Jerome clings to Cleopatra Hill above the Verde Valley, north of Prescott and west of Sedona. It boomed on copper, almost emptied after the mines closed, then came back as a strange mix of ghost town, artists' village, mining museum, and day-trip stop.
The setting does half the work. Streets twist along the hillside, old brick buildings lean into the slope, and views open toward the red-rock country and the valley below. The mining story is still strong at Jerome State Historic Park, the Mine Museum, and the Audrey Headframe.
Jerome is touristy, but it has not been smoothed flat. Come for a few hours of museums, galleries, old saloons, and odd bits of mining ruin, then leave time to simply walk the switchback streets.