Experience Prescott

Located at 3101 Watson Lake Rd, the lake is accessible from Highway 89. This beautiful lake, just four miles away from downtown Prescott, features fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, camping, and day picnicking – something for everyone. The scenic park allows access to Watson Woods, as well as the boulders of the Granite Dells. Showers are available for overnight campers (overnight camping is only available during the summer months). Amenities Include: Two boat launches Courtesy dock Fish cleaning stations Picnic ramadas Ceremony Pad Large Turf Area Restrooms Horseshoe pits Picnic tables Barbecue grills Playground equipment Hiking trails Overnight camping (summer months only) Showers for campers No Swimming Fishing 18 Hole Disc Golf

The ‘Tis Art Center & Gallery: Featuring two galleries of contemporary art inside the beautifully restored 1893 ‘Tis Building Showcasing art by Prescott area artists, the ‘Tis Art Center and Gallery is conveniently located across from Prescott’s Courthouse Plaza. ‘Tis Building in Historic Downtown Prescott, Arizona ‘Tis Art Center & Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Unlike conventional art galleries, the ‘Tis galleries feature affordable fine art paintings, photography and sculpture all of which are displayed in museum style fashion. A charming parlor area with a relaxing comfortable settee awaits visitors near the rear of the main floor gallery. Within it you will find some of the most beautiful handcrafted jewelry and wearable art in the state. There is always something new to see and experience. The exhibits change every month and artist receptions take place on the 4th Friday of every month in conjunction with Prescott’s 4th Friday Art Walk. The Art Center also offers a Third Floor Banquet Hall that is ideal for weddings, receptions, parties, educational meetings, and fundraisers. It features a full kitchen, restrooms, a covered outdoor patio and an ambiance that reflects the elegance and charm of the late 19th century. The rental rates are surprisingly affordable, and proceeds go to ‘Tis for the wonderful community services we provide. In 2013 we opened ‘Tis Annex Art Education Building on Marina Street. It is home to our STEPS Art Education Program for Children. Classroom spaces for workshops are also available.

Matt’s Longhorn Saloon has been a part of Prescott’s famous "Whiskey Row" since the early 1960’s and is still going strong today as one of Prescott’s last true Honky Tonks. Occupying the historic D. Levy Building, built in 1901 as a mercantile, then becoming a saloon just at the end of prohibition in 1934, Matt’s Saloon has become an internationally recognized and highly acclaimed destination place for country music. Great country western acts such as Buck Owens, Lee Hazelwood and Waylon Jennings entertained Matt’s customers in the early to mid 60’s and more recently, in 2003, Andy Griggs and Leland Martin performed. Even legendary rock & roller Bruce Springsteen has a special connection with Matt’s Saloon. With all that aside, we invite you to belly up to the bar, make a friend, enjoy a cold one and two-step the night away on our magnificent 1200 square foot oak dance floor. Take a look back in time as our picture-covered walls capture the endless memories Matt’s has given to many over the past forty years. Don’t forget, if anyone asks you “Where’d ya get dem red eyes?” ... you just tell 'em at Matt’s Longhorn Saloon. So Giter’ Done!

The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium came to Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University in 2017 with the construction of the STEM Education Center. Learn more about The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium's origin and get a look at what lies ahead!

The Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center is Northern Arizona’s premiere entertainment venue, with theater seating for 1,064 and featuring the best in live performance and satellite broadcasts. Our mission is to enrich the quality of life in Yavapai County by providing diverse experiences that inspire, educate, and entertain, instilling a life-long appreciation of performing arts and providing a unique place to host educational and informational events for the college, surrounding communities, and visitors. Yavapai College Performance Hall was complete in 1992, the dream of Dr. Paul Walker – then President of Yavapai College and the driving force behind the bond passage to build the hall. The first concert in the new facility was the Phoenix Symphony on April 26, presented by the Yavapai Symphony Association. After being known for many years as Yavapai College Performing Arts Center (YCPAC), on March 10, 2023 Yavapai College and the Yavapai College Foundation announced the renaming to the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center, approved by the College’s District Governing Board in February and as an acknowledgment of the creation of the Jim & Linda Lee Endowment for the Performing Arts at Yavapai College. The endowment will provide sustainable support for the performing arts at Yavapai College and continue to bring top-of-the-line talent to our community through the Performing Arts Center.

