Jerome

Route 89A takes you along a narrow, curvy mountain grade road over the summit of Mingus Mountain at 7,023 ft and down into the ghost town of Jerome.

It’s about 12 years since we last visited and although some has changed, much has stayed the same.

We parked on the visitor parking lot now I know it gets hot in Arizona, but how about this for a novel way of relieving the pressure in your radiator, or maybe they just like to have hot water on tap!

Jerome was once a copper mining town and one of the wickedest towns in Arizona and as well as mines was full of brothels and saloons.

Belgian Jennie’s is a bistro and pizzeria but she once was a real person who ran a brothel on Main Street when she died she was one of the richest people in Arizona.

It is said that the amount of copper mined in Jerome would amount to 13lbs for each person in the USA that is a lot of copper!

Once the mines closed the town was saved from becoming a total ruin as artists moved in and opened galleries, restaurants, bed and breakfasts and lovely stores.

Below is the Mile High Inn, we stayed there on our first visit, but I don’t think it was called that then. At the time we were told it was haunted, but thankfully we didn’t meet the ghost!

There is also a fabulous Christmas store, called Mooey Christmas. Yes I did go in, it’s a lovely store with some gorgeous decorations, I fell in lovely with Sydney the Snoring Bull, who when you pressed his hoof snored and grumbled, but cute as he was I just bought a couple of Christmas ornaments to add to my collection from places we visit. My friend Mrs D would just love that store and I’m not sure you’d get her out of there in much less than a week!

Jerome was also once home to the the oldest operating restaurant in Arizona, the English Kitchen, sadly this is now closed. We were told that a couple of years ago the building owners decided to double the rent, the restauranteurs decided enough was enough and it has remained closed ever since.

Jerome is a fun place and we really enjoyed our second visit.

Have fun, we are!