Spend a Day in Prescott, Arizona

By Judy Hedding, About.com Guide

Prescott, Arizona was Arizona's first territorial capital. Prescott was founded after the gold rush of 1863, and boasts more than 500 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. Here in Prescott you'll learn about Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders, Tom Mix, Doc Holliday, the history of the Goldwater family, hear how the rodeo began, learn about the Yavapai people, and much more.

The inscription on this plaque reads:

PRESCOTT. FOUNDED IN 1864 ON GRANITE CREEK. EARLY SOURCE OF PLACER GOLD. FORMER TERRITORIAL CAPITAL OF ARIZONA. NOW A CENTER FOR RANCHING, MINING, HEALTH, ESPECIALLY ASTHMA RELIEF. LOCATED HERE ON SITE OF OLD FT. WHIPPLE IN WHIPPLE VETERAN'S HOSPITAL. SEAT OF FIRST GOVERNOR'S MANSION, AND ARIZONA PIONEER'S HOME. FRONTIER DAYS, OLDEST RODEO IN WEST, BEGAN HERE.

Within 2 or 2-1/2 hours from most locations in the Phoenix area, Prescott, Arizona makes a great day trip for both adults and children. There's so much to do! Yes, of course, Prescott is now a modern city, with a mall, and a megaplex movie theater, and Starbucks. On this trip to Prescott, Arizona, however, we'll be concentrating on the old part of town--the center of town, where it all began.

Here's my suggestion for an itinerary for a day spent in old Prescott, Arizona.