Reviews of Pioneer Living History Museum (Museum)

diane nga mbatsogo

Really interesting except the fact that we cannot go inside the houses...I also really enjoyed the phone museum presentation.

EM Mullinx

Great place to visit history.

Chance Houston

Very cool, but not in the summer.

Sara Wheatcroft

A fantastic small quirky living history museum. Always worth the visit.

CAROL SMITH

Thank God they rescued these buildings years ago.. If they tried this nowadays these buildings would have been lost forever... THANK YOU and please continue the good work . Hope you can find more to preserve for the future, believe me there is not many left....

Benjamin Perea

Lots of land. Great for a two or three hour walk and tour. Most buildings are replicas, not originals. Most are in a state of disrepair. The goats were in not-ideal housing conditions. Most information of each building posted was meant for the demographic of elementary aged children.

William Crowley

Historic buildings with people who explain the time period. Telephone museum well worth the time!

Rob G

Self-guided tours. Best time to visit when they have the Civil War or Revolutionary War weekend events.

Virginia Stevenson

This is a great piece of history

linda hahn

Fun for kids. Go to the telephone museum

Kelly Vise

Oh my, if you're planning a wedding.... look no further!!!! This place is AMAZING!!!

Hairless Hippy

Pretty fun museum for the family if you're into this type of stuff. Right off the highway and easy to get to.

Kevin Heihn

Got here at 1:30. No one in period dress, no one to tap for information. Cafe and snack bar closed. Very disappointing. Could have been really interesting if done properly. Asked about snack bar and costumed players was told it wasnt open this late. Late? 1:30...... And no discount.

Katherine Cubbison

Very fun place. I’ve been here once before a couple years ago. We loved the area and the museum. We got to see a shooting competition this visit, and we had my mom with us who loves these types of museums. Definitely take the time to go into the telegraph museum just left of the ticket window.

Randall Busboom

Very interesting. Takes about 2 hours to walk around and see all the displays. Recommend this as a way to see history.

William Beebe

Loved the amount of things to see..lots of history to explore. Wish the gold panning was real..or there was a mine you can really go down in. Will definitely be back though..want to check out the paranormal activity they say is in some buildings..hope to see something!

Hilary

I learned so much visiting this museum. It is really spread out and you do have to do a bit of walking. They have preserved such a variety of buildings and artifacts from the late 1800s.

Melody Sanders

Very informative and interesting. Loved seeing all the tools that were used back then.

James thegamer

Not bad. Snakes around, but pretty accurate. Accurate enough to have a gallows, which was strangely an Eagle Scout Project. Kinda strange and might need removal due what I hope are obvious reasons.

Militarize

This is a town that is privately owned. The buildings are original but this wasn't where all of the buildings originated. The guy that owns the land bought the buildings and recreated how a western town in Arizona looked like in the early 19th Century. The town looks similar to a ghost town. Since its privately owned and operated it thrives off of ticket sales and donations. It's a good place to visit. Kids and everyone can learn about the history of Arizona. There are lots of wild life and when driving into the park there was an animal that looked like a jackal running across the road. I wish I had a picture of it. Because of the wild life it's advised to stay on the paths. There are snakes in the area. Keep your kids close bc of this. This museum you can see within 1 to 2 hours.

Donna Gera

A wonderful place for history. Set up very well for anyone including strollers and handicapped individuals. Well maintained and docents thruout to provide information. Plan for over an hour.

Dan Griffiths

My buddy loves coming to events here... If you haven't been here, you're missing out!

Nicole Fehr-Fischer

This is an amazing place to go to immerse yourself in "living" history with period correct reenactors that take representing history seriously. Cowboys, Civil War, Revolutionary War, etc.

vett hernandez

we did a self guided tour & spent a little over 2 hours out doors & enjoyed every minute of it!! A bigThx to The nice gentlemen Mr "Hershey" who gave us a great tour of the phone museum!!

Jason Foubert

The telephone museum was awesome, and the gentlemen tour guide was very knowledgeable. Must see!

Dominic Zito

A nice way to learn about old Arizona towns. Fairly priced and educational as well.

Claudia claus

Was great!

