Read on to see my Road Trip with Rach report to historic Jerome, Arizona. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your getaway to this interesting desert destination. Rich in copper mine history, wine tasting, ghost hunting and more…and wait until you see where we stayed! A haunted penthouse anyone?! Check out the many surprises I found in Jerome!
Why Jump Over To Jerome for a Road Trip
*Just a 2 hour drive from Phoenix
*Budget friendly getaway
*Unique lodging options
*Popular ghost hunting town
*Rich in Arizona history
*Great wine tasting
*Unique shops
Where We Stayed…Haunted Penthouse at The Clinkscale Hotel*Bar*Grill
Watch my Arizona Daily Mix morning show segment above to see a tour of this lovely penthouse!
After doing a thorough search of the different unique and cool places to stay in Jerome, I was instantly intrigued to discover the Haunted Penthouse accommodations at The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill.
The Clinkscale has eight elegant hotel rooms and the penthouse that we booked. The penthouse is off property and is located right above the very popular Haunted Hamburger, that is just down the street from the main hotel. Discovering that was a cool surprise as we unlocked the door marked “private residence” and headed up the stairs to our very own penthouse for the night!
The spacious 1,000 square foot, two bedroom, one bathroom space comes with a kitchen, dining room and living room that is expertly decorated with fun haunted touches! The nicely appointed penthouse sports two very comfortable beds and a lovely back patio that has an awesome 180 degree view of the scenic Mingus Mountain and San Francisco Peaks with the red rocks of Sedona in between. I could have sat on the back patio for hours! I woke early to sip coffee and watch the sunrise from this perfect covered porch that connects both guest rooms. This is now one of my absolute favorite places to stay in Arizona! 
I highly recommend it! For rates and more information about staying at the Haunted Penthouse, click here. Now a little more about the wonderful Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill…
Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill
The Grilled Shrimp and Parmesean Grits are scrumptious!
In addition to the awesome accommodations offered at The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill, this place is an absolute classy place to dine! Be sure to make dinner reservations here and have brunch or dinner at The Clinkscale where you will be welcomed into a lovely dining room and met by super personable team members that include Mike, Sam and our waiter, John.
We enjoyed John’s recommended dish, the grilled shrimp and parmesan grits with cajun spices and garlic beer as it was to die for! We also tried the ginger miso-glazed wild salmon with the poblano relish and lemon herbed Somme puree that melts in the mouth.
Start with a fresh hand-crafted cocktail, fine wine or tasty beer from the beautiful bar and end dinner with the irresistible flourless chocolate cake and tasty beignets that come with vanilla bean custard, raspberry compote and chocolate ganache. I read on the hotel’s website that this restaurant is ranked 7th on Yelp’s 2023 top places to dine in the Southwest. We agree!
A bit more about this lovely boutique hotel. It resides in the historic Clinkscale building that was originally constructed in 1899.
The interior is warm and welcoming with a touch of class. Both the restaurant and check-in desk are located on the ground floor. Six elegant guest rooms are right above on the upper floors. This place is historic with a modern feel and is easy to find right on Main Street in the heart of Jerome. We absolutely loved everything about The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill!
Unique Shops in Jerome
*Ghost Town Girl was our favorite unique boutique shop for nice quality clothing, great gift ideas and some funny stuff, too. Shop here and you will find one of a kind gifts. Owner Andrea Bass is very sentimental about her shop space. Previously it was her mother’s art gallery for 40 years before Andrea decided to open shop in the same special family space. And another sweet tidbit…Andrea’s father surprised her mother when he bought the space back in 1979 with the idea of making it an art studio for his talented wife. How cool is that?! Ghost Town Girl is located at 408 Main Street in Jerome and can be found at the shop’s Facebook page here.
*Copper Canyon Christmas is the The Christmas Store & More. This place is impressive and will keep you in the holiday spirit all year long! Plus this festive shop is the largest Christmas store in Northern Arizona, so head to Jerome to get everything Christmas. You don’t have to wait until the season.
For more information, visit the store’s website here at their site at mooeychristmas.com.
