NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA ART WALKS These four small-town gallery crawls offer a window into the local art scene. BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON INSPIRING Absorb the cultural landscape of the area by joining a monthly art walk, where you can check out new work, meet artists, watch live music and sip wine. Here are four to add to your calendar. In the midst of Arizona’s copper region, Globe has been attracting a growing cadre of artists and artisans, who helped launch the First Friday art walks in 2020. Look for artist booths, murals, food trucks and live music along downtown’s Broad Street, along with retailers and the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts open for evening browsing. On Cleopatra Hill, this ghost town-turned-arts enclave hosts its Jerome Art & Wine Walk the first Saturday monthly, highlighting artist studios, galleries, retailers and wine tasting rooms. Live music adds to the festivities, and an on-call shuttle can ferry you up and down the steep streets if you don’t feel like strolling. Since 2004, Prescott’s 4th Friday Art Walk has drawn hundreds of art aficionados who wander through galleries showing everything from fiber art and jewelry to photography, painting and sculpture. Many of the galleries are walking distance around the historic Courthouse Square (stop for that glass of wine), while others are a short drive away. Long known as an arts destination in the Red Rocks, Sedona’s 1st Friday in the Galleries lets you check out works by local, regional and national artists in genres from Western to contemporary. Look for show openings, artist receptions and more at galleries throughout town and nearby Village of Oak Creek. Shuttle service is available between some galleries. Nellie Bly, Jerome 4th Friday Art Walk, Prescott Making Memories TOTALLY UNEXPECTED (AND UNFORGETTABLE) Experiences for All Ages Amid North Central Arizona’s mountains, pine forests and historic towns, these experiences create memories for all ages. BY NORA BURBA TRULSSON EYE CANDY Since 1988, Nellie Bly has been offering artistic kaleidoscopes — new and antique — plus glass art from THIS AIN’T MY FIRST RODEO In fact, the annual World’s Oldest Rodeo has been happening in Prescott since 1888. What started as a modest “cowboy tournament” has morphed into a week-long celebration, presented by Prescott Frontier Days, around the Fourth of July. Look for rodeo performances, family-friendly dances, parade, rodeo dance and boot race. GET WILD Think of Arizona wildlife as coyotes and roadrunners? The 104-acre Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde is home to some 40 exotic big Or make your way to the Heritage Zoological Sanctuary , overlooking Willow Lake in Prescott. Explore 10 acres of naturally landscaped grounds with exhibits of animals large and small. These rescued and rehabilitated creatures come with their own unique stories — from orphaned and injured animals to donated “pets” from private owners. 68 VISITARIZONA.COM TOP TO BOTTOM: PRESCOTT’S 4TH FRIDAY ART WALK; RON CHILSTON COPPER IS KING Arizona is known for copper, and Clarkdale is a historic town that owes its existence to the metal, making it the perfect place for the Arizona Copper Art Museum . Look for everything from trench art made by soldiers during both World Wars and a dormer from the Carnegie mansion in New York to a stockpot used by Martha Stewart on one of her TV shows. a historic storefront in Jerome. A recently opened sister store offers steampunk-inspired objects, ranging from pens to sculptures. MAKE IT MINE Just outside Jerome, a shaft dug in 1890 for copper yielded gold instead. The surrounding mining camp was abandoned when gold ran out, but it’s been reborn as Gold King Mine and Ghost Town . Check out vintage vehicles, working sawmill and a blacksmith shop. Bring little ones to the petting zoo, plus the chance to learn gold panning. cats and hundreds of other animals, like zebras and wolves. Watch tigers and their caretakers romp in a pool during the Tiger Splash experience or use the Predator Zipline Experience to soar above animals.
Arizona Official State Travel Guide Arizona 2023-24: Page 68