Cherrie

While I LOVE the historic buildings here, I am heartbroken that they are not being preserved as they should be. All the cabins are open to the elements (heat, wind, dust, rain) with no work being done to fill in the holes. There is the original family cabin of Arizona's very first Senator Henry Fountain Ashurst which is deserving of care in remembrance of his service from 1912 - 1942, but I don't see it lasting long in its current situation. If Sharlot Hall was still alive, she would take it to her museum in Prescott and restore it... But it's crumbling. So sad. Also wonderful is the phone museum with a man who began working with phone companies in 1952 and walked us thru with his narration of how communication evolved. It touched my heart seeing an old switchboard with wires like my mom told me about working at before she married my dad. History needs to be highlighted and treasured more... It is important.

Karen S

Kids loved the gun show!

Elizabeth Carter

Very cool to see all the historical houses and structure.. I highly recommend taking your children ..

nissim yachnes

Great phone history ("Talk to bell Atlantic") regards to Joe!

Miranda Jones

I had so much fun here. Makes me wish I was a volunteer. ❤

Don Payne

Very interesting. Had a great time! Don’t miss the fascinating Telephone Museum while you’re there. Worth the trip!

Anthony Estrada

Great place for school field trip. The speech about firearm safety before the gun show didn't seem to fit. A speech about wild west history would've been more fitting. The group I chaperoned wanted so badly, as did I, to tour the insides of the structures. The hay bail maze needs serious attention as most of the interior walls were felled.

Lewis Shepherd

I thought this place was very nice. I believe its intention was to show you sort of how life was 100 years ago in Arizona, but while you could almost get into the feel of it, the mood is broken by the lack of upkeep. While it was very educational, and there were lots of neat things to see, I felt a lack of passion.

PrinCEss BeaStmodE

Cute/good experience. BRING LOTS OF WATER and sunscreen. There is food for purchase. Very reasonably priced. Admission is $10 or less.

Zoe Hawkins

Interesting view of what local history was like. Telephone museum was great. Lots of walking so make sure you go on a day that isn’t too hot.

Bailey Brown-McCray

My daughter and I enjoyed taking a self-guided tour through the paved paths to the historic buildings. A bonus of the visit was the telephone museum and the lovely couple who gave us a tour of the history of communication! I'd like to go back in the spring or fall when more events are going on. For a summer morning, it was a nice escape. Even though you are close to the city, we felt far away. To see how Arizona settlers lived was very interesting, even to my 5-year-old.

Sharleen Goodell

I recently visited pioneer. Last time I was there was 5 years ago. I was upset because only thing that had been done, since I was last there. Was they painted the church. Alot of buildings are in need of repair. They aren't doing anything to actually repair. The school house is in horrible condition. Roof has holes in it, where birds fly in and out. Leaving droppings every where. Even on furniture. It's a shame, no one even cares to dust or clean, in any of the buildings. Dust is thick. I was really upset to see the dressmakers shop. They have at least 20 or more reproduction dolls displayed. I know because I've collected antique dolls for more than 40 years. I feel reproductions have no place in a museum. I saw many other reproductions, crocks and dishes. I feel this could be a lot more fun, place to visit, if they would take more pride in trying to preserve, these old buildings. Along time ago, they actually use to have horses, and cows, pigs, and stuff you would see.

morgan storms

This place is amazing. A great place to bring kids to learn and actually see how people lived.

Sue Rock

A great place to visit. More to see during the summer hours or on weekdays it seems, rather than Sundays. Still a nice, easy walk, great photos, and interesting exhibits.

Tabatha Solberg

The guides that share the knowledge in the shops and the homes are just awesome.

pipa sanchez

Gun show was nice! Overall it was great.

Kevin Brackney

Really cool tourist stop!

sandra lewis

Fun field trip with the kids. Great place to explore arizona history

Flor M Arellano

Had a great time with the kids on the school field trip.

Christopher Busch

Perhaps this place was once living but now it feels like a ghost town. I would recommend them marketing it as such. Very run down. The phone museum was nice however.

Kevin Groninga

With this being so close to the valley, there’s no reason to stop in for a visit! The history here is amazing!

Stacey Christiansen

Was a cool place to take the kids. Went on a field trip there. They really loved the gun show!

