Goldfield Ghost Town-Apache Junction, AZ
When you think of the desert, you don’t automatically think of fun things to do, but when we lived in Arizona and my parents came for a visit back in January 2019, we stumbled upon Goldfield Ghost Town and were all pleasantly surprised at the plethora fun things that the once thriving mine still had to offer.
Here is some history of the Goldfield Ghost Town taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com: Back in the 1890′s Goldfield boasted 3 saloons, a boarding house, general store, blacksmith shop, brewery, meat market and a schoolhouse. Just when it looked like the town would outgrow Mesa, the vein faulted, the grade of ore dropped, and the town died a slow painful death.
After several unsuccessful attempts to reopen the mines, the town did come to life again from 1910 on and off until 1926. After more than 115 years, travelers from all over the world still visit this gold mining town located on the historic Apache Trail and enjoy the excitement and grandeur of Arizona’s wild west!
Located just at the base of the Superstition Mountains, 38 minutes from Scottsdale, and 44 minutes from Phoenix, the Goldfield Ghost Town is a great way to spend an afternoon.
You could spend an entire day here with all the things to do, and the activities can be broken up into several main categories:
Activities-(see more later in this post)
Merchants-Open 10a-5p
Bakery-Open 9a-5p
Saloon-Open 11a-9p 7 days a week
Train & Mine Tour 10a-5p 7 days a week
Mom & Dad on Main Street.
The Merchants available for your shopping pleasure are:
Time After Time Antique Photography-Get your family’s photo taken in Victorian or western style. Makes for a great souvenir!
The Blue Nugget-Jewlery store
Miner’s Grill & Ice Cream Parlor
The Cactus Shoppe
Mother Lode Mercantile-southwest souvenirs (also offers free sample of fudge)
Coffee Cantina & Bakery
Border Town-Mexican Imports
Church on the Mount-Even has a worship service on Sundays at 11am!
Siphon Draw Apothecary-skincare, tea, honey, etc
The Mudslinger Pottery
Giddy Up Gormet-Hot sauce, salsa, chili pepper items
Some of the merchants (Grill & Ice cream, Giddy Up Gormet, Siphon Draw Apothecary).
There were so many beautiful places to get photos with the Superstition mountains in the background.
Another view of the mountains.
Mom and I with some of the local Cowboys.
A look down main street.
The boys in the jailhouse.
Inside the jail.
One of the coolest things you can experience is the Old West Gun Fight. On Saturdays & Sundays every hour from High Noon until 4:00pm (November through April), the actors and actresses put on a show in the center of main street.
You can tour the Goldfield Museum. $7 for Adults $4 for Seniors and $3 for Children.
The museum has interesting exhibits on the history of the area. Of particular note is the exhibit on the Lost Dutchman gold mine, perhaps the most famous mine in the country despite the fact that no one knows where it is. The second floor is a movie museum dedicated to famous westerns filmed in and around the legendary Superstition Mountains along the historic Apache Trail.-Taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com
The actors starting the gun fight!
Some of the actors during the gun fight.
Towards the end of the Gun Fight-as you can see, there are some stunts, the guns really appear to go off, and overall, it was a decent show!
We got a nice warm beverage at the coffee shop!
If you get hungry, you can always stop by the Mammoth Saloon for a bite to eat. It features authentic decor of vintage old west artifacts, and The Old West Stagecoach in the Saloon is an authentic remnant from the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona. Bob Schoose purchased it back in the mid 1980′s and meticulously restored it for display in the Mammoth Saloon. The Mammoth Steak House and Saloon occupies 7500 square feet with indoor and outdoor seating. Steaks are the specialty! The atmosphere is “Old West,” complete with Saloon Girls and entertainment! -Taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com
Image taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com
A different angle of the mountains.
You can visit Lu Lu’s Bordello for $5 and take a 10–15-minute tour hosted by a “Floozy”. The girls give a guided tour into the history of the women of the 1800’s (good and bad), their various rolls in the western territory, as well as what it was like for them to travel into the west, leaving the lives they lived in the east behind them.
The Church at The Mount is complete with an organ from the 1880′s, a pulpit that was once a pipe organ in the famous Hammond Theatre, pews built in 1931 in the style of the late 1800′s, chandeliers made from old wagon wheels, and a roughhewn wooden cross.
The full list of activities available at Goldfield Gost Town:
Mammoth Gold Mine-Tours are about 25 minutes long $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 5–12-year-olds, free under 4. It is an underground guided tour leaving every 10 minutes.
Goldfield’s Historic Museum- $7 adults, $4 seniors, $3 children.
Gold Panning & Gem Sluicing at Prospectors Palace-Open 10a-4:30p
Arizona’s Only Narrow-Gauge Train-$12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 5–12-year-olds, free under 4.
Old West Gun Fight-Saturday & Sunday November through April Every Hour from High Noon until 4pm.
Zipline-10a-6p $14
Walking Ghost Tour-1 hour long guided tour $25 adults, $22 seniors, $15 12-6-year-olds.
Apache Trail Tours-October through June. Book online at ApacheTrailTours.com or Call (480) 982-7661 today.
Superstition Reptile Exhibit-$7 adults, $5 17-6-year-olds
Eagle Eye Shooting Gallery
The Mystery Shack-$9 adults, $8 seniors, $7 12-5-year-olds. Walk at 45-degree angles, water runs from faucets without being connected to pipes, the ghostly pool-table refuses to let you hit the balls straight and always seem to go into the same pocket, objects hang from the ceiling at 45-degree angles and no matter how hard you push them back, they will always swing back to their ghostly, slanted position.
Superstitions OK Corral Stables-hourly rides all day
Lu Lu’s Bordello-$5 tours
The Church at The Mount
Stop by Prospector’s Palace to find your treasure using authentic techniques. Buy a bag of paydirt inside and use our troughs and equipment outside to sort out the gold or gemstones. Pan for gold or sluice for gems with expert instruction provided. It is fun and informative using historic techniques that are still used today! -Taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com
Getting ready to pan for gold!!
Matt is looking REALLY hard!
I think we found some treasure!
GOLD my friends! We actually found gold!
Our loot!
The Superstition Scenic Narrow-Gauge Railroad’s 36″ gauge train consists of a Plymouth diesel pulling a passenger car and a caboose. A mile and a half of track circles the town, and the narrated journey lasts 20 minutes. The engineer tells of the history of Goldfield, the Superstition Mountains, and the desert southwest in general. The train departs every 35 minutes on a 20-minute journey. -Taken from www.goldfieldghosttown.com
On the train ready to depart.
On the train.
View of the mountains from the train.
They have little areas you can only see from the train.
Another view of the mountains from the train.
The train.
You can get tickets for all 3 of the main attractions (Mine Tours, Railroad, and the Mystery Shack) that start at $30 for Adults, $25 for Seniors and $20 for kids 5 to 12. 4 and under are free! The bundle is a great deal and lets you see a ton of the town for a bargain.
They also offer Outdoor “Under the Stars” Steak Cookout & Fixins group events that include a Campfire, Storyteller, with legends of the Superstition Mountains and hot coffee. No Host and Host Bar available and this option starts at $45 per person. Talk about a fun team building event!
So, if you find yourself with some free time while visiting Arizona, you can get lost in all the things to do at Goldfield Ghost Town. Plan accordingly so that you can get everything done in the timeframe that you have and be sure to take in the views of the stunning surrounding Superstition Mountains.