Arizona's 5 Coolest Small Towns, According To Tourism Pros

There's a lot for travelers to love across the diverse landscape of the nation's sixth-largest state. After all, Arizona is home to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon. Beyond that, there's a lot more to discover and uncover across its more than 113,000 square miles of forests, desert oases, and majestic mountains. Whether you're headed to Arizona's best attractions or its best destinations for real winter weather, you'll find bucket list destinations at every corner. Among them are a number of cool towns in Arizona favored by local travel professionals, many of which many house some of the state's favorite attractions.

These five towns will find you traversing multiple regions and uncovering everything from ghost towns to art havens. To be considered a cool small town, each one offers enough diverse attractions for visitors with varied interests, despite being smaller than a metropolitan area. What ties them together is that they offer unique aspects of Arizona history, distinctive character, and proximity to nature and scenic landscapes. Several are also standouts for their artist communities, or local beverage and food scenes, while others represent the Wild West character synonymous with the state.

This list was compiled based on recommendations made by tourism professionals from several sites, including Visit Arizona, the official website of the state's Office of Tourism. These destinations could be considered must-do locales and cover a lot of ground across the state, offering a well-rounded tour if you choose to see them all.

Starting in the northern half of the state, Prescott is a breezy highland town of trails, saloons, and sunshine. With a current population of just under 50,000 residents, it's the largest city to make the coolest small towns list. Tourism pros share that Prescott's history, Wild West feel, and expansive outdoor recreation opportunities are what make the town worthy of this inclusion. 

Prescott served as Arizona's territorial capital in 1864, but portions of downtown succumbed to a fire in 1900. According to Visit Arizona, Prescott's downtown features more than 700 homes and businesses on the National Register of Historic Places, primed for history lovers to take a self-guided history walk. A great place to start is the 1916 Yavapai County Courthouse Square, making sure to include the 1905 Prescott Elks Theater and Performing Arts Center in your tour. Head to The Sharlot Hall Museum to learn about the state's Old West history among multiple exhibits and buildings. 

Prescott's elevation of 5,200 feet, surrounded by the lush green of the Prescott National Forest, made up of 145,000 acres of ponderosa pines, means visitors can enjoy cooler temperatures than much of the typical desert landscape. For enjoying the outdoors, head out on any of Prescott's 400 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, or venture to Watson Lake for boating or paddling. You can close out a busy day of exploring along Prescott's Whiskey Row, home to The Palace Restaurant and Saloon, the oldest saloon in Arizona (circa late 1870s).

The historic town of Jerome, once called the "Wickedest Town In The West," but now a picturesque haven for artists, is a must-do. A hillside gem in the heart of the scenic Verde Valley, Jerome has a rich mining history, notoriety as a ghost town, art galleries, and even a wine scene. It's home to approximately 450 residents and is located less than an hour from Prescott. 

You can start at Jerome State Park, with its breathtaking panoramic desert views, to learn about Jerome's haunting past and the reason for its reputation. The exhibits are located inside and outside the former Douglas Mansion, with expansive views of the Verde Valley below. Then head within the walls of the ghost town brought back from extinction, filled with shops, museums, and historical buildings displaying its past. If you're into spooky stories, you'll want to book one of the local ghost tours. The Jerome Historical Society Mine Museum is a worthwhile stop to learn about the Little Daisy Copper Mine. 

One of the more notable restaurants is the Haunted Hamburger, a Tripadvisor's Traveler's Choice Award winner. You'll also find a slew of wine tasting rooms in Jerome, fit for a self-guided winery tour, and it's one of the stops along the Verde Valley Wine Trail, which runs through several nearby towns. 

Bisbee, with a population of under 5,000 people, is a historic mining and ghost town in southern Arizona. This high-desert city with quirky shops and walkable streets is home to Arizona's "best downtown," and it's located less than 15 miles from the Mexico border at the base of the Mule Mountains. Much like Jerome, it's known for its mining history, artisan community, quirky character, festivals, and events. A town or ghost tour is a good way to get a feel for the city. You can also explore deep underground on a mine tour, or view exhibits at the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum.