Jerome Gosiak

Fun family trip.Great example of early 1900s buildings and living conditions.

Peter LaCombe

Really in bad shape. Too bad, it was a great historical visit. Not worth the money now.

Lorrie Silva

Great place to bring kids. Lots of walking. I wouldn't recommend for anyone who is unsteady on their feet not everywhere is paved. Lots of great original or exact replica pieces from history. Lets the kids run off energy.

DudLee Brennfoerder

Very nice telephone museum and nice civil war reenactments going on, really enjoyed this simple but well put together stopping point.

Erica Heddy

The walk around the really old part, with the Flying V house was fun, and the kids loved panning for gold and watching the gun fight. The kids and I were disappointed that we couldn't go into the houses though. Looking through the doorways and windows doesn't give you much of a view.

Ashley Wolfe

This was a nice place to go for an afternoon walk. It seems to be very run down. Walked along behind other guests and multiple times heard her mention how much it had changed since she had visited 15 years ago. Paint was peeling and entrance into the majority of the buildings was not allowed. So I encourage everyone to donate to keep this place going. History is so important, and it's enriching to think of how different life used to be.

5-0 2950

Great place NOTE: New summer hours 7:00 am - 11:00 am. Because of the heat. Overall a great place and I love the buildings. I'm visiting from Wisconsin and it's an awesome place to go. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Coffee with Dinner

School trip for my daughter, very nice when its cool temps. Gun show was the highlight.

Robert Champagne

Some kind of Hawk on top of the light pole

Paula Haby

Today when we visited the Museum unfortunately it was off season. But it was all worth while just to visit the Pioneer Telephone Museum there. It is fantastic. My husband is retired SW Bell Telephone in Texas. The guide for this place is retired Mountain Bell and he is incredible . Joe was so knowledgeable about everything. I learned so much. He & my husband had a great time talking about old times & old equipment. We could have stayed there listening to him forever. I highly recommend going there & seeing the great collection. It’s awesome. I’m praying they get more funds to operate the Living Museum. It’s a beautiful place to visit.

S K

The experience was ok. The houses were amazing!! Sadly, the goats have over grown feet to the point they trip. Their cage is full of poop and they seem very hungry. They also got stuck in a net while were there. The chickens on the other hand were the best looking chickens I've ever seen. They would have 5 stars if they cared about their goats. Amazing home tours!! I recommend this place.

Christian Montes

Awesome place the maze was so fun.

Brenda Barajas

Great place.

James Cole

Good to visit.

Kayla MacManus

The place itself is amazing. But the wedding planner that works for them is very unprofessional and I dont know why she plans weddings in the first place.

Missy Vancamp

I have been going since I was tiny, and I loved it then. I got to take my son on his field trip there and we had a great time. The gun show was so good. I absolutely love this place.

Tom Connor

The website highlights all kinds of events that supposedly go on there, with costumed actors and all that. When we went the only employee in the entire place that we saw was the one selling admission. Inside, we could look at the old buildings but nothing else was open or staffed. I was told that they really cater to school field trips and not "foot traffic."I pointed out that the website disclosed nothing of the sort. The employee acknowledged that visitors get upset about that but that "they" haven't done anything about the website. Very weird experience.

Kevin G Dog

Fun place for anyone. The museum grounds host Civil War reenactments a few times a year which are great to watch. They bring out real muskets and cannons. They even have a wedding venue with a church.

Daniel Profico

I do not recommend this place in the summer. There is nothing going on. When its not so hot, they have people dressed the parts walking around, in the sumer its a ghost town.

Andy Hopper

Cashier would prefer to be doing something else, but once you start exploring it is worth the trip.

David Adams

Enjoyed every step.

Billie Ratcliffe

Not a "western" fan but this place was way cool

Will Bullock

There for a school field trip. Lots of old buildings and guides to explain everything. There was also a cowboy shootout. They started with a safety briefing but tried to make the show funny. The kids loved it but it was loud. They did have some food and drinks, the caramelized popcorn was especially good. Not too expensive either.

dance people

Great rv park. Friendly staff. Awesome mail room staff. Recommend you check this place out.

