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Photo: WBong, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Operated by the Sharlot Hall Museum, this small museum is housed in a former military officer's quarters, with displays of artifacts and history about the fort and hospital.
Fort Whipple is a former United States (U.S.) Army post that was temporarily established at Del Rio Springs, north of present-day Chino Valley, Arizona, and later relocated to a permanent site near present-day Prescott, Arizona.
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An annual festival with local and national figures.
Rotating exhibits illustrated history and culture of regional Native American tribes. This plucky trove of local archaeology has a fascinating history. The "Smoki" name was invented by local settlers, not natives, as a made-up tribe which put on annual shows with appropriated Hopi rituals. From this, the archaeology grew, and the museum was founded in 1935. Look for the small room in the back, the "Smoki People Exhibit".
Housed in the former Territorial Governor’s Mansion, this museum has exhibits illustrating the early history in the area of Native Americans and settlers. Its library and archives are open to the public, and it hosts numerous public festivals and lectures. There is also a gift shop onsite.
World's Oldest Rodeo
Prescott is home to the longest running annual rodeo, on or about every Independence Day weekend. In 2013 they celebrated their 126th anniversary. Tickets go on sale in November. Book well in advance, especially for your hotel. Most hotels will be sold out throughout the weekend, with the remaining rooms going for nearly $300 a night, even at lower-end establishments. Also amateur photographers should take note that no cameras with detachable lenses, regardless of how small, are permitted past the gate.
A two-day annual festival with Scottish food, bagpipe music, and various contests. Advance tickets can be purchased online.
Centered around an artificial reservoir within the Granite Dells, an area of pre-Cambrian granite bedrock which has been eroded into unusual formations. The park offers opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, boating, and fishing, as well as overnight camping in the summer. Canoes and kayaks can be rented onsite from Prescott Outdoors (+1 928-925-1410, $10-20/hr, $50-75/day).