Once voted Travel + Leisure's "Best Small Desert Town," it was the art community that saved Bisbee from becoming a ghost town following the closure of the last mine in 1975. Local area travel writer Jamie Killin (via Thrillist) suggests meandering through the abundance of art galleries, antique shops, and unique stores set amongst the eclectic architecture and free-spirited town vibe for a complete experience. On the second Saturday of each month, art lovers can take part in the Bisbee After 5 Art Walk.

For outdoor recreation, Bisbee has nine downtown staircases, for a total of 1,034 stairs, dubbed the "Bisbee 1000," which are part of an annual 4.5-mile race where participants climb all of them. The Bisbee 1000 Great Stair Climb was highlighted by Budget Travel, which designated Bisbee as "Arizona's coolest small town in 2023."

With Arizona being home to approximately 385 miles of historic Route 66 (aka the Mother Road), one of its many towns along the way should be included. Home to just under 3,500 residents, Williams is a unique, quirky town with a historic downtown in the northwestern corner of the state. In the USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2024, Williams was named "Best Small Town in the West" for its proximity to adventure and Route 66 ties.

Williams is also considered the gateway to the Grand Canyon's South Rim and the departure point of the Grand Canyon Railway, a top attraction for visitors. The iconic two-hour train ride offers scenic views along its 65-mile route, with six different classes of service to choose from and an on-site hotel. Williams is also home to Bearizona Wildlife Park, a 160-acre drive-through wildlife park where you can spy black and grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and a number of other species.

If you're seeking Route 66 kitsch, there's plenty for history buffs and those looking for Americana lore to explore through the museums, neon signs, soda fountains, and shops Williams has to offer, according to journalist and photographer Branden Eastwood (via Visit Arizona). Keep the Route 66 vibes going by visiting Cruisers Route 66 Cafe, a classic 1950s diner with a full bar and gift shop housed inside a former gas station. From Williams, you can continue your journey along the Mother Road's history by heading 42 miles west to Seligman, the birthplace of Historic Route 66.

Not to be confused with South America's infamous region, the 800-or-so-resident town of Patagonia lies an hour south of Tucson and 20 miles north of the Mexican border.  Located at 4,000 feet in elevation, Patagonia, considered one of the state's best-kept secrets, shares boundaries with the Coronado National Forest, and both the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains towering above it. If you venture here, you'll experience its historic downtown, arts community, burgeoning wine region, and accessibility to nature.

History buffs can embark on a self-guided walking tour of the former ranching, mining, and railroad town with a downloadable brochure and map. Start at the Visitor Center set inside the former 1900s railroad depot. Be sure to include the Patagonia Museum along the way. Art lovers can time their visits for the annual Patagonia Fall Festival, which showcases more than 120 local artisans and features live music, food, and wine. For wine tasting, the Sonoita-Elgin Wine Region is the state's first designated AVA (American Viticultural Area), with 20 wineries to explore, per Visit Arizona. 

Visit Arizona also notes that the area lies between several mountain ranges with elevations between 6,000 and 10,000 feet, known as the Sky Islands. It's home to five varied habitats and more than 7,000 species of plants and animals. The Visit Sky Islands website notes the area is particularly popular for bird species. One of the notable places to enjoy birdwatching is at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve. You can also enjoy birdwatching along with other scenic adventures of camping, boating, fishing, and swimming in Patagonia Lake State Park. 

With so many worthy small towns to choose from for an Arizona adventure, narrowing the selection was challenging. The state's historical landmarks and varied scenic landscapes offer plenty of worthy towns ripe for exploration. We also considered their geographic location within the state, offering a selection from both the northern and southern regions, making for a well-rounded tour of the Grand Canyon State.

In creating this list of the five coolest small towns, we began with a base list from Visit Arizona, the state tourism agency, and compared it with lists from other outlets. We utilized articles by U.S. News & World Report, Travel + Leisure, Thrillist, and others. To be considered a small town, we used 50,000 as the maximum population number. Some towns had fewer than 1,000 residents but still featured a good mix of history, character, and tourist-worthy attractions that people would want to visit.