*1918 Liberty Theatre & Gifts – Don’t miss this place because a staircase located front and center once in the door leads up to a hidden gem. Take the stairs up to the free movie theatre museum that sits like it was (or at least very similar) to how it appeared back in 1918 when it was built to show silent movies. It closed in 1929 but has been preserved and restored and it’s one cool place to visit!
Store below and movie theatre museum above. Very cool to see this!
We were struck by how small the seats were back then as we know that humans have become bigger through the years.
Climb the theatre stairs to the top to view antique camera equipment and then venture on to what was the former dressing rooms for the actors back then and now houses all kinds of film memorabilia, mannequins of famous stars that include Elvis and so much more. Some items may jump at you…you have been warned! This was a fun, fascinating and free find. We did leave an optional donation. Liberty Theatre & Gifts is located at 110 Jerome Avenue.
There are several other truly unique shops in Jerome like the Nellie Bly Kaleidoscopes and Art Glass store among others, so be sure to check them all out when in Jerome.
Wonderful Wine Tasting in Jerome – **Be sure to watch the morning show segment video above to see a close look at the three tasting rooms we visited and loved!**
*Passion Cellars Tasting Room in Jerome – If wine tasting is your thing, then you will enjoy Jerome and especially the Passion Cellars Tasting Room in Jerome. With multiple Passion Cellars tasting rooms across Arizona, I have been to several of the locations in towns that include Bisbee and Scottsdale. I found the Jerome location to be unique and inviting. In addition to the fine wine that comes locally from Salvatore Vineyards, tasty olive oils, vinegars, sauces and more are sold here and can be sampled. I also admired the unique gifts and decadent chocolate treats for sale at this location. I will be back! For hours and more information, visit this link.
*Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards – Located on the first floor of the historic Hotel Connor, this place is gorgeous inside and we immediately felt at home and we couldn’t wait to wine taste.
Our tasting expert was fantastic (I wish I could remember her name) and she educated us on each variety of Vino we tried while including the interesting background about the Caduceus and Merkin Vineyards founder. He is famous musician Maynard James Keenan of Tool Band. It turns out that Keenan’s great grandfather was a winemaker in Italy during World War II, so making vino is in his blood and he even named one of his wines after his grandpa. In the 1920’s this space was a place called John’s Place and the current big beautiful bar sits in the same spot that the bar back then was located. Caduceus Cellars also offers flights, food and gourmet coffees.
*The Original Jerome Winery – The vino here comes directly from the Dragoon Mountain Vineyard in Willcox, Arizona. Opened for over 20 years, this space is elegant and comfortable. I highly recommend this spot as well for your Jerome wine tasting tour! The nice selection of high quality wines can be purchased at the tasting room and online.
Our Dining Picks in Jerome
I covered our #1 favorite above, The Clinkscale Hotel, Bar & Grill. Our #1 pick.
*Flatiron Cafe – For a quirky and quaint place with local flavor, try the Flatiron Cafe. Here the coffee is good and fresh since the java is brewed using quality coffee beans sourced from the local Firecreek Coffee Roasters.
We enjoyed several breakfast entrees made from scratch that gave us more than our money’s worth with a handsome serving of thick fluffy eggs incorporated into a healthy breakfast salad entree and a thick filling breakfast sandwich called Mr. Egg. The Picture This Parfait granola yogurt dish was beautiful to view and tasty to eat. We especially enjoyed the homemade strawberry scone that was served in a large satisfying slice that was perfect for sharing. Lunch is also served here.
A surprise flat for lodging is housed right above the restaurant as well. Step upstairs and stay in the unique studio apartment which features a queen bed, kitchenette and views of the Verde Valley and Mogollon Rim. The building has been painted and remodeled, but it still appears similar to way it looked in 1918. That’s cool! It was built in 1903 and has previously housed a dentist office, a nurses station and more. Watch my morning show segment video above to see the fabulous food and a tour of the flat. For more information and for pricing for the flat accommodations, visit the Flatiron Cafe website here.
