Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The Top Five Holiday Attractions in Central Arizona



The Top Five Holiday Attractions 
in Central Arizona

The Christmas season draws closer. Our relatives and friends will be arriving soon and your mission this year is to make their stay a memorable one. Which exciting event or attraction will be the highlight of this year’s visit? With so many options to choose and considering you live in the beautiful central Arizona territory, the options are endless. Here are five great things to do this holiday season that will surely impress your guests as you aim to preserve your position as the “most entertaining” relative in the family. Listed in no particular order:

 1) Acker Night: Friends and families from all over make their way to downtown Prescott, Arizona for Acker Night during the holiday season. On December 13, 2013 – the town will spring to life with dance performances and live music. From 5:30PM to 8:30PM, over 60 businesses and musicians will get together on this magical evening to raise funds for local youth performing arts programs. All of the musicians donate their time to support this extraordinary event - also known as “Music in the Streets” by the locals. Acker Night

2) Prescott’s Annual Christmas Parade and Courthouse Lighting: The "Arizona's Christmas City" Holiday Parade begins on December 7th at 1PM in downtown Prescott. Wear warm attire and bring a folding chair. The parade sometimes lasts for two hours. It’s a great way to start the Christmas season. Afterwards, you may want to grab an early dinner at one of Prescott’s fabulous restaurants because the festivities start all over again! Later that evening, the Annual Courthouse Lighting event will commence at 6PM. Before your very eyes downtown Prescott transforms into “Arizona’s Christmas City”. The courthouse and all of its surrounding trees light up with brilliant color. It’s a night you will not want to miss!
Prescott Chamber Events

3) Polar Express: Make an impression on your young nieces and nephews this Christmas. Every child wants to meet Santa Claus! Make their wishes come true with a ride to the North Pole by way of the Grand Canyon Railway. The ride begins in Williams, Arizona with a moonlit ride through the wilderness. The kids can mingle with lively elves while singing and dancing to holiday songs. Cookies and hot chocolate will be served while Santa makes his visits from car to car. Find out more about this one hour adventure at Polar Express.

4) Festival of Trees at Tlaquepaque: Sedona, Arizona - The Festival of Trees is a premiere holiday event at Tlaquepaque beginning Friday, November 29, 2013. Area artists and galleries will have over 45 Christmas trees and gingerbread houses fully decorated in fun and exquisite ways. The trees all have special themes and incorporate different materials. Kick off your holiday season with a beautiful themed tree already pre-decorated. The trees will be on display inside the ballroom at Tlaquepaque accompanied with silent auction bid sheets. Viewers may visit Tlaquepaque and check their bids through 4PM on Saturday, December 7th. Proceeds benefit "Meals on Wheels" for the Sedona Community Center and "Toys for Tots" via the Sedona Marine Corps League. Sedona Festival of Trees

5) Arizona Snowbowl: If snow and cold weather doesn’t restrict you to the indoors, the Arizona Snowball could be right for you. This little ski resort is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and has a slope for every level of skier. The Agassiz Lift is perfect for expert skiers and boarders. It is 2,000 vertical feet of mountain for experts and advanced intermediates. The Sunset Lift serves 650 vertical feet of intermediate terrain as well as the Sunset Terrain Park. The terrain park is complete with multiple jumps, fun boxes and rails. Beginners have two lifts and a surface conveyor near the Hart Prairie Lodge. Quality skiing and snowboarding equipment can be rented from the Rental Shop at the Hart Prairie Lodge. The two lodges on the mountain are Hart Prairie and Agassiz. There you’ll find food, a full bar, and seating inside and outside. The food is set-up cafeteria style with American food options. There are a variety of lift ticket discounts for children, seniors, military personnel, large groups and off peak skier days. Visit the resorts website for more information. Arizona Snowbowl

 So whether it’s your nieces or nephews, grandparent or parents that are visiting – there is something fun and festive for everyone this holiday season. For online discounts on all northern Arizona travel, click on Hot Deals at Travel Northern Arizona.

Monday, September 9, 2013

What to do with these rainy weekends?

Northern Arizona has been experiencing a wet September. If you're itching for something to do, pick a great restaurant in one of your favorite Northern Arizona cities, go for a drive and grab a bite to eat. If you're experiencing hot, muggy weather in Phoenix (Great!) this is the best time to explore Northern Arizona. Everything is lush and green and the flowers are all a bloom. The weather even encourages a sweater at times.

Recently our family went on a scenic drive through Senator highway, explored Wolf Creek when the weather permitted, then we grabbed a bite to eat at a brewery. It was a great day of exploration and really helped us shake that 'stuck in the house' feeling. It was also a great day for photos. The mountain fog was captivating.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Macy's Coffee Shop - A Place for Everyone!


'Go where the Locals Go' 

Who doesn't love a good coffee shop? On your next trip to Flagstaff, Arizona, be sure to visit Macy's for a GREAT cup of joe!


By Writer, Zoe courtesy of Macy's in Flagstaff Arizona.