The Prescott Fire Department has held in trust all items the community left at Station 7 and sent from around the world mourning the loss of the Granite Mountain Hotshots on June 30, 2013. Community members called for action on the items, and recognize the need for a place to commemorate the nineteen fallen hotshots. Over the ensuing months, a nonprofit group was born: The Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew Learning and Tribute Center.

The Natural History Institute engages the next generation of naturalists to reunite science, humanities, and art in the practice of natural history. We nurture hope by combining traditional observational tools and practices with modern technology and global information sharing to help people develop attitudes and skills to meaningfully connect with the natural world, and to contribute understanding and innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. We provide easily accessible public programs, research facilities to document the biodiversity of the Mogollon Highlands ecoregion and facilitate a national conversation on a renaissance of natural history generating creative ideas and proactive strategies for engagement.

Local artist and first president of the Cowboy Artists of America, George Phippen, passed away in 1966 at the age of 50 and never saw the museum that bears his name. But being a man dedicated to his Western art and supportive of others in like pursuit, he would no doubt be proud of the role the Phippen Museum plays today in the continued presentation, promotion and preservation of Art of the American West. When the plan for a Western Museum was first initiated in 1974, it was George’s friends, family and fellow artists who raised public support and the funds necessary for the project. With their enthusiastic backing, the community’s heartfelt generosity and funds raised through an annual Western art show and sale, the museum was finished and opened its doors to visitors in 1984.

The Museum of Indigenous People (MIP) is the only museum in the Greater Prescott Area devoted to the culture and art of Native people.​Our mission is “To instill understanding and respect for the indigenous cultures of the southwest.”​We are governed by our Board of Trustees and have three full-time employees, two additional staff, and a dedicated volunteer base. Several of our workforce are of Native heritage, and we rely on them and our Native advisors to help further our mission and vision. The stone buildings on the campus are on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum construction was completed in 1935 by a non-Native, community-minded social group, the Smoki People, with assistance from depression-era work program participants. The museum took the name of its founders. In February 2020, the museum was renamed to best reflect the cultural resources in our holdings as well as the Native community we serve. The MIP is a venue where the Native voice is heard and appreciated! On exhibit are pre-historic, historic, and contemporary examples of Indian cultural and artistic material from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Our focus is to enlighten the public and broaden their knowledge of the Native cultures of this part of the world, irrespective of political boundaries.

The Sharlot Hall Museum, located two blocks west of Prescott’s Courthouse Plaza, is one of Arizona’s premier history museums. Its four-acre campus tells Arizona’s story through exhibits, gardens, and historic buildings, including the 1864 Territorial Governor’s Mansion. Events and programs include the annual Sharlot’s Cellar, Prescott Indian Art Market, Frontier Christmas, monthly Living History Adventure days, and more. The Library and Archives, open to the public, hold a vast collection of rare books, original documents, historical photographs, maps and oral history.

Opened in eighteen seventy seven Although Whiskey Row was known for its many saloons, The Palace was much more than a fancy "watering hole". Men came in to check for notices of work available; it served as an election central for several political races and cattle spreads; and mineral claims were bought and sold over the bar. The Palace is still the oldest frontier saloon in Arizona and the most well-known and historic restaurant and saloon in the state. In the late 1870s, Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday were patrons of the Palace. Virgil and his wife Allie lived in Prescott where Virgil owned a saw mill at Thumb Butte and was Town Constable. Wyatt and his other brother, Morgan, visited Virgil in Prescott before they left for Tombstone. Doc was on a winning streak on Whiskey Row (possibly at The Palace) where he won $10,000 playing poker. He joined the Earps eight months later in Tombstone. On July 14th, 1900, The Palace was destroyed by the Whiskey Row fire. The ornately carved 1880s Brunswick Bar, which is still in use, was carried to safety across the street to the plaza by patrons.​In order to rebuild, the owner Bob Brow formed a partnership with Ben M. Belcher and Barney Smith, owners of the former Cabinet Saloon, also destroyed in the fire. By 1901, The Palace Hotel and Bar, complete with Chinese restaurant and barber shop was back in business. The Palace has undergone extensive renovations to restore it to its former grandeur while maintaining the history and wild west atmosphere.

Our mission is to preserve and promote the Prescott area’s western heritage through education, art, music, events and projects that enhance its western lifestyle, making Prescott and Yavapai County unique and desirable places to live and visit.​