15 cool Western experiences around Phoenix

It’s only right to want to explore Western life in Arizona. And ’round about these parts, there are lots of ways to do it — by getting a taste (at a restaurant or saloon) or by saddling up and taking the cowboy life for a test drive. Here are a 15 ways to lasso the Old West.

Rawhide

Hold on to your holster. Rawhide is the quintessential Western experience, and even for locals it’s a place everyone must visit. It’s where you can ride a burro, watch a gunfight, pan for gold and try to stay atop the mechanical bull known as the Widowmaker. If you’re not thrilled with your companion, have that person arrested or tie the knot in a classic shotgun wedding for $10.

Details: 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Fridays; noon-10 p.m. Saturdays; noon-8 p.m. Sundays. 5700 W. North Loop Road, Gila River Reservation. Free admission. 480-502-5600, rawhide.com.

Pioneer Living History Museum

Buildings at the museum date to the 1800s. In other words, there’s no Wi-Fi connection. The historical village encompasses 90 acres in north Phoenix and is filled with authentic buildings and historically accurate replicas. Those who “live” on-site, including the cowboys and sheriffs, wear authentic costumes. Visit the opera house, a miner’s cabin, an 1890s dress shop and, of course, the hoosegow.

Details: June 1-September 5: 7 a.m.-11 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. September 6-May 31: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. 3901 W. Pioneer Road, Phoenix. $9; $8 for veterans and seniors; $7 for age 17 or younger, free for children under age 5. 623-465-1052, pioneeraz.com.

Desert Caballeros Western Museum

Pack a snack and drive out Wickenburg way for a day at this museum, which opened in 1969 with the vision of preserving the essence of Wickenburg and the Arizona Territory. It features an extensive Western art collection, an exhibit that focuses on Arizona’s mining heritage and numerous Native American artifacts.

Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; noon-4 p.m. Sundays; closed on Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 21 N. Frontier St. $9; $7 for seniors and AAA members; free for active military and a guest, and for age 17 or younger. 928-684-2272, westernmuseum.org.

Tortilla Flat

The Historic Apache Trail winds its way to Tortilla Flat, which began as a stagecoach stop in the early 1900s. You’ll find prickly-pear ice cream, a restaurant decorated with dollar bills and a population sign that counts just six residents. Saddle up at the bar (really, the bar stools are saddles) and cool off with a root beer or something a little stronger.

Details: June 1-September 30: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. October 1-May 31: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 1 Main St., Tortilla Flat. 480-984-1776, tortillaflataz.com.

Cave Creek Museum

When you think of the Cave Creek Museum, think headlamp. The museum features historical collections related to the area’s gold-mining past. The museum also includes an archaeology wing that showcases artifacts from ancient cultures that lived in the area.

Details: October-May: 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; 10 a.m.-4:40 p.m. Friday. 6140 E. Skyline Drive, Cave Creek. $5, $3 for seniors, $2 for age 12 or older, free for children younger than 12. 480-488-2764, cavecreekmuseum.org.

San Tan Flat Grill & Saloon

Is there anything more Western than fighting the local government and winning? San Tan Flat fought for the right to allow dancing at its indoor-outdoor place, so now they scoot boots. Musicians entertain patrons who sit around campfires and roast the perfect marshmallow. Go ahead and two-step. Everyone else will.

Details: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 6185 W. Hunt Highway, Queen Creek. 480-882-2995, santanflat.com.

Goldfield Ghost Town

There’s nothing to be afraid of at Goldfield Ghost Town. Really. Except for the Old West shootout (it’s just pretend). The historical town offers tours of the Mammoth Gold Mine and rides on the state’s only narrow-gauge train. If you want to be spooked, visit the Mystery Shack. Locals can’t explain it, but the old miner’s house causes visitors to walk at angles and see water running from faucets that aren’t connected to pipes.

Details: Town: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Saloon: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. 4650 E. Mammoth Mine Road, Goldfield. 480-983-0333, goldfieldghosttown.com.

