Imagine

Though they may not linger in the museum, there’s nothing like the dark cell at Yuma Territorial Prison Museum (1 Prison Hill Road, 783.4771) to give kids a creepy thrill.  Let ‘em crank the Gatling gun, pretend to lock their brother in a cell and take an old-timey mug shot wearing prison stripes.  Don’t miss trick-or-treating through the cell block at Halloween!

The ghostly Western town at Castle Dome Mines Museum (off Highway 95, 920.3062) is like a Western movie come to life, perfect for a make-believe shoot-out.  Older kids will like the hike through the mine area – complete with “Boot Hill” – but keep a grip on little ones and watch out for mine sha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-fts!

Be sure to read Alice McLerran’s book “Roxaboxen” before visiting the “natural desert park” of the same name at 8^th Street & 2^nd Ave.  It was the imaginations of McLerran’s mother and her sisters and friends that transformed this rocky Yuma hillside into a world of their own – see if your modern-day kids can manage the same trick.  The city celebrates a Roxaboxen festival annually, call the Yuma Art Center at 373-5202 for more info.