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Plan a Road Trip > Explore America > Arizona > Jerome |
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Time Zone
Mountain Standard
Latitude/Longitude
34.75° /-112.11°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 72
LOW: 41
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This once-bustling copper mining center boasted 15,000 inhabitants in the 1920s. It had the state's largest hospital. Special housing was created to attract respectable single women, while the saloons and bordellos attracted the raucous kind. But then the copper mines closed and all but the hardiest folk moved away. Another boomtown seemed destined to become a ghost town. Jerome's rebirth began when it was declared a National Historic District in 1967. Artists began to repopulate the abandoned stores and homes. Museums were created, tiny restaurants reopened, and mansions were converted to B&B's. Today the permanent population numbers around 500.
As the town has been rediscovered by tourists, Jerome's lodging options have experienced -- well, what else would you expect in a boomtown -- a boom. While most places are quite small, the Jerome Grand Hotel (928-634-8200 or 888-817-6788), carved out of the historic United Verde Hospital, has 23 rooms plus a restaurant and lounge. It's the highest point in town, and the views here are truly extraordinary. And, it's just a few minutes walk down the hill to the arts and shopping district (928-634-8200).
The Mile High Inn (928-634-5094) offers seven rooms decorated with antiques, and a restaurant serves inexpensive meals downstairs. Among Jerome's bed and breakfast options: the Surgeon's House, a Mediterranean-style home with one single room and two suites and fabulous views of the Verde Valley (800-639-1452); Ghost City Inn, with hot tubs, two immense verandas, six rooms and more of those mountain views (888-634-4678); the Cottage Inn, the oldest bed and breakfast in town (928-634-0701); and Hillside House (928-634-5667).
Like everything else here, dining in Jerome is a step back in time. Tiny storefronts and old buildings have been converted to pleasant restaurants and diners. Some good choices are The Haunted Hamburger, with outdoor seating and great views; the Jerome Brewery, the town's first brew house; the Flatiron Cafe, another tiny storefront on Main Street; and the English Kitchen, which claims to have been in continuous service since 1899. Other restaurants: the Mile High Bar and Grill, Belgian Jennie's Pizza, and the Red Rooster Cafe.
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