rim country museum

We took a day trip out of Phoenix and what a wonderful day! The scenery between Phoenix and Payson was spectacular, but the museum made the day. It is small yet carries such a story from early times to present. The docents were very gracious and informative. They sure have loads of artifacts.

The docents here are very knowledgeable about Zane Grey and his life in the Payson area. The museum itself is small, however, the tour of the replica of Zane Grey's cabin is an interesting, educational for a history buff and western literature lover. Nearby Green Valley Park is also a fun place to walk around.

This small museum is exceptional. It covers the history of the ancient people of the area (300-1300A.D.) and also the "western" lifestyle. The docents bring the history to life and are most knowledgeable. A bonus - the Zane Gray cabin has been rebuilt at this site and you get to tour that also. This is well worth the stop.

Rim County prides itself as Zane Grey territory and this museum gives much background on him, local residents and history and the big fire. Created and staffed by volunteers, it is a credit to the community.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I happened upon the Rim Country Museum about a mile or so from downtown Payson, AZ, at the end of historic Main Street. It's located on a beautiful park lake, next to a replica of Zane Grey's rim country cabin. For a small fee, we had a guided tour of the cabin and the museum. Both were very interesting, the cabin furnished with period pieces, many belonging to Zane Grey, and the museum providing much historical content of the area. A great way to spend a couple of hours.

We were spending a couple of days in Payson and had never been to this museum before...it is an absolute delight and the staff among the friendliest and most knowledgable about Zane Grey and the Payson area...our tour started out in the replica of Zane Greys cabin , ,,,our guide was dressed in period costume, relating many stories and historical facts about the area and Zane Grey..., we were then guided through a two story historical museum,,,very educational and interesting..we would recommend this museum as a "must see" next time you're in the area..there is a lovely park with a lake near the museum as well.

This is really two facilities for the price of one -- the Zane Grey cabin (an exact replica, since the original burned in a forest fire several years ago) and the two-story local history museum, which includes a section on Zane Grey. If you're there when it's not too busy, you get a tour guide all to yourself and they are definitely very well informed. The local history was just right -- downstairs individual exhibits about different aspects of local history and upstairs replicas of a typical pioneer kitchen, blacksmith shop, and moonshine operation! (Clearly this is not a "stuffy" museum.) The gift shop has a wonderful array of Zane Grey's books, including a section of "used" books for very reasonable prices. For all the times we've been through Payson, we never knew the lovely park where this museum sits was there! (And I've already finished reading my first Zane Grey book -- "To the Last Man," a good read! -- which was based on the area's Pleasant Valley War, which the tour guide said was one factor that delayed Arizona getting statehood!) The museum was a terrific find (thank you, TripAdviser!) and added a lot to our two-day get-away.

On a windy cool day we searched for an indoor activity. The museum was the answer. The tour guides were local that are well informed about the history of the area. Displays are typical for local museums but the tour guides bring them alive.

We enjoyed the Zane Grey Cabin replica and all the information the docent shared. The Rim Museum was informative too yet the docent was a bit too talkative plus she lost her place a lot. We learned many new things about the area. We recommend it. Take a picnic lunch to have in the public park around the museum.

We really enjoyed your museum and all of it's exhibits and also the replica of Zane Grey's cabin. The tour guides were so good, and knew a lot...thank you, especially to Dorothy. We also learned the history of the area & information about Zane Grey, that we didn't know. This was our first visit to Arizona and we loved the Payson area! We were on a break from the weather in Northern Minnesota, so we really enjoyed our time in your lovely town. Love your Lake too, with "re-purposed water".

We were fortunate to have a great docent and are 2 very inquisitive people. He could answer and add onto all our questions and we enjoyed learning about what a character Zane Grey was.If you do not enjoy history, it is not the place for you but we enjoyed it and it added lots of information to enhance our visit.

This is a wonderful museum and should not be missed. It has the Zane Grey Cabin rebuilt (the original one was destroyed in the Dude Fire of 1990). This is not the exact spot for the cabin but is exactly like the original one (as I visited the original one before it was destroyed). The ladies who are the Docents are very knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. You could tell that they enjoyed their work and made me feel most welcome. They have quite a few Zane Grey books, both hard back and paperback and will be more than welcome to help you find one. You can tell they are very proud of their museum and well they should be. WARNING: You might miss it. On 89 at Main Street is just a sign that "ZANE GREY CABIN (AND MUSEUM)." Going south on 89 one would turn right, going left it is a left turn. However you are not there yet. Keep going until you come to a major intersection (stop sigh) and the museum is to the right-HOWEVER THERE ARE NO SIGNS INDICATING IT IS THERE-just look and you will see the Zane Grey cabin. If that is confusing, stop at any of the stores along the way (several antique stores and thrift stores among others) and ask for directions. BUT DO NOT MISS IT.

Wonderful Docents who really care about their job. Small museum but well done for such a small community of 12,000. The miniatures were a stand out. Snippets of area history were concise. In conjunction with the Zane Grey museum it was well worth the admission and time spent.

Our tour guide Diana was very informative. Lots of small details. Entertaining for the whole family.

The women who work there are very friendly and very informative! It is obvious they love and know the area.