| |
|
Arizona Road Tripping with a Twist
|
| |
| |
|
Arizona is famous for the iconic road trip experiences that it offers. However, if you'd like to get away from some of the main highways, here are two cool road trips around Arizona that offer some off the beaten path experiences. The attractions along these road trips offer small-town charm and unique activities to make your visit even more unforgettable.
|
|
| |
| |
|
From Phoenix to Southern Arizona
|
| |
| |
|
Start the trip leaving Phoenix and head east to Superior, about 1 hour from the Phoenix metro area. Stop at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum to view flora from deserts around the world, alongside unspoiled examples of native Sonoran Desert vegetation. You will see enthralling, otherworldly shapes and forms in the Cactus Garden and find peaceful reflection in the cool shade of towering trees in Queen Creek Canyon.
|
| |
|
While in Superior, visit the World's Smallest Museum. This museum, located next to the Buckboard City Cafe, has one aisle and is only 134 square feet or 12.5 square metres in size (roughly the size of a small shed). It is filled with the owner's personal items collected over the years, such as classic toys, posters, buttons and old technology. It is not every day you stumble across the smallest museum in the world!
|
| |
|
From Superior, head to Oracle, then continue the drive on Highway 77 to Tucson. Be sure to stop at Rattlesnake Bridge. With shiny fangs and a winding tail, a huge diamondback rattlesnake serves as a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Broadway Blvd. at the Barraza-Aviation Parkway, just east of downtown Tucson. Conceived by artist Simon Donovan, the bridge has won several design awards including one by the Federal Highway Administration as one of the nation's best road projects. There is a motion sensor that sets off an eerie rattling sound when you enter the hollow stomach which serves as a covered bridge. Local lore says that if you cross the bridge anywhere from one to six times, you will be protected from rattlesnake bites during December. Cross it seven to 12 times and your protection extends to the remainder of the year. Cross it the unlucky 13 times and let's just say it might be better to stay at home. So, take your chances with the wily reptiles or ward them off by crossing the bridge, either way, you'll experience a Tucson oddity for sure.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
From Tucson, drive east towards Willcox. For hundreds of miles in either direction, from Phoenix to El Paso, there are giant yellow billboards along the highway which ask, "What is It?" and announce how far you are from "The Thing?" What is The Thing? You will have to stop and see it for yourself!
|
| |
|
The Thing was originally owned and operated by Thomas Binkley Prince, who built a tourist stop around his oddities and interesting collection of items in 1965. Mr. Prince died in 1969 and the business was carried on for numerous years by his wife. Bowlin Travel Centers later managed the operation and added a gas station and a Dairy Queen restaurant, eventually acquiring the business. In August of 2018, Bowlin updated and reopened The Thing with the theme of Aliens vs. Dinosaurs. Exhibits include giant dinosaurs that tower overhead in a journey back through time. Guests can learn how interplanetary-beings covertly influenced important moments in history and unlock the mystery of The Thing.
|
| |
|
Continue east to Willcox and stop at one of the wine tasting rooms to sample some of Arizona's local wine. Did you know, Willcox produces 74% of the wine grapes grown in Arizona, or for a little nostalgia, stop at the Rex Allen Museum which pays homage to "Arizona's Cowboy", Rex Allen. This Willcox hero rose to fame as a singing cowboy in western movies, popular in the 1950's. The museum includes memorabilia, images, costumes, movie posters from Rex's heyday as well as a life-size replica of Rex's faithful horse, Koko. The museum includes the Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame.
|
| |
|
|
Wonderland of Rocks, Chiricahua National Monument
|
| |
|
From Willcox, take Interstate 191 south towards Douglas. If you have time, stop by the "Wonderland of Rocks" or "Land of Standing-Up Rocks," known as Chiricahua National Monument. Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption shook the land one thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The eruption eventually laid down two thousand feet of highly siliceous ash and pumice. This mixture fused into a rock called rhyolitic tuff and eventually eroded into the spires and unusual rock formations of today. It's fun to look at the rocks for familiar shapes such as a duck, a lady wearing a helmet, or Thor's hammer, perhaps? There is an eight-mile scenic drive and 17-miles of hiking trails to discover in this national monument.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
In Douglas, be sure to stop at the historical Gadsden Hotel, originally built in 1907. During its heyday, this hotel became a meeting place for cattlemen, ranchers, miners and businessmen in the area. When a fire ripped through the hotel in 1928 leaving nothing but the elevator car cabin, the marble staircase and marble columns, it was immediately rebuilt using the same architect but on a grander scale with no expense spared. Upon entering the majestic lobby, the first thing you notice is the impressive staircase made of white Italian marble and the massive pink marble columns. The column capitals are hand layered with 24k gold leafing!
