America's Largest Ghost Town in Jerome, AZ

Audrey Headframe State Park

Jerome is a tiny town a couple hours outside of Sedona, AZ. It's got a rich mining history and is valiant in the way it has continued to remain alive through fires and copper mines shutting down. The shops are fun to visit along the main street as well as some other local stops. It was a fun trip but it may not be worth a second visit. Still, I had a good time and would recommend going if you've never been.

1,900ft Drop

Audrey Headframe Park - You Should Go
This Park is no bigger than a children's playground and doesn't look like much from the road, but it was actually one of the coolest things we saw in Jerome. It's technically inside of Jerome State Historic Park. It looked like an abandoned construction site but there was a sign on the gate door that read "Open" so we went in. It's actually the entrance to an old mine shaft that goes 1,900 feet into the earth (that's deeper than the Empire State Building is high). There's a thick glass platform over the top of the shaft that you can stand on and look down. It was not my favorite thing to experience, but I did like looking down from the side of the opening. It's FREE and definitely worth a stop.

Jerome State Historic Park - You Should Go
Jerome State park is down a little road jutting off the main road going through Jerome. At the end of the road you'll find the Douglass Mansion. Here you'll find the true stories about the old town. The rooms in the mansion are mostly gutted (except for a few decorated to the period it was made) and contain the history of the town and the families that lived there. My favorite part was the video explaining all the buildings in the area and what they used to be. If you go outside, there's a map and you can actually see the buildings they refer to before going into town and seeing them up close. It only cost $5 a person (ages 14 and up) and it was fun and informative.

Holy Family Catholic Church

Holy Family Church - You Might Like It
This was one of the buildings in the video. It's a catholic church that's been around since the late 1800's. The doors are open during the day so you can go inside and look around. It had tin wall coverings and lots of interesting art. If you're creaped out by churches, you might now like this. For the history, I thought it was a good stop.

The view of the inside.

"Ghost Town" Gold King Mine - Don't Go
This little "gem" (sarcastic quotes) was all the way at the end of one of the roads leading through Jerome. It's basically a junk yard of old cars and work vehicles that have been left to rot in the elements. There's a little store at the end, but really this place isn't even worth driving through.

The "Haunted Hotel"