A Night on Whiskey Row: Prescott's Historic Saloon Street

Some towns have a main street. Prescott has Whiskey Row — a single, storied block on Montezuma Street, facing the grassy Courthouse Plaza, that has been the beating heart of the town’s nightlife since the 1860s.

A little history

Prescott was born in 1864 when gold turned up in the central Arizona highlands, and for a time it was the capital of the Arizona Territory. The strip of Montezuma Street across from the courthouse filled with saloons — by some counts around 40 of them packed into one block, which is how it earned its name.

In July 1900, a fire tore through downtown and leveled the Row. The most famous story of that night: patrons of The Palace hauled the saloon’s ornate carved bar across the street to the Courthouse Plaza and kept right on drinking while the building burned. The bar survived — and so did the Row, rebuilt in brick and still going.

What to do on the Row today

It’s a walk-once, wander-the-block kind of evening:

• The Palace — billed as Arizona’s oldest frontier saloon (1877), with that rescued Brunswick bar still in place. Great for dinner and a sense of history.
• Live music — several rooms have bands most weekends, from country two-stepping to rock; the Row is at its liveliest after dark on a Friday or Saturday.
• Dinner & drinks — saloons, pubs, and restaurants line both sides; you won’t walk far for a good meal or a local beer.
• Courthouse Plaza — right across the street, the tree-shaded square hosts festivals and concerts much of the year and is the prettiest spot in town for a pre-dinner stroll.

A few tips

Weekend nights are busy (that’s the fun). Park once and explore on foot. And plan your ride home — our two cabins are a quiet 15–20 minutes away in the Groom Creek pines, so you can enjoy the Row and still wake up to birdsong.

Make a night of it: see what’s open and pair Whiskey Row with a day on the lakes and trails.