Things to do in Cottonwood

Cottonwood sits in the middle of the Verde Valley, about 20 miles southwest of Sedona and 100 miles north of Phoenix. It is where most valley residents shop, and it has become the base for Arizona wine country. Here is what there is to do, grouped by type. Hours and fees are from each place’s own site and were checked on the date above; they change, so check the listing before you go.

Old Town

Old Town is the stretch of North Main Street north of the SR 89A junction. It is a few blocks long, flat, and easy to walk. Most of the tasting rooms, restaurants, and shops are here. Our Old Town guide covers it block by block, with parking.

Tasting rooms on Main Street include Arizona Stronghold, Burning Tree Cellars, Cellar 433, DA Vines, Rubrix, and Tantrum Wines. Merkin Vineyards Hilltop is on the hill just off Main Street and serves wood-fired pizza and pasta with its wines.

On the river

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is the big one. It sits on the Verde River at the north edge of town, with lagoons for fishing, a campground and cabins, and trails that connect to the national forest. Entry is $10 per vehicle for one person, $20 for two to four people, and $5 for walk-ins and bikes. The visitor center is open 8 AM to 4:30 PM daily. Day-use hours shift by season, so check the park page.

Riverfront Park is the city park on the river with a dog park (separate small and large dog areas), disc golf, a skate park, and ball fields. It hosts the Verde Valley Wine Festival and Thunder Valley Rally. It is free.

The Old Town Jail Trail is a flat walk that connects Old Town to Riverfront Park and the Verde River. The trailhead and its parking are at 1101 N. Main Street. The city does not publish the distance, so we are not going to invent one.

History nearby

Tuzigoot National Monument is a hilltop pueblo just across the river in Clarkdale, about 5 minutes from Old Town. Open 9 AM to 4:45 PM daily; $10 per adult, which also covers Montezuma Castle for 7 days.

Verde Canyon Railroad leaves from Clarkdale for a ride of three and a half to four hours into the canyon, Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back. There is no coach class to choose against: the railroad prices every seat the same, $139 for anyone aged one and over through 2026, with infants under a year free on a lap. Special runs such as the Uncorked Wine Festival and the Grape Train Escape are $175. Every ticket includes the open-air viewing cars. No pets.

Jerome is 15 minutes up the hill. See the Jerome State Historic Park and Gold King Mine listings.

Evenings

Blazin’ M Ranch, next to Dead Horse Ranch, does a Western chuckwagon dinner and show Wednesday through Sunday. Gates open at 5 PM, dinner is at 6:30, and the show runs 7:30 to 8:30. The 2026 general ticket is $79.95, about $84.75 with tax, and covers the dinner and the show. VIP is $109.95, about $115.54 with tax, and adds premium seating, a drink ticket, and an earlier place in the dinner line. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Tantrum Wines has happy hour Monday through Thursday, 4 to 6 PM. Merkin Hilltop is open until 10 PM on Friday and Saturday. Several rooms put on live music, but none publishes a schedule we can rely on week to week, so check the events page or the room’s own page rather than this one.

Weekends and seasons

• The Verde Valley Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings in Camp Verde, 20 minutes away, May into early October. See the farmers market guide.
• The Fine Arts Fair in Old Town and the Arizona Wine Country Artists Village are both on the calendar for October 9 to 11, 2026. Check the events page for what is on this weekend.
• The Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival is at Dead Horse Ranch each April (April 22, 2027 next).

Getting around

Cottonwood has no paid parking. Old Town has free street parking on Main Street and in lots behind the buildings; it gets tight on festival weekends. Cottonwood is the natural base for a day trip that hits Jerome in the morning, Old Town for lunch, and the Page Springs wineries in Cornville in the afternoon.

For more, see the Cottonwood town page.