tubac Presidio (2 hr 18 min), Tumacácori National Historical Park (2 hr 20 min), Amerind Museum (2 hr 30 min), Kitt Peak National Observatory (2 hr 35 min), Parker Dam (2 hr 41 min), Willcox Wine Country (2 hr 47 min), Colorado River State Historic Park (2 hr 49 min), Cameron Trading Post (2 hr 56 min)
Our top picks are Mission San Xavier del Bac (1 hr 47 min), Meteor Crater (2 hr 43 min), Tombstone (2 hr 47 min), Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park (2 hr 48 min) and Slide Rock State Park (1 hr 55 min). The page lists 36 places in all.
36: 1 under an hour away, 17 between 1 and 2 hours and 18 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 85004.
Taliesin West, about 33 min northeast of Phoenix.
10 need no pass or fee, including Downtown Flagstaff and Route 66, Cameron Trading Post and Downtown Prescott and Whiskey Row. Fees change, so check each place.
31 of the 36 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.