Michelle Emery laughs with her daughter Alli as they shop their way down Avenida Obregon while visiting Nogales, Sonora, for the day.

Photos by Lindsay A. Miller / Arizona Daily Star

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NOGALES, Ariz. — When you rendezvous in Nogales, make sure you check out the jail.

No, we aren't suggesting you get arrested.

Go see the old Nogales city jail in the Pimeria Alta Historical Society, 136 N. Grande Ave. (on the U.S. side of the border).

The museum is home to photo and newspaper archives as well as exhibits with artifacts dating back to prehistory, including a piece of a petrified mammoth jaw.

The building — still referred to by locals as Old City Hall — was built in 1914 by the volunteer fire department and also housed city hall. An 1881 hand-pumper firefighting wagon still sits on the property, as if just to prove its history.

But the real highlight is the jail.

It's a cramped, concrete-floored room with toilets in each cell. On weekends, the jail would hold up to 20 people, even though it appears to be smaller than an average-size bedroom.

That jail was the city jail until the late 1970s, said Teresa Leal, the museum's curator.

"Kids just love to come see the jail. That draws them here. They run right in," Leal said.

After you stop at the museum, walk across the border to Nogales, Sonora.

The draw for most visitors on this side of the border is the shopping, said 25-year-old Gilbert Valdez, a Nogales native who attends Pima Community College. He was watching his father's boot shop, Durango, for the day.

At his shop, a pair of men's basic mule-hide boots are about $60, but the shop carries much fancier boots, such as deer, elk, ostrich and armadillo skin, that cost from $100 to $500.

A pair of women's deerskin boots, with lots of floral designs in feminine colors, are priced at $100. Children's boots cost $35.

The other thing that lures tourists to town, Valdez said, is the food.

Stop at El Oasis, Avenida Obregon No. 401, and order the Molcajete, a bubbling volcano bowl of greasy soup. It's made with cheese, bacon and your choice of beef, chicken or shrimp, and is served with tortillas to dip (100 to 120 pesos). The soup can feed two or three people, depending on how hungry you are. We recommend ordering the guacamole to accompany it (45 pesos).

El Oasis also turns into a club at night. There's a space for a live band, and the cover posted near the door was 30 pesos.

But even in the middle of the day, in the middle of the restaurant, locals were living it up.

Jonathon Hernandez, 30, and Gina Arreguin, 21, were shimmying, dancing and drinking beer with some friends. They come to the bar once or twice a week to cut loose.

"Nobody bothers us here. It's the place to be," Hernandez said.

The bar has margaritas (35 pesos), and a variety of beer (20 pesos for Tecate, Modelo, XX Lager, Corona and Sol) and tequila (45 pesos for Don Julio Tequila 1800, Pueblo Viejo) on hand for impromptu dance parties. If you're less of a party animal, then we recommend sitting on the patio upstairs for a view of the town.

Cafe Ajijic, Avenida Obregon No. 182-200, is an oasis on the bustling thoroughfare.

The patio is surrounded by plants, and jazz music helps block the noise from the street. Stop in for breakfast, a coffee break, lunch or dinner.

The coffee isn't what you'd find at a Starbucks in the United States. "La Diabla" —the devil — is coffee served in a wine glass with cognac, espresso, cinnamon, lemon peel and orange (53 pesos.) For the caffeine-shy, or the alcohol enthusiast, the "Cafe Coco" is created with rum, Irish cream, chocolate liqueur, coconut and cream (37 pesos.)

After you're full, you'll probably go back to shopping.

Don and Jeaninine Hokanson, who were visiting Arizona with extended family from Oregon and Utah, spent the day shopping with their kids.

"It's a cultural experience for the kids," Jeaninine said. "It's great for them. They're learning some Spanish, and they're learning how to barter."

Fourteen-year-old Corey used his Spanish skills to talk prices with street vendors. Kyle, 11, said his visit was "way different than the USA" but that he really enjoyed it. The family picked up Mexican toys and jewelry.

"It allows them to see a different world," Jeaninine said.

A shopping trip to Nogales is a good chance to learn to barter, but customers should be savvy.

We priced tequila and Mexican blankets in Tucson before we headed down. A 750-milliliter bottle of Hornitos tequila cost $26.95 plus tax in town. We found a 700-milliliter bottle of the same tequila for $19.99, with no tax, in Nogales. So there are deals to be had.

But shoppers should be careful.

Prices often start at more than double what you would pay for an item in Tucson and should be haggled down to more reasonable numbers.

Talavera housewares —brightly colored hand-painted ceramics including sinks, tiles and tableware — abound. A small talavera sink is $40 at Paradise Curious, Pasaje Morelos No. 80. Margarita and martini glasses, some marked "lead free" and some not, average $5 each around town.

The key to any shopping trip in Nogales: Price first, then shop.