Wells Fargo History Museum

Remember the summer’s heat, and then imagine riding in the 19th-century stagecoach featured prominently at the Wells Fargo History Museum, which celebrates the company’s role in the West. The museum is one of several across the country owned by the banking giant and former express company. While visiting, climb into the stagecoach, fiddle with an interactive telegraph or enjoy N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations displayed on-site.

Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 145 W. Adams St., Phoenix. Free. 602-378-1852, www.wellsfargohistory.com.

The Museum of Casa Grande

The railroad used to end in Casa Grande, which wasn’t even Casa Grande at the time (ever heard of Terminus, Ariz.?). Those historical nuggets are just two issues the museum addresses, along with how irrigation systems brought cotton fields to dusty plains. The museum features photo essays of migration, as well as a miniature agricultural display.

Details: September-May: noon-4 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays; 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. the second Saturday of every month. June-September: noon-4 p.m., the second Saturday of every month. 110 W. Florence Blvd, Casa Grande. $5, $4 for seniors, free for children and members. 520-836-2223, tmocg.

Canyon Creek Ranch

Pack your Stetson for a day at Canyon Creek Ranch, nestled in the more than 400,000 acres of the Agua Fria National Monument near the Bradshaw Mountains. The ranch offers all a cowboy or -girl could need, including horseback rides to the ghost town of Coldwater, skeet shooting and an authentic setting, featuring stagecoaches, dusty roads and steer roping.

Details: Activies are private and by appointment only. 22100 Tara Springs Road, Black Canyon City. 623-374-5245, westerndestinations.com.

Arizona Cowboy College

Itching to be a genuine cowboy? Cowboy U at the Arizona Cowboy College in Scottsdale can teach you how.

What used to be a reality competition on the cable-TV channel CMT lives on, with city slickers learning to ride, rope, pen and sort. They even offer a kids riding camp for pint-size cowboys and cowgirls.

Details: 30208 N. 152nd St., Scottsdale. 480-471-3151, cowboycollege.com.

Heard Museum

The Heard Museum celebrates the Native American culture with art and sculpture. Exhibits encompass Indian life, from artifacts to paintings to jewelry. The museum includes outdoor space and performance areas and works to create an authentic experience by partnering with Native residents.

Details: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays; 6 p.m.-10 p.m. First Fridays. 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. $18, $13.50 for seniors 65 or older, $7.50 for students with an ID and ages 6-12, free for age 5 or younger, museum members, Native Americans and during First Fridays. 602-252-8840, heard.org.

Ponderosa Livery Stable

See the desert by horseback, just as the pioneers did. Tucked inside South Mountain Park, Ponderosa Livery Stable offers more than 50 miles of trail riding and rides, including breakfast rides and sunset rides. They’ve been in business for more than 40 years, giving riders a glimpse of wildlife, foliage and rock formations.

Details: 10215 S. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-268-1261, arizona-horses.com.

Fort McDowell Adventures

A short drive up Arizona 87, and visitors are transported to a cowboy getaway. The outpost offers a wide variety of guided tours including hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, stand-up paddle boarding, kayak, rafting and horseback riding. If you’re arriving by bus, kick off the activities by surprising your group with a bus hold up where two people will be taken into custody by the outposts’s law enforcement characters in a flurry of gunfire.

Details: 14803 N. Hiawatha Hood Road, Fort McDowell Reservation. 480-816-6465, fortmcdowelladventures.com.

Buffalo Chip Saloon

That’s not a mechanical bull. That’s a real bull, horns, hooves and all. The Buffalo Chip in Cave Creek has something going every night, from live music and dancing to live professional bullriding. What began as a feed-and-bait shop for boaters on the way to Bartlett and Horseshoe lakes now is a bustling Western saloon that draws folks from miles around. You’ll need dancing shoes seven days of the week, but the bulls buck on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Details: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. 6811 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek. 480-488-9118, buffalochipsaloon.com.

Note

Call ahead for summer and winter hours and days.