David Torres

The beautiful place reminds me of when I was a kid being at my Grandma's ranch

Tom Cronan

Great original buildings stockedcwith items from days gone by. Great for history buffs and teaching school children about a harder time in life

Nicole Cady

Closed the telephone museum was closed they offered no discount or free admission just to walk around...a letdown for sure

JoAnne Farley

Such a beautiful place!

Jamison Cox

I felt the experience was quite disappointing. According to what was presented on the advertisements, I was expecting more fun for the family. There was an admission fee but also an additional cost for any activity you wanted to do. I'd much rather pay a couple extra dollars per ticket and have all the activities be included. It felt like they were desperate for my money. Most of the buildings were locked up. The ones that weren't locked up had presenters who seemed knowledgeable but had difficulty relating to the kids. Overall I would recommend passing up this "attraction" and opt for something different

Gerry Adams

Gotta see more. Next time.

Brittney Wright

What a learning experience. The volunteers were very knowledgeable and they played their parts very well. The telephone museum was very informative.

mindy logar

Went here on a Saturday morning as they were opening to distract a restlesstoddler. There weren't many staff members and we were the only ones walking around. It was a quiet morning and chilly. The toddler loved checking out the inside of the buildings and walking around. The Flying V cabin was the reason we went, we saw it on Atlas Obscura. Fascinting history. The telephone museum at the end was pretty cool and we got a little private tour from one of the gentlemen that was there. It was actually fascinating to learn more about phones.

David Borton

Was a good experience, as many have said I’m glad they managed to rescue this bit of history from destruction. Sadly most of the buildings are close to falling apart and they don’t let you tour them due to the fear of “theft” according to the attendant at the front. Still a good few hours walking around (BRING WATER!!) and seeing bits of history that you would otherwise not see.

Bob Wilcox

This is a great look at how people lived in the old west. I should have called ahead since all if the attractions were closed. It was still fun and it really makes you think when you see a cabin that they cut holes in the wall to shoot out of. Fun place will go back.

Janet Jablonski

Not worth the money. Don't go in the summer. Too much walking.

victoria baker

Lots of neat old buildings with lots of artifacts. Will be visiting again when its cooler.

Dan Wheeler

Large grounds. Not really "living" Phone museum was great, phone museum docent was great. Maybe some shade spots or other displays to look at would be helpful. Gallows was cool, Rope needs replacing. Some explanation would be good.

Chris Hansen

Great little place hidden off the I 17. There is history, food and drink, picnic areas, festivals, hay and trolley rides and bouncy houses. Be,sure to check out the fall festival and pumpkin garden.

Nina Rogowski

Fairly run down.

Elizabeth Krohn

Very cute town. Great for kids ages 6-15. Bring your hiking shoes and plenty of water.

Veronica Burns

Fun way to spend the day being outside, while at the same time not required to exert yourself much. I would’ve like to had more access to inside the buildings. Overall fun day!

Sarah Degand

My neice just got married here and it was so wonderful!!

Christina King

Went few months ago with my hubby and 3 kids 5, 7, & 9. We all had a great time walking around and looking at all the old buildings and different things there. We spent about 2ish hours. Definitely a place for mornings or cooler time of year, but is a great place to stop by. My kids still talk about wanting to go back again.

Melissa Mendoza

Kids loved panning for gold the best and seeing the old structures gave us a glimpse of how people used to live.

Lori Forrest

Good way to learn about the pioneer way of life and go through a maze.

Evelyn Dafoe

Loved the Telephone Museum. Guide was friendly and made it fun. Has lots of improvements, and a Wedding was taking place on the pretty grounds.

Mckenzie Seibert

It was pretty cool, many things to see

Nick Kastanes

Very friendly staff, was a fun way to spend the morning.

Lorraine Manoz

Fun and exciting

Eileen L. Smith

I loved walking the trails that take you by the relocated buildings of Arizona's history. Each building has as a good description of its history and orgin. My children loved the old farm equipment and the 4 foot tall walls of the hay bale maze. The church building is cute and is still in operation for weddings. This place is huge. Carry water. I loved the teachers home and school house with dunce hats included. We saw lizards. Were told to watch for snakes but never saw any. There was only one down side...the constant boom of rifle shots from Ben Avery's shooting range on the other side of the hill.

