Welcome to the Cowboy Cradle of the Southwest. Founded in 1866, Florence is an Arizona "Main Street" town. An original Old West mining town, Florence is centrally located at the Junction of U.S. Highway 79 and Arizona 287 just 61 miles from downtown Phoenix and 70 miles from Tucson.

Are you a winter visitor or perhaps a life long resident of Arizona looking for an enjoyable day trip? Then consider the old Arizona town of Florence. From Phoenix drive east on US 60, then South on Highway 79 directly into Florence. Downtown Phoenix to Florence is 65 miles. From Tucson follow Highway 77 to Highway 79 then north to Florence, about 65 miles as well.

Old downtown Florence is an enjoyable place to walk and shop, and Main Street has been virtually preserved in time; if you stop and listen you can almost hear the clippy-clop of horse drawn wagons and faint music from the various brothels and saloons in town. Do you recall a humorous movie a few years ago called “Murphy’s Romance” a majority of which was filmed on location in Florence. If you seen the movie then you can not forget the beautiful soda fountain for which was at Murphy’s Drug Store, well that fountain is still being used today at the Outfitters Sports Grill located inside the General Store on Main Street.

Main Street houses many wonderful businesses from Hair Salons, to Hardware Store, Electronics to Jewelry, Eye Center, Antique Stores and much, much more. Florence can take care of all your shopping needs and all doing so within walking distance. Of course all that walking will create a hearty appetite and Florence has you covered on that as well; just pick your fancy: Authentic Mexican food, Seafood and American, Authentic Greek or perhaps a good old fashioned hamburger or steak will do the trick. We can not forget dessert, so make sure you save room for some ice cream, malt or fruit smoothie.

Did you know Florence has over one hundred (100) buildings listed on the National Register, and some of which are showcased every year with our downtown Historic Tour the second weekend in February. Looking to hone up on your history, then stop by the Pinal County Historical Museum, open Tuesday thru Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. admission is by donation. You will be greatly marveled by the Arizona State Prison Collection, Ranch and Cowboy displays, Tom Mix Collection and Trading Post displays. Come and learn about the shoot-out at the Tunnel Saloon, and see the bullet ridden window from the saloon. The Museum has a very extensive archives department with knowledgeable staff who can take you back through time. McFarland State Historic Park is another great stop for your trip. Originally the first Pinal County Court House built back in 1878 from adobe bricks, and the wood of the roof structure was hauled by horse and wagon from northern Arizona.