Jerome

About 100 miles due north of Phoenix, and a quick 50-minute drive from Prescott, the ghost town of Jerome shares many of the eccentric-artist charms and Old West history of Bisbee, while benefiting from the much cooler climate of Arizona’s north. It looks exactly as you might have expected it to 100 years ago, but the best views come when you put your back to the town. From its perch in the Black Hills of Prescott National Forest, Jerome’s sweeping panoramas of red mountains splotched in green desert shrubbery conjure thoughts of what Mars might look like after a good rain. From their boom-to-bust mining histories, prevalence of artists, and past reputations as cities of ill repute, Jerome and Bisbee can’t escape constant comparison. When it comes to activities in Jerome, you would be well served, as you would in Bisbee, by a tour of haunted mines and hotels. Ghosts are inseparably woven into Jerome’s identity; a favourite for a bite to eat is the Haunted Hamburger on Clark Street. The restaurant earned its name after a number of strange events involving disappearing tools and slamming doors occurred during the building’s renovation.