Matt Haberkorn

Interesting place, some of things are sort of run down though.

Martha Gillett

Very Nice to spend time with the family.

Clifton Johnson

I wish they had a weekend crew it was ok wanted to see the shoot out on the weekend they apparently dont do that

Brad Shaffer

Not a lot of LIVING history here. Maybe we came on the wrong day/time of year? The nearby shooting range provided our soundtrack.

Marcia Mosich

They did an amazing job! We had so much fun exploring this little town! Bring water, trail mix, hat, camera.

Catherine Carson-Foster

Really cool to see so much of our past put together in one place. Unfortunately, many of the buildings and other artifacts are neglected and falling apart. I'm sure this must be due to lack of funds. More visitors and gifts are needed to fill the need. This place is important.

Michael Halverson

Amazing place! Like going back in time! Must visit at least once if not twice..

Brad VanderVegt

Great fun and interactive

Mondai Keene

The staff is great. Beautiful Wedding venue. Historically accurate out buildings.

Catherine Brookins

It's fun to visit Arizona's history. It would be better if the people working there seemed more knowledgeable and excited to share it.

Joseph Bailey

Was fun staff was friendly and helpful

Gabrielle Butler

I thought this was really nice, so many historical homes to see all on one property. It's definitely rustic to visit but It's a day's worth of signt seeing if you're interested in the pioneer times.

Tiffany O

Wonder what life in 19th-century Arizona was like? The Pioneer Living History Museum has relocated historic farmstead homes and painstakingly recreated shops, blacksmith, church, gallows & more. Also of interest: The Telephone Museum onsite with hundreds of vintage phones!

Tim Hayes

Great place to check out..

Ann Ryan

Very neglected and dilapidated.. no one except the person who took the money were there. None of the buildings were open, we could just look in the door. Dirty dusty falling down buildings. Would never recommend to anyone.

Shirley Branch

They need volunteers who can help restore these awesome old buildings.

Colleen Elliott-Earle

Use to have a great restaurant, sorry it closed in last 10 years.

melisa penkert

Kids and I had so much fun!

Brandi Dewald

My boyfriend and I went here on a whim and we loved it. Theres so much to see and explore! Good day trip and glad we decided to do it.

Richard Ghormley

This is a local gem of Phoenix that I visited on an elementary school field trip when I was a child. I recently took my family to visit it for their first time. We all enjoyed it. I do recommend going early in the day during the summer. It gets extremely hot in the afternoon.

James Nelson

Great experience many old building with lots of facts of pioneer living in west. Wish we could had gone into these buildings , we weren’t aware how big it was or the fact that bringing water is a must. Only bathrooms on site is near the entrance.

Bruce Kosbab

Telephone museum was worthwhile. Enjoyed the rest of the pioneer village. Volunteers were very friendly and helpful.

Jennifer Rathsman

Good price for a day's worth of family learning and fun!

Bernadette M Kreidel

Perfect day adventure for the whole family!

Sarah Todd

The upkeep could be a little better. And a few more things to engage people. A little boring but some Interesting stuff. Pros: you can get your steps in.

mia molina

It's just okay, this isnt really a place I'd bring my kids because there isnt much educational elements and the place isn't well cared for. I think if they cleaned and tried to preserve everything it would be more interesting or even put up more information about the elements within the buildings so children who visit can understand what they're truly looking at outside of what the building is.

Revalee Tittle

This is a great place to take your kid's to show them how thing's used to be, before cell phones and even the restroom before indoor plumbing was invented. My 8 year old had a blast and learned slot.

Doug Schiller

Nice place to see a bit of South West history. We came during week so not as many people in period dress but we still enjoyed it. Someone else mentioned about not being able to go in to houses but they are decked out so I can understand why they don't want people having access to them. The signs were detailed enough while not having to read a novel to understand staff were all friendly. Some of the buildings do need some work but overall a good experience.

2017 Toys

This is such a fun place to visit! My students really enjoyed it!

Jane Wells

Top notch place !

A. Elizabeth Adams

Pretty quiet and probably used more for field trips than anything. It was an interesting little place.

