Wickenburg

Wickenburg - a haven for all things Western along with an amazing array of charming shops - will provoke your inner cowboy to ride the range at a world-renowned guest ranch or reawaken the urge to slurp ice cream mid-afternoon while shopping on a shaded street.

Wickenburg doesn’t want you to pardon their dust, you will be charmed by it. And don’t expect a theme-park version of the Old West. The spurs have a job to do and the hats are not accessories. Wickenburg has character. You can call it the Old West but they refer to themselves as the Wild West.

Wickenburg beckons its visitors to be the cowboy they dreamed of as children. In fact, five distinct Wickenburg guest ranches offer complete Western experiences. City slickers can saddle up for horseback rides, strap in for Jeep and four-wheel tours or hike in and around the beautiful high desert area.

Back at the ranch, guests enjoy gourmet meals, a refreshing dip in the pool or a relaxing round of golf – perhaps at one of Golf Magazine’s Top 75 Golf Courses in the country, Los Caballeros Golf Club. Another option for golfers is the Wickenburg Country Club. In addition to guest ranches with names like the Kay El Bar Ranch, the Flying E Ranch and Rancho de Los Caballeros, many unique bed & breakfasts and hotels cater to the cowboy as well as the traveler.

The town motto of “Spend a Day, Out Wickenburg Way” is also backed up by a variety of restaurants, unique Western shops, day spas, historical attractions, Old West experiences, cultural activities and natural attractions.

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum, celebrating its 51ST year, is dedicated to educating and enhancing the appreciation and understanding of the art, history, cultural legacy and wonder of Arizona and the West.  The permanent collection includes significant paintings spanning  200 years of history by artists such as George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran,  Frederic Remington, Charles Russell,  Taos Society of Artists, and by contemporaries like Ed Mell and Mian Situ.   The museum offers special exhibits, lectures, workshops, classes, tours, and is also know for its nationally acclaimed exhibition, Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West.  It takes pride in being Arizona’s Most Western Museum.

The beautiful and state-of-the-art 600-seat Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts, located on the campus of Wickenburg High School is celebrating its 10th Season, and has scheduled performances from October through May in a season of shows that reflect the diversity, beauty, energy and excitement of the performing arts.

The Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce has a map for a self-guided tour of downtown historic buildings, some dating back to the early 1900s, including the 115-year-old Santa Fe Depot, now the Chamber of Commerce office and official Arizona Visitors Center. Wickenburg is the 4th oldest town in Arizona, founded in 1863.

Other notable attractions include a Santa Fe steam locomotive, a veteran of the rails between Chicago and the West; the historic Garcia “Little Red School House,” and the Jail Tree, a 200-year-old mesquite tree which once served as Wickenburg’s jail. The Massacre Monument commemorates a somber moment in history, dedicated to lives lost in an 1871 stagecoach attack by bandits, mistakenly thought to be committed by surrounding Yavapai-Apache Indians. New to the entrance into Wickenburg are beautiful bronze statues in the center of Highway 93 roundabouts which guide you easily into the downtown area.  Character bronzes with narration, provide information about our community and heritage. Murals and other beautiful life size bronzes provide enjoyment for resident and visitor alike. The historic downtown has undergone three years of improvements in streetscape and attractive benches, signs and pedestrian pathways.

Rising above the town is Vulture Peak, where one of the richest gold mines in Arizona was discovered. Today, Vulture Mine is a tantalizing remnant of mining history, showcasing original mining equipment and some of the old structures. Vulture Peak itself is an excellent, yet strenuous, hiking destination. The two-mile trail leads hikers just below the summit.
For more of the great outdoors, visit The Nature Conservancy’s Hassayampa River Preserve, with its 230 species of birds including eagles. This riparian treasure contains the spring-fed Palm Lake, a unique four-acre pond and marsh habitat.

For more than six decades, Wickenburg has hosted the award winning annual Gold Rush Days in February in celebration of its ranching and mining heritage. Activities in the historic district include arts & crafts exhibits, gold panning, a senior professional rodeo and one of the largest parades in the state. The Chamber also produces annual events such as Fiesta de Septiembre, Wickenburg Fly-In & Classic Car Show, a Bluegrass Festival, Cowboy Christmas Poets Gathering and the popular “Christmas Parade of Lights.”  Call the Chamber for all of the special event information at 928.684.5479 or online at outwickenburgway.com.

Get Wild in Wickenburg ...

•  Play cowboy at an authentic dude ranch

• Take a desert Jeep Tour

•  Watch for birds at Hassayampa River Preserve

•  Summit Vulture Peak

•  Saddle up and ride to dinner

•  Take in a round of golf at Los Caballeros Golf Club or Wickenburg Country Club

•  Tour the historic district, take the self guided historical walking tour

•  Soak up authentic culture at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and the Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts