Museums in Cottonwood

The Clemenceau Heritage Museum stands at 1 North Willard Street in Cottonwood. The Verde Historical Society runs it. Admission is reported as free. Open days and hours are not posted, so check clemenceaumuseum.com before driving over, because a small museum often keeps limited hours. School and group visits are usually arranged ahead of time rather than dropped in on. Displays cover the history of this part of town, and the building itself is part of that story. Ask at the door about photography rules and whether someone is available that day to walk you through what is on show.

The Arizona Copper Art Museum is at 849 Main Street in Clarkdale and shows objects made of copper. It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closes on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission is $11 for an adult, $10 for a senior, veteran or student, $5 for youth aged 10 to 17, and $3 for a child aged 5 to 9. The number is (928) 649-1858. Allow an hour or more if you read the labels, and call ahead around holidays. Ask about group rates and about access if stairs are a problem for anyone in your party.

Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum sits at 900 1st North Street, Clarkdale, AZ 86324. The phone number is (928) 649-1198. It is open Wednesday through Saturday, and the times are not the same every day. Wednesday runs 10:00 to 13:00. Thursday, Friday and Saturday run 11:00 to 14:00. So it is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and every open day is a short afternoon window. Plan around that. Map records tag it as a museum. A listing from the cottonwood-chamber-directory suggests it also belongs under nonprofits. We do not have an admission price, a website, or a description of what is on display, so call ahead if that matters to you.

Gold King Mine & Ghost Town

Out on Perkinsville Road above Jerome, Arizona, this is an open air site of old mining buildings, vintage vehicles and a working sawmill, with gold panning for visitors. It opens Wednesday through Monday and is closed Tuesdays. From March through November the gates are open from 9 to 5, and from December through February from 10 to 5. Admission is $12 for ages 13 to 79, $7 for ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under and for anyone 80 or older. Call (928) 634-0053 to check the hours before a long drive.

Run by the Jerome Historical Society, this museum sits at 200 Main Street in Jerome, Arizona. The displays cover mining, the work that built the town. Doors open daily at 10 in the morning and close at 5 in the evening. There is an admission fee, so bring a way to pay. The building is wheelchair accessible. Call (928) 634-5477 to ask what a ticket costs, or to arrange a group or a school visit. Times can shift around holidays, so a quick call before you drive up the hill can save a wasted trip. The website has more on the collection.

The park sits at 100 Douglas Road in Jerome, Arizona, on ground about 1501 meters above sea level. Its centerpiece is the Douglas Mansion, and the displays inside cover the mining that built the town. Doors are open every day from 9 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. There is a fee to enter, so bring a way to pay. The building is wheelchair accessible. Arizona State Parks manages the site. Call (928) 634-5381 to ask about current fees, tours or a group visit before you drive up the hill, since times can change around holidays.