JoDonn Griffin

They were short staffed and no guides the day I visited. This place could be great if had better staffing and up keep.

Angela Robles

Great place to plug into history. Lots of cool exhibits. The boys learned alot

Jim West

Very cool place to visit lots of history there

Eugene OBrien

This is a great place for a child's birthday party. They had food, bouncy houses, a gun show, gold panning, and everyone could visit the attractions while there. They took care of everything and it was really simple to show up and enjoy the party.

Gloria Llamas

Came here for my son's school field trip and it was very interesting.

Salvador Menjivar

Sweet delightful Museum in the middle of this mountain range setting fusing nostagia & historical memorabilia regarding old west conquest /pioneer life, including wagons of this period plus a most wonderful team of dedicated ex telephone company workers who are welcoming plus willing to guide you through its exhibits. They have a vast knowledge of history plus lots of facts about telecomunications since 19th C to present day. The exhibits are a true delight, from the first telephone deviced by Bell with its acid battery glass container to our present day modern mobiles, charting its historical changes in shape,capabities and designs. A real treat to anyone as it transports us all down memory lane and its past decades and gadgets we might have forgotten. The fabulous display of exhibits also includes a telephone exchange centre plus many more interesting items down to old wooden door telephone boxes and even caps and uniforms from different decades. It's a most welcome timely stop to cool down and enjoy all the interesting museums delights. They have outdoor display of old western replicas and buildings plus gun shows too.

Maegan Bunjovac

Cool little town. The kids got a kick out of the gun show.

Hannah Jurekovic-Byrd

Cute, not bad if you're looking to fill some time

carl preston

Great location for a wedding!

victoria gilkey

Great place! The gunfight was fun

Jeffrey Warren

More than you think . The live telephone tour was great.

mark thompson

Enjoyed seeing things used from yesteryear

Tracey Hayden

Super fun little place! We went to watch a civil war reenactment. Good times!

Bill Jones

Went on a random Friday, no school groups. They hadn't said on the website whether they would have any interpreters , gold panning, or a gun fight. I assumed they'd have at least one of them. It would have been much more engaging if there had been. Meh. The folks were really nice, and the telephone museum was actually kind of interesting.

Pattie Calderon

What a great place to visit. Came here on a school field trip. My daughter and her friends enjoyed all the cool stuff they had. Specially the telephone museum that's a must!!! Take your kids in to experience what some of us grew up with. Very cool phones from the 1800's-- up til this day! Lots of history here and we loved every minute of it.

Brooke Montgomery

THEY SHOULD TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE ANIMALS ON-SITE.!!!!! Chickens had no hay or food and muddy water. The goats need grooming and fresh water. No one their cares at all. It's very very said!!!!

Michelle Winsor

The name implies living history, it is a collection of buildings and equipment but no characters or costumes. Disappointed in the lack of living elements.

collin holt

Went here my a wedding and had a great time. Beautiful wedding put on by staff and amazing food.

Vicki March

The place it's self is soo fun,but having to walk around with no guidance makes it confusing because it's so huge. But still really recommen.

james newman

Not worth the price of admission

Kamaki Muller

Nighttime paranormal investigation with PAPS. Lots of fun. Fantastic place rich with history.

B D

A little out of the way, but a really neat attraction.

David Swangler

Very fun and informative. Great place if you want to walk and talk.

Colin Grady

I live out here in this beautiful Sonoran desert with all of it's awesome sights and sounds!! Outstanding and mighty fine it is!

Michael Riley

Historically correct and very clean. Great for kids to learn.

Angelea Blum

Amazing place to go back in time. Great learning experience. Staff was very knowledgeable and helpful.

LaToya Adams

Pretty cool place to take the kids. Lots to walk and see. The little gift shop has real cheap gifts and snacks for sale,which is recommended due to all the walking. Beautiful scenery with the mountains around as well. Also a grill area where you can by food and drinks.

Jennifer F

This was a very nice educational place. It was interesting to see the how the pioneer village was set up. The volunteers we met were most helpful and informative. The marketing director even stopped and asked how we liked the grounds. The restaurant was reasonably priced and the food was good.