If there’s any place in the country with more old western towns in Arizona, we definitely don't know what is. The state is your quintessential Old West locale, where, depending on who’s telling the narrative, our state's history was either a mythos of paradise sprung to life, a romanticized image of a cowboy town in Arizona, or life interrupted by an exceedingly violent period. All of those stories create the image that Arizona continues to carry today and can be safely revisited without needing to make a time machine. We’re going to take a look at a handful of those Old West towns in Arizona and we challenge you to come with us on this wild adventure through the state!

1. Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum, Bisbee

Arizona’s frontier history was heavily influenced by the mining industry. This Bisbee museum offers a glimpse into the working life in the mines, which is made even more vibrant with a mine cart tour led by former miners.

2. Castle Dome Mining Museum

Located a reasonable distance north of Yuma, Castle Dome Mine Museum is a reconstructed version of the old Castle Dome town that is now submerged in the Colorado River. You’ll find actual artifacts from the town and get an idea of life in a frontier town.

3. Fort Bowie National Historic Site

One of the many forts constructed by the U.S. Army during a series of intense campaigns against American Indians in the mid-1800s, only remnants of the old adobe walls exist today. There is also an on-site visitor center, the ruins of an old stagecoach stop, and occasional re-enactments.

4. Goldfield Ghost Town, Apache Junction

Simply driving through the desert can leave us daydreaming about what life was like in one of the most fascinating Old West towns in AZ — gunslingers and duels at high noon…the whole shebang. Luckily, there’s one place that turns our imagination into reality: Goldfield Ghost Town. This reconstructed ghost town attraction sits near the actual Goldfield location and offers a classic look of a Western town complete with tours, gunfights, and a chance to pan for gold, too!

5. Heard Museum, Phoenix

This iconic and renowned museum focuses on the Indigenous peoples and their cultures both today and historically. Several of the exhibits and occasional lectures also offer compelling narratives about how American encroachment impacted the lives of Indigenous people during this time period.

6. Hubbell Trading Post, Ganado

One of the best examples of the trading posts commonly found in the Old West, this one located on the Navajo Nation was also a key place for trading and development of Navajo weaving styles. You can walk through the trading post, purchase some goods (it still operates as it did in the old days), and take a tour of the old homestead.

7. Jerome

It's difficult to pick one spot here that represents the Old West so we’re just including the entire town of Jerome. It’s a perfect example of what boomtowns in the late-nineteenth century resembled and the haunted stories will remind you of the rough history of such a place. What do you think: is Jerome one of the creepiest ghost towns in Arizona?

8. Museum of the West, Scottsdale

For years, Scottsdale has called itself the "West’s Most Western Town" and this is one example of that self-designation. This museum is dedicated to capturing the intricacies of Western life, past and present, through exhibitions, presentations, and storytelling opportunities.

9. Oatman

This little town located just off Route 66 has managed to live several lives, including that as a late boomtown shortly before Arizona became a state in 1912. Today, it is known for its wandering wild burros, Hollywood patrons (do the names Clark Gable and Carole Lombard ring a bell?), and Route 66 souvenirs.

10. Old Tucson Studios

Watch a Western film and you’re bound to encounter a moment featuring this iconic movie set, including productions such as Arizona, episodes of Bonanza, and McLintock! A visit here will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the set’s movie history, plenty of shows, and history presentations/demonstrations.

11. Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse, Tucson

Looking for a small Old West experience centered around dining options? Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse in Tucson is a good example with its casual atmosphere, steaks, and Western-style décor.

12. Pioneer Living History Museum, Phoenix

Sometimes it can be difficult to imagine what life must have been like for our ancestors. Time makes old lifestyles seem so far removed until you realize that it is just a few short generations separating you from a time when people were more in tune with their surroundings and life for most focused on basic subsistence. The Pioneer Living History Museum is a collection of reconstructed buildings that form a little Western town, including a couple of little homes. It’s a popular spot for school field trips with an emphasis on life in Arizona’s territorial period.

13. Rawhide Wild West Town, Chandler

A Western-themed amusement park, Rawhide has attractions such as live gun shows, gold panning, and chances to ride horses or burros. They also have dining options such as a steakhouse, saloon, and a pizza parlor for the kids (even though pizza wasn’t technically part of frontier diets...). You can truly feel like you've gone back in time in one of the most immersive old western cowboy towns in Arizona.

14. San Xavier del Bac, Tucson

Arizona’s San Xavier del Bac, also known as the White Dove of the Desert, is a beautiful example of Spanish colonial architecture and is one of the oldest European structures in the country. There’s plenty of history — both good and bad — contained within these walls and it is a place that certainly earns a spot on this list.

15. Tombstone

When people think of the Old West, Tombstone is certainly one of the places that immediately comes to mind thanks to the town’s crazy history with outlaws and the gunfight at O.K. Corral.

16. Tumacacori National Historic Park

Another old Spanish mission in southern Arizona, this one isn’t quite in the same condition as San Xavier due to the mission’s abandonment in the mid-1800s. In any case, it still makes an interesting spot to visit to see what Spanish colonial life was like and to learn about the turbulent relationship the Spaniards had with the Indigenous people. Go on a tour of the Tumacacori National Historic Park, and you'll see what we mean!

17. Whiskey Row, Prescott

After a block of buildings was destroyed in a 1900 fire, this notoriously haunted spot was rebuilt and the large number of saloons led to the street’s nickname, Whiskey Row. This spot became a focal point of the city, which continues to this day - the site is host to several Western shows and staged shootouts.

Have you visited any of these Wild West towns in Arizona? Do you have a favorite old cowboy town in Arizona?

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