Holbrook, Arizona, a town about an hour and a half out of Flagstaff, is a town steeped in the history of many cultures, not just white settlers. The Anasazi, the Puebloans, and finally the Navajo and Apache Native Americans all called Holbrook their home at one point or another, long before Coronado traversed the West looking for the seven cities of Cibola. Today, Holbrook is home to Native American and pioneer descendants alike, all of whom are happy to share their history with visitors. Besides museums, the town is also home to multiple vendors of Arizona minerals, making it easy for every visitor to find the perfect souvenir. And while the Grand Canyon is the most popular natural sight in Arizona, at Holbrook you can see one of the most beautiful: The Petrified National Forest and Painted Desert. While you can find several vacation stays and cabin rentals in nearby cities such as Show Low, Holbrook itself comes packed with plenty of cozy accommodations. If you bring your fur babies along for the ride, you can make them feel at home with its many pet-friendly hotels. Check out our list of the best things to do in Holbrook, Arizona.
1. Roxy Theater
Roxy Theater offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for tourists traveling along the famous Route 66. This local cinema spot takes pride in claiming to be the only operating theater along the very highway. If you’re on a pit stop and in need of a refresher, this place may be right up your alley after all.
The theater originally opened in 1954 and then renovated in 2003. Enjoy the latest flick while munching on classic theater snacks, including popcorn, nachos, and drinks. Additionally, group showings, birthday parties, and field trips can also be accommodated at this unique attraction in Holbrook.
Roxy Theater
Address: 153 W Hopi Dr, Holbrook, AZ 86025, United States
Website: Roxy Theater
Price: From 7 USD for adults; 3 USD (children 13 years old and young as well as senior citizens)
2. Navajo County Fairgrounds
Navajo County Fairgrounds is a happening place where fairs and rodeos are held on a regular basis. You can also find trade shows and other events hosted here. To make the most of your visit, you can participate in fun events like barrel races and enjoy the food and drink on offer. It’s a great way of knowing more about Holbrook’s culture as well as mingling with the local community. Stalls offering local food favorites, crafts, and souvenirs add a colorful vibe.
Navajo County Fairgrounds
Address: 404 E Hopi Dr, Holbrook, AZ 86025, United States
Website: Navajo County Fairgrounds
Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)
3. Empty Pockets Saloon
Empty Pockets Saloon is perfect for unwinding after a busy day. Here, you will find two pool tables and a jukebox to ensure ideal relaxation. The app-based jukebox lets you play your favorite music and keep the party going for hours. The saloon doesn’t offer any food but you are free to have takeout delivered and enjoy it here. Apart from the rustic vibe, customers also love its fine selection of liquor.
Empty Pockets Saloon
Address: 2210 Navajo Blvd, Holbrook, AZ 86025, United States
Website: Empty Pockets Saloon
Opening hours: Mon - Tue: 2pm - 10pm; Wed - Sun: 10am - 12am
4. Bucket of Blood Street
What was once a venue of an infamous gunfight is now a popular tourist attraction. Bucket of Blood Street speaks of the gunslinging past of the region and the Wild West era. The street in Holbrook, Arizona, derives its name from the Bucket of Blood Saloon, where an especially violent gunfight over a poker game led to drenching the floors with a bucket of blood.
Since then, the saloon is long gone and the area has taken on a whole new image. However, the past still clings on with the Bucket of Blood Street.
Bucket of Blood Street
Address: Holbrook, AZ 86025, USA
5. Heward Park
If it’s a breath of fresh air you seek, make your way to Heward Park. This sprawling green space is a lovely choice when you want to be outdoors. If you’re visiting with your family, you can make use of the picnic pavilions and benches here. The park has a dedicated area for dogs so you can have some alone time with your pet too. In case you’re bringing a car, this open space has ample parking available.
Heward Park
Address: 1445 W Hopi Dr, Holbrook, AZ 86025, United States
Website: Heward Park
Opening hours: 24 hours (daily)
Price: Free
6. Sombreritos Mexican Food
Mexican food lovers are sure to enjoy this restaurant with its lip-smacking delicacies. While it is not a fine-dining place, the quality of food more than makes up for the ambiance. All the items on the menu are taste-worthy, but the fajitas with mushrooms deserve a special mention. Aside from its delicious offerings, customers also love the restaurant’s unique atmosphere.