Macy’s is Flagstaff’s very own coffeehouse. It is located in the heart of a dedicated and decorated community, and accordingly, it fosters the progressive changes of tomorrow while still honoring the wisdom of the past. Macy’s embodies the belief that business ethics and practices can coincide with the needs of employees and customers alike. Macy’s is a family. All who enter these doors are welcome with open arms.

Macy’s also understands the importance of supporting our global community. We employ a coffee scout to find and purchase our beans. We proudly pay better than fair-trade prices, directly to the farmer. Macy’s appreciates the importance of reducing our ecological impact so we also offer compostable to-go cups and participate in a community-composting program. We hope to someday be an example of how one Flagstaff coffeehouse and it’s ideals of leadership, dedication, and compassion, came to unite a world of difference; one love-filled cup at a time.

Most importantly, Macy’s eagerly anticipates its’ opportunities to give back to the local community. We are often home to the children’s poetry reading, the college students’ first gig with the new band, or the Monday night chess club. We often donate door prizes to various fundraisers or day-old pastries to the nearby shelters. We know that change begins with a series of small commitments that snowball the world into a better place. Macy’s will always be committed to that change.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Day Trip from Phoenix, Arizona - Escape the Heat!

My family is from Phoenix so every now and then they like to escape the heat of the scorching desert. My #1 recommended escape (which is full of exploration and adventure) is all here for you...

Drive up north and head to Prescott, Arizona in the morning. It's about a 90 minute to 2 hour drive depending upon where you live in the Valley. Leave at 7am and get to Prescott, Arizona by 10am - everything will be open! Check out all of the quaint shops, go to a lake for a 20 minute hike or have a late breakfast around the courthouse square. The beauty of Prescott will take you to another place so it doesn't matter what you do there.

Hit the road around 12pm and head to Jerome (YOU MUST TAKE HWY 89A) over Mingus Mountain. It's approximately 50 minutes to Jerome from Prescott this way. At certain points on this drive you can see Sedona's red rocks and the snow capped San Francisco Peaks in the background. It makes a terrific photo opportunity with friends and/or family.

When you reach Jerome, Arizona, you WILL KNOW you're there. It's a small retired mining town just settled into the cliffs with small roads and old shops. Parking can be difficult so take a left next to the Firehouse. There's parking up the road. If you're not fond of hills (sorry) the entire town is up and down and you will get your leg work-out! If you're into wine, check out the Caduceus Cellars. There's plenty of eclectic shops. The main attractions are (of course) the old mine - The Haunted Hamburger - and the Spirit Room (Bar). I personally like the Kaleidoscope store and the kids will love it too.

From here you have a few options:

A) Depart from Jerome around 3:30/4pm and head to Sedona, Arizona and stay for dinner. I will first recommend exploring Oak Creek Canyon, the shops on the main street then head back to the Talaquepaque for dinner. You'll find a nice restaurant there and more shops! Your day will have been filled with fun and good memories.

B) You've opted to do the 'wine thing' so now you need more...  go to Page Spring Winery down the hill. You might have to check out Arizona Stronghold too in Clarkdale since you are going that route. After that, you're DD is taking you straight back to Phoenix.

C) If you're brave - take 89A drive through Cottonwood, AZ, up through Sedona's Oak Creek (for oohs and ahhs) and end up in Flagstaff. Have dinner up there (around 6:30pm) and head home taking the 17 South. You will be very happy you did at the end of the day. A great way to see the beauty of the Arizona North Country. You will be amazed over the vast changes in scenery and how each city is so very different.

Enjoy!!!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Experience the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, AZ

I traveled with my family, a party of 15, last summer on the Grand Canyon Railway. We were headed to the Grand Canyon on a day trip to show my aunt the great state of Arizona. We were instantly upgraded to first-class, so I must boast, it's the ONLY way to travel on this train. The amenities of first class made our entire trip. It was a warm day so the A.C. was much appreciated. As we viewed the other carts ahead - we could see all of the windows were as far down as they could go. I imagine it was pretty hot in coach.

The sites were breathtaking. The pines were as green as I've ever seen them and you could really inhale the raw beauty of Northern Arizona. The land seemed untouched as if we lived in the 1900s. We stopped for about an hour (if I recall correctly) in the Grand Canyon - explored the hotel there, and hiked up along the canyon side for 25 minutes. We didn't want to miss our departure!

I'd recommend this adventure to anyone that has visitors in town and you want to do something different. The downside is that it will be your activity for the entire day, so be sure you want to spend all day with your guests. Maybe not good for toddlers but excellent for adults. Kids may get a little stir-crazy but we seem to still enjoy this ride. For more information, visit http://www.thetrain.com/.


Monday, August 12, 2013

Best Mexican Food in Prescott, Arizona

If you're in Prescott, Arizona and your taste buds are salivating for Mexican food, be sure to stop by Hugos Cocina.

It's authentic Mexican food, with multiple homemade salsas and don't dress up - it's a 'hole in the wall' kind of place but you won't even notice. No alcoholic beverages are served here but the food is amazing and they make everything to order. The fish tacos are to die for and the carne asada is out of this world!