*The Asylum Restaurant is located in the historic Jerome Grand Hotel, which used to be the first class United Verde Hospital from 1926 to 1950. In 1930 the hospital was known as one of the most modern hospital facilities in the west and since many died there, is now considered a spot rich with ghosts. In 1994 the building was purchased and converted into a grand hotel. 
No pictures or entry into the hotel is allowed unless you are a guest staying on the property so I wasn’t able to spy the hotel side, unfortunately. However, the highly rated Asylum Restaurant is open to the public and serves garden, grill, land and sea entrees that are scrumptious.
A nice wine, beer and cocktail list are also offered at the famous restaurant. 
I highly recommend lunch or dinner here. And if you’re brave enough to stay with the spirits, an overnight trip to the hotel may be up your alley! For more information and to make restaurant reservations, click here.
*Haunted Hamburger – don’t miss the famous Haunted Hamburger for burgers and drinks.
The current owners swear the place is haunted because when they were remodeling the restaurant, hammers would disappear and reappear frequently. So, they asked the owners before them about this and it was confirmed that the same occurrence happened when they took ownership previously! Spooky cool! Don’t miss the giant desserts, yummy shakes and fun gift shop that sells all kinds of Haunted Hamburger and Jerome merchandise.
Jerome Historic State Park & Audrey Headframe Park
*Jerome Historic State Park – Housed in the majestic Douglas Mansion, this museum is a great stop during your Jerome visit. The museum showcases an impressive collection of photographs, artifacts, minerals, outdoor exhibits plus a nice panoramic view of the Verde Valley. The building itself was once the extravagant home of James S. Douglas, who ran the Little Daisy Mine.
The mine successfully produced copper until the depression and low grade ore deposits doomed the operation resulting in the Phelps Dodge takeover in 1935. Jerome’s mining days finally came to a halt in 1953, so the museum is great way to see the story and learn the history.
*Audrey Headframe Park – Don’t miss the small but intriguing Audrey Headframe Park, which is located down the mountain and behind Jerome Historic State Park. This former mine has been converted to a state park that displays the largest wooden mine headframe that still stands in Arizona. Completed in 1918, the job of this big machine was to haul ore up from the Daisy Mine.
Visitors to the park can actually stand on top of the glass window that gives an awesome direct view down the 1900 foot deep shaft. That depth height is significantly taller than the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building and it truly a sight to see. Watch my morning show video above to get a glimpse of the awesome underground sight…so many miners died back in the day doing this treacherous work. To see how far down underground they went is incredible!
Interesting Outdoor Jerome Attractions
*Jerome Ghost Walk – This informative and fun 1-hour walk incorporates ghost communication gear that includes EMF readers and spirit boxes if participants are inclined to try to communicate with the spirits of Jerome. Our guide was fantastic and filled the easy trek with ghost stories and tidbits about the history of Jerome.
Stops include several outdoor landmarks and a look inside the creepy Haskins Apartments House that was built in 1888. The tour is supported by the Jerome Historical Society. A variety of other walks and history tours can also be booked through Jerome Ghost Tours here at this link.
*Bartlett Hotel Historical Marker – What’s left of the structure that was, first the Grandview Hotel and then the Bartlett Hotel, stands right in the center of the town for a free outdoor museum experience. Originally built in 1895, the property burned down in a fire in 1898 and then the Bartlett Hotel was built using brick in 1901.
During its heyday the grand building housed a newspaper, bank, drug store and shops before becoming unstable due to the slides in the 1930s. By the 1940s, it was abandoned, so what’s left is a cool sight to see. Some of the original remnants as well as the hotel’s main doors, a 1937 fire truck and more are all openly on display with no admission. Take a walk around town and stop to see this look into the past that’s located at the intersection of Main Street and 1st Avenue in Jerome.
*Jerome Sliding Jail – See what’s remaining of the Jerome jail that was built in 1908, but slid 225 feet down the hill due to the 1930s slides that happened from the mining dynamite explosions. It’s creepy and cool to see. 
Have you been to Jerome? What did I miss? Tell us in the comments section. There was so much to do and see. I plan to return to this cool, historic, ghost hunting, wine loving town!
Happy Travels Arizona style!