Sombreritos Mexican Food
Address: 2101 Navajo Blvd, Holbrook, AZ 86025, United States
Website: Sombreritos Mexican Food
Opening hours: Sun - Tue: 10am - 8pm; Thu - Sat: 10am - 8pm (closed on Wed)
7. Petrified National Forest and Painted Desert
Petrified wood occurs in nature when a piece of wood is buried in minerals, cutting off all oxygen and preventing the wood from decaying naturally. In Arizona, just outside of Holbrook, you can view not just one or two pieces of petrified wood, but an entire forest. At the Petrified National Forest, you can take trails around the park and view the fossils of trees from millions of years ago when Arizona was not a desert, but a lush forest.
View the Painted Desert, with hills and slopes in varying shades of red, orange, tan, and blue or compare your height to the widths of the fallen logs. The Puerco Pueblo and Agate House are also available for public viewing, with the Puerco Pueblo having 100 rooms and petroglyphs from ancient Puebloan people. A perfect place for a stroll, hike, or backpacking adventure, the Petrified National Forest is well worth the visit and the photos.
Petrified National Forest and Painted Desert
Address: Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, United States of America
8. Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co.
When you’re done looking at the ancient stones and want to take one home, head to Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co. At Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co., you can find souvenir pieces of wood like those at the forest. Petrified wood is used mainly for decorations like bookends, jewelry, and art, all of which you’ll find at the Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co., alongside clocks, bowls, dice, and more. If you don’t find the perfect piece of petrified jewelry for mom, other minerals and gems are on sale, guaranteeing a smile when you get home.
Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co.
Address: 147 Hwy 180, 86025 Holbrook, AZ
Website: Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co.
9. DoBell Mineral & Excavations
If you’re looking to broaden your selection of petrified wood to take home, check out DoBell Mineral & Excavations. At the DoBell ranch, Noah DoBell, 4th generation excavator, strives to bring the best quality product to his customers by personally digging for and refining petrified wood. At the ranch, you can browse among hundreds of pieces, including bookends, jewelry, and paperweights for the perfect piece of Arizona to give to a loved one or keep for yourself. And don’t worry if you forget a souvenir for grandma; DoBell Mineral & Excavations also has an online store.
DoBell Mineral & Excavations
Address: 9274 Old US Highway 180, 86025 Holbrook, AZ
Website: DoBell Mineral & Excavationse
10. Painted Desert Indian Center
Offering a unique shopping experience when souvenir-hunting is the Painted Desert Indian Center. Alongside a fine selection of authentic native jewelry, rugs, sand paintings, Kachina dolls, and pottery, are dinosaur sculptures. That’s right. While you’re picking out the perfect lawn ornament to commemorate your Arizona visit, the mighty T-Rex will be watching your every move.
Teepees also surround the store, becoming their own sight to see during your pit stop. But you won’t want to stay outside too long. A combination of awesome gifts and pristine bathrooms make the interior of the Painted Desert Indian Center the perfect stop on any road trip.
Painted Desert Indian Center
Address: 9345 Old U.S. 66, I-40 Exit 303, Holbrook, Arizona
Facebook: Painted Desert Indian Center
11. Crystal Forest Gift Shop Campground
Consider a night or two at the Crystal Forest Gift Shop Campground during your stay in Holbrook. Perfect for a relaxing outdoor adventure, campers can look forward to the open skies, since almost every night allows for stargazing. In addition, camping is free at this place in Holbrook, Arizona!
Close to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert National Park, the campground is a great place to stay but also a good place to visit, even if you can’t stay. Minerals are on display and for sale at the gift shop. With no requirement to buy anything, the gift shop is a perfect place to view Arizona’s rocks.
Crystal Forest Gift Shop Campground
Address: 6491 Petrified Forest Road, 86025 Holbrook, Arizona
Website: Crystal Forest Gift Shop Campground
12. Navajo County Historical Society’s Museum
Besides rocks, Holbrook is home to a crossroads of history, combining Native American tribes, Old West Sheriffs, pioneers during westward expansion, and even prehistoric animals. Known as the people’s museum for representing the lives of settlers, homemakers, ranchers, teachers, government officials, and more, exhibits are from almost every era. Built around what used to be the jail, the courthouse and museum combine to give visitors a grandma’s attic experience, with mass collections of antiques, information, and even fossils on display.
Just past the Visitors’ Center is Room A, filled with fossils from more than 200 million years ago. The subsequent exhibits then cover the history of the Anasazi, Apache, Hopi and Navajo cultures, Hispanic culture, and an old Hashknife chuck wagon. One display is of the Blevins Shootout, when the sheriff at the time, Commodore Perry Owns, served an arrest warrant to Andy Cooper that escalated to a shootout.
