Prescott, AZ Christmas And More!

Earlier this week we decided to drive over to Prescott to take in the Christmas lights.  Rather than drive the expedient highway around Mingus Mountain, we decided to meander up to an elevation of 7,000 feet and enjoy the winding scenic route down to Prescott Valley!  We highly recommend it for a daylight drive.  



At an elevation of 5,066 feet you go through the copper mining ghost town of Jerome.  It is a tourist attraction today with a population of around 500.  The gold building is the Grand Hotel and it is open for business.  It is said to be haunted and even feels spooky passing by in the light of day!    

When we arrived in Prescott, we decided to explore the local geological attraction called Granite Dells.  Granite Dells are these weathered rock formations to the north side of Prescott.  Granite Dells itself is not a park, but you can drive amongst some of the boulders by driving the Granite Dells Loop off of Hwy. 89A.  There are homes built along the loop.  You can get this scenic view at Watson Lake State Park.  Watson Lake is a man-made reservoir.  Swimming is not allowed, but there are boat rentals.  The lake as a whole is a no-wake zone and therefore is for peaceful exploring.  Willow Lake is nearby, but is also a reservoir with the same restrictions.  It has some trails near it.

This is the courthouse square.

This view is walking towards the front of the courthouse.

This view catches the side of the courthouse and the front near the red lights. 

This is the front facing the street called Whiskey Row.  Whiskey Row was reported at one time to have 40 bars!!!  It is now a combination of restaurants, art galleries, and gift shops.

This is the back of the courthouse.  It is so pretty, I was undecided for awhile, as to whether is was possibly the main entrance! 

This is Whiskey Row.  We enjoyed a stroll through the shops and around the rest of the square, as well.  Including the beautiful drive over the mountain, exploring the Granite Dells, our tour of lights and shops, plus the expedient route home, our adventure only took 5 hours!  A very reasonable and fun outing from Cottonwood, through Jerome, to Prescott, and home again! 



Cottonwood, AZ Christmas

Roy and I love Old Town Cottonwood and can see ourselves living here someday.  We took a stroll around town one evening this week to enjoy the Christmas lights and quaint shops.

O' Christmas tree, O' Christmas tree,  O' How I adore thee!  The tree changed colors and the lighted snowflakes danced around the building! 

We love the Grinch on the City of Cottonwood Finance Department building!

Music was playing and the lighted figures were dancing about changing and putting on quite a show!  Very festive! 

This is the main street with all the cute shops and nice restaurants!

Here's a peek into the Iron Horse Inn courtyard!

Awwwww!  It's so serene!  Come for a visit and stay awhile!  Siiiilent Night.....!

Sedona, AZ Christmas

We decided to drive the 15 miles up Hwy. 89A from Cottonwood to Sedona to check out the community Christmas lights.  This is a picturesque pullout along the way.  Sedona's holiday lighting wasn't what we had hoped for, but we did enjoy strolling around the Tlaquepaque artisan village. 

When in the Sedona area, you will hear Tlaquepaque mentioned often.  Sedona has a t.v. channel dedicated to featuring the Tlaquepaque artisans, shops, and restaurants.  When I saw the name,  I assumed there might be a translation giving meaning to the word.  What I didn't know is that my research would discover a whole story!  I'll share it with you, as you scroll through the shopping village called Tlaquepaque!

Back in the 70's, Sedona had one stop light and most of the land was still open range.

Around that time, Abe Miller, a successful Nevada businessman, started coming to Sedona on vacations.  Being in the real estate development business, he had an eye for possibility.

Abe was a traveler and he loved Mexico.

It was his heart's desire to build, someday, somewhere, a beautiful place reflecting the charm and mood of old Mexico.

The conceptual history of Tlaquepaque is truly a story of this man's love for beauty and perfection.

Under the influence of the lively creative arts scene in Mexico, it struck him that Sedona was a natural location for a living arts community.

It would be a village where artisans work out in full view and live on-site as well.  It worked in Mexico and could work here.

He would call his artisan village Tlaquepaque after the colorful Mexican city on the outskirts of Guadalajara.

Tlaquepaque is a word from the ancient language of the Aztecs.  Tlaquepaque  means the "best of everything"!