8 Friendliest Towns to Visit in Arizona in 2024

Home to one of the world’s most famous natural wonders, the Grand Canyon, Arizona is also home to some of the friendliest towns to visit in 2024, starting with the legendary enclaves of Superior and Winslow. Tombstone brings the Wild West alive, while Williams is a nostalgic journey along Route 66. Bisbee and Jerome invite visitors to explore the state’s rich mining heritage. At the same time, towns like Page and Sedona offer an escape into serene landscapes with spiritual landmarks like the Chapel of the Holy Cross. These towns promise history, adventure, and warm hospitality in the heart of Arizona.

Superior

Tucked at the base of Apache Leap Mountain in the Sonoran Desert is the small town of Superior. The dramatic cliff known as Apache Leap is named for a battle between the Apache and the U.S. Cavalry in which the Apache warriors chose to leap to their deaths instead of being captured. Part history and part folklore, when the tribe’s women learned of the warriors' fate, they cried tears that turned to black natural glass or obsidian. Today, “Apache tears” can be found on the trails from Apache Leap to Picket Post Mountain, a nearby popular hiking destination offering stunning views of the desert landscape.

Other significant sites in and around Superior include the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical garden, and a top tourism site. The gardens sit on 372 acres of land with nearly five miles of trails. Downtown Superior’s Main Street has unique shops, cafés, and art galleries like Picket Post Antiques, All Things Desert, and the quirky 134-foot shed known as the World’s Smallest Museum. In August 2024, the town celebrates the annual Prickly Pear Festival with art, food, live music, foraging, cook-offs, and more.

Winslow

Die-hard Eagles fans will recognize the town of Winslow, Arizona, for their country-rock classic song, “Take it Easy,” and its iconic lyric, “I’m-a-standin’ on a corner of Winslow, Arizona.” Today, visitors by the thousands still head to Standin’ on the Corner Park for a selfie with the life-size bronze statue of a man and his guitar. Near the park, the Old Trails Museum is a must-see for history buffs wanting to learn more about the surrounding area, including the Santa Fe Railway. Founded in 1859, it was one of the largest and most influential railroads in the United States and crucial in expanding the American West. The railway also gave rise to the iconic Harvey Houses and Harvey Girls, a chain of hotels and restaurants, and the young women who worked there to provide high-quality food and accommodations to railway passengers.

Winslow is home to the beautifully restored historic hotel La Posada, a 1930 National Historic Landmark and one of the last great Harvey hotels. Visitors and residents flock to its Turquoise Room restaurant, which serves contemporary Southwestern food in a replica of an elegant former Santa Fe Railway dining car.

Tombstone

Despite its ominous name, Tombstone is a friendly town famous for its Wild West history, including the infamous O.K. Corral gunfight between Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and the McLaurys and Clantons in October 1881 that left three men dead and three wounded in 30 seconds. A National Historic Site, the Tombstone of today attracts visitors from all over the world to watch daily re-enactments of the gunfight and see historic exhibits in the O.K. Corral Historic Complex.

Another popular attraction in town is the Bird Cage Theatre, one of the Old West's most iconic landmarks. It opened on Christmas day in 1881 and stayed open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. During the silver mining boom, the theater was a saloon, gambling parlor, brothel, and social hub. The name “Bird Cage” referred to the balconies (called private boxes) in the theater, which doubled as gambling spaces and spaces for prostitution. Today, it’s a museum where visitors can see the gambling tables, stage, and private boxes.

Williams

Visitors to Williams can surely get their kicks on Route 66, which runs right through the center of downtown. One of the most well-preserved sections of this iconic roadway is in Williams—which is also a gateway town to the Grand Canyon National Park—so visitors will want to stop at the Route 66 Museum and Gift Shop and explore the quirky gift shop’s collection of vintage memorabilia, Route 66 road signs, and Texaco clocks. No visit to Historic Route 66 is complete without taking a break at a classic American diner like Cruisers Route 66 Café. Shop for souvenirs at Colors of the West, where you find made-in-America goods in the Old Glory Room, hats and t-shirts in Cruise’n on Route 66, or wander into town for a visit to Poozeum, the world-famous dinosaur poop museum, and gift shop.

At the intersection of Route 66 and I-40, animal lovers can discover the 160-acre Bearizona Wildlife Park—home to rescued wildlife such as bison, black bears, bobcats, reindeer, wolves, and more. Visitors can drive through the park or ditch the car and walk through. The onsite Canyonlands Restaurant is a themed restaurant for appetizers, burgers, craft beer, and cocktails, with a view of the jaguar exhibit from the patios.