The event left Cooper and his friend Mose Roberts dead, with a third victim dying shortly after. Differing eye-witness accounts make it a mystery as to what really happened, but perhaps you can solve the case using the model of the event on display at the museum. Other exhibits include antique kitchen equipment, instruments, and more, making the whole museum a fun place to explore.
Navajo County Historical Society’s Museum
Address: 100 East Arizona Street, 86025 Holbrook, Arizona
13. See the biggest petrified log in the world at Geronimo's Trading Post
Spend a few hours experiencing the more authentic and southern side of Arizona and visit Geronimo’s Trading Post. This iconic tourist attraction is not just a place to get last-minute souvenirs for your friends and family back home but is also home to the largest petrified log in the world. Take pictures of this must-see landmark and hoard a couple of great souvenirs, rocks, petrified wood, clothes, teepees, and several other goodies many tourists and travelers come to Geronimo’s Trading Post come for.
Geronimo's Trading Post
Address: 5372 Geronimo Rd, Holbrook, AZ 86025
Opening hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sundays to Mondays
Contact: +1 928-288-3241
14. Pose with teepee hut and spend the night at the Wigwam Village Motel #6
For travelers who are into keeping their travel posts on Instagram updated, it wouldn’t hurt to visit the Wigwam Village and check out real-life teepees. Take a few snapshots by these quirky teepees and consider spending a night or two at these teepee hotels in Holbrook that have been around since 1950.
Wigwam Village Motel #6 is the sixth hotel establishment in Arizona and is a must to experience if you’re the type to do something a little less Southern and cultural. The motel has all the basic amenities, a comfy queen-sized bed and basic bathroom essentials for a comfortable night in the cute and quirky teepee motels.
Teepees at the Wigwam Village Motel #6
Address: 811 W. Hopi Drive, Holbrook, AZ
Website: Wigwam Village Motel #6
Opening hours: 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Sundays to Mondays
Nearby things to do
15. Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Route 66 is filled with interesting knick-knacks, some of which you might never expect. While heading out along the legendary highway, make sure to stop by the old-familiar yellow billboard that says, ‘Here it is’. If you follow the sign, there’s a strong chance that you’ll find a souvenir paradise in the middle of the road.
Jack Rabbit Trading Post is the go-to purveyor of Route 66-related goodies as well as a must-visit attraction for spontaneous photo opportunities. Since its humble establishment in 1949, it has successfully achieved its goal of putting a smile on the faces of tourists and even locals!
Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Address: 3386 U.S. Rt. 66, Joseph City, AZ 86032, United States
Website: Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 9am - 5pm (closed on Sat)
16. See unique petroglyphs at the Rock Art Canyon Ranch
Take a short trip to the Rock Art Canyon Ranch and bring your fellow travelers and friends to spend some leisure time. Grab the chance to see historic and authentic petroglyphs on age-old petrified wood. This part of Rock Art Canyon Ranch is not a huge one and is best to be thoroughly explored when traveling to Arizona for vacation. If you wish to learn more about Native American history, then a pit stop to Rock Art Canyon Ranch is not an entirely big waste of time. Learn interesting fun facts, annecdotes, and historical facts from the local owners and employees when roaming around the place and get a hold of another interesting experience in Arizona.
Rocky Art Canyon Ranch
Address: Rock Art Ranch Rd, Winslow, AZ 86047, United States
Contact: +1 928-386-5047
17. Relax and rest well for a few nights at the Quality Inn (from USD 80)
When in Holbrook, make time to visit the scenic Quality Inn and spend a few nights in one of Holbrook’s finest hotels. Relax and spend a few nights by the pool, and making use of the property’s superb amenities. Complimentary breakfast is also included for those who are against having to wake up and go cafe-hopping around the neighborhood. Travelers who wish to explore other parts of Holbrook can touch base at this charming little pit stop before leaving Arizona. The Quality Inn Holbrook is conveniently situated off Interstate and Arizona’s famous Route 66 and is just 30 minutes away from the Petrified National Forest via car.
Quality Inn Holbrook
Address: 2602 East Navajo Boulevard
Accommodates: 4
Parking Pets allowed 24-HOUR FRONT DESK Non-smoking rooms Business centre Facilities for disabled guests Free parking Internet services
Visit Holbrook!
As the home of the Petrified National Forest, Holbrook knows exactly what visitors want to take home. Catering to rock-hounds and souvenir-hunters alike, the people of Holbrook make it easy for all who enter to take a little bit of the desert home. Just try not to forget a gift for mom.