Yuma's historic downtown began as a rope crossing for the Colorado River in the 1840s. The earliest adobe homes were lost to floods in the early 1900s, and the current buildings along Main Street were built in the 1920s. Because of this, Downtown Yuma has a definite art deco flair, blending with the desert landscape and the palm trees to create a beautifully unique neighborhood. With its fountains and brick-paved walkways, Historic Main Street is the ideal location for festivals and street fairs.

Residents and visitors can take history (or ghost!) tours, all starting at the Sanguinetti House Museum. This adobe home was built in 1857 and includes beautiful gardens. The Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park includes six historic buildings dating back to the Indian Wars of the late 1800s. During the late 1800s, the Territory of Arizona also established a prison. Today, it is a museum at the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historical Park.