Bisbee

Bisbee is a historic mining town at the foot of the Mule Mountains, so named for their mule-like shape. During the mining boom of the 1880s, the Queen Mine was one of the richest copper-producing mines in the world. Copper. In its heyday, the mine produced billions of pounds of copper from its network of tunnels and shafts, some as deep as 1,500 feet. While the mine closed in 1975, it is now a tourist attraction with tours guided by former miners for over 50,000 visitors yearly. Nearby, look into the massive open-pit copper mine, the Lavender Pit. For more history on Bisbee’s mining heritage, visit the Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum.

What’s an old town without a few ghosts still lurking around? Book a guided Old Bisbee Ghost Tour of the town after dark, where visitors will learn about the town's haunted history and hear ghost stories. Or take a tour and encounter a different kind of spirit on the Old Bisbee Haunted Pub Crawl and visit the landmark Copper Queen Hotel.

Jerome

Jerome is a small scenic town perched on the top of Cleopatra Hill. Visitors can enjoy a stunning panoramic view of the Verde Valley and the famous red rocks of Sedona in the distance. Another former bustling copper mining community, the town of less than 500 residents is now an artist’s haven with numerous galleries and studios, like the Pura Vida Gallery, Firefly, and the Jerome Artists Cooperative Gallery, which features the work of local artists.

Visitors should bring good walking shoes to explore Jerome as most of the town is on a hillside. The Jerome Historic State Park is an excellent place to start a tour. In the center of the park, there’s the historic Douglas Mansion Museum, built in 1916 as a residence and hotel for mining magnate James S. Douglas. The museum features photographs, artifacts, and a 3-D model of the town’s underground mines. For campy fun, take the kids to the nearby Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, an attraction with old mining equipment, vintage vehicles, and historic buildings where they can also try panning for gold.

Page

The remote town of Page is ten miles south of the border between Arizona and Utah. It is an outdoor lover’s paradise, and visitors travel to Page to discover the Antelope Valley Slot Canyons. Although slot canyons—narrow, tall channels through otherwise solid rock seen in the claustrophobia-inducing movie “127 Hours”—can occur anywhere, they are primarily in the southwestern U.S., Australia, and Egypt. Not for inexperienced climbers, visitors should book a tour with Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by an experienced Navajo guide (as the canyons are on Navajo land).

Nearby Lake Powell is an artificial reservoir that is 186 miles long and has nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline. The best way to see the lake and learn about its history and geology is to take a boat tour from Wahweap Marina at the Lake Powell Resort. Choose from a two-hour dinner cruise to a 90-minute tour of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River or a Lone Rock Boat Tour to a large sandstone in Wahweap Bay. Page is known for its festivals, and the biggest festival takes place from October 31 - November 3, 2024, at the Balloon Regatta over Lake Powell and the surrounding canyons.

Sedona

Sedona welcomes visitors with its natural beauty, artistic charm, and spiritual vibe. This beautiful town has so much to do that visitors should book a week-long stay. In Uptown Sedona, visitors will find vibrant streets lined with various restaurants, art galleries, and gift shops. Download a Sedona Gallery Art Walk and take a self-guided tour of 25 galleries, with a long stop at the landmark Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village. On the first Friday of every month, join the Sedona art scene on a free trolley to galleries specializing in Navajo-inspired jewelry, New Age-inspired works, tarot imagery, and Native American motifs.

On any visit to Sedona, other landmarks to see are the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which sits 1,000 feet high atop the red rocks and is inspired by the construction of the Empire State Building. Red Rock State Park is renowned for its red rock formations, miles of hiking trails, and eagle-watching. The iconic hike to the spiritually significant Cathedral Rock is a relatively short 1-mile, out-and-back trail, but it has steep sections on the climb to the summit. Another popular trail is the Bell Rock Loop Trail, which takes hikers on a 1 to 1.5-mile walk to the famous Bell Rock formation and offers a stunning view of the Red Rock Country. Be warned that the ascent to the top is difficult.

Discover Arizona's Warm Hospitality

Explore Arizona in 2024, from the dramatic legends of Apache Leap to the Wild West allure of Tombstone. Each town offers unique experiences, whether it's Route 66 nostalgia, mining history, or artistic inspiration. Arizona welcomes visitors with warm hospitality and a blend of natural wonders, cultural richness, and historical intrigue throughout its friendly towns.