Courthouse Plaza: The Heart of Prescott

Every great mountain town has a center, and in Prescott it’s the Courthouse Plaza, a full city block of elm-shaded lawn wrapped around the grand old county courthouse. It’s been the heart of the town, geographically and spiritually, since the very beginning.

A little history

Prescott was platted in 1864, and the plaza was part of the plan from day one. The Yavapai County Courthouse you see today was built in 1916 (designed by architect William N. Bowman) and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. At the center of the lawn stands a historic bandstand. There’s been one here since 1895, when a new one went up just in time for the Fourth of July.

The plaza has had its big moments, too: in 1964, Prescott’s own Barry Goldwater launched his presidential campaign from the courthouse steps.

What happens there

The short answer is everything. For more than 140 years the plaza has hosted Prescott’s celebrations, and the calendar is busy nearly year-round:

• Concerts on the bandstand on warm evenings.
• Art shows, craft fairs, and antique markets spread across the lawn.
• The Christmas lighting, Prescott isn’t called “Arizona’s Christmas City” for nothing, and the plaza is the centerpiece (more in our winter guide).
• Festivals tied to summer events like Frontier Days.

The easiest stroll in town

Even on a quiet day it’s a lovely spot: find a bench under the big trees, grab a slice of shade, and watch the town go by. Whiskey Row runs right along one side, Bill’s Pizza faces another, and shops and cafés ring the rest, so the plaza is an easy home base for an afternoon downtown.

It’s all about 15 minutes from our cabins, close enough for dinner and a concert, far enough to sleep in the quiet. Find your weekend.

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Courthouse photo by Upstateherd, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.