|
| |
|
|
Drive west on Highway 80 to enjoy a variety of scenery including mountains, grasslands, vineyards and desert as you head towards Green Valley. Highway 80 will take you through Bisbee, the former mining town and now artist enclave; Highway 90 will take you through Sierra Vista, the Hummingbird Capital of the U.S.; and Highway 82 will take you south through the wine country of Sonoita / Elgin towards the Mexican border.
|
| |
|
As you return to Phoenix, there are two more fun stops. Along I-10 near Picacho Peak, get ready to smile at the antics of the animals at Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Farm. The Ostrich Farm is the perfect place to learn all about and come face-to-face with these long-lashed beauties and even have the opportunity to feed them. Over the years, the ostrich ranch has grown to include many other animals whose lips and beaks you can feel as they nibble feed from your hands. These animals include St. Croix sheep, bunnies, Nigerian dwarf goats, fallow deer, miniature donkeys, and Boer goats. The next stop is best appreciated at night.
|
| |
|
|
Take a step into the past in Casa Grande. A past when gas lights were king - gas, as in neon. Bask in the beautifully coloured and vibrant lights in the outdoor Neon Lights Park on the town's Main Street. This four-acre park in the Arizona Plaza opened in 2019, in the heart of the Historic Downtown District with 14 lovingly-restored and salvaged signs, mostly from the 1950's. In 2020, the park was awarded the James W. Garrison Heritage Award, the top prize given by the Governor's Heritage Preservation Honour Awards. Spend some time on the benches enjoying the vintage mid-century neon signs or walk along the landscaped paths. The lights are turned on at dusk and are turned off at 11:00 p.m. Head on 47 miles from Casa Grande to complete the loop back to Phoenix.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Here is another road trip option that travels along Route 66. Detour from I-40 in north western Arizona to motor along one of the longest stretches of original Route 66. Feel free to go either east to west. For this road trip, we begin in Oatman, traveling east.
|
| |
|
Oatman, a former mining town located in the Black Mountains of Mohave County just west of Kingman, was all but abandoned by the 1960's after the gold mines closed in the 1940's and Route 66 closed in 1953. Today, a few hardy souls still call Oatman home, but the hardiest residents are the wild burros (donkeys) who freely roam the town. The burros are descended from pack animals turned loose by early prospectors and are protected by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Weekends in Oatman can see anything from classic car rallies to mock "Wild West" shootouts right down the middle of old 66.
|
| |
|
From Oatman, head east on Route 66 toward Kingman. On this stretch of Route 66 there are several locations that will look familiar to those who have seen Disney's Cars movies. On your way to Kingman, visit Cool Springs Gift Shop and Museum (on your left, seven-miles outside of Oatman). Between Cool Springs and Oatman, you will encounter switchbacks and some of the most interesting and scenic landscapes anywhere on Route 66, known as Sitgreaves Pass. These hairpin turns and skinny lanes are some of the best relics from America's story of traveling west, giving a true glimpse of what roadies endured going through the untamed American West.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
While in Kingman stop by Alpacas of the Southwest. A full-service alpaca ranch, you can learn how they are raised, feed them and of course, get your photo taken with one!
|
| |
|
Grand Canyon Caverns is a natural limestone cavern 210 feet underground (21 stories) and the largest dry cavern in the U.S. You enter and leave the cavern by an elevator. Want to spend more time underground? Book the Grand Canyon Cavern Suite for an overnight stay. This is the oldest (65 million years), darkest (absent of any light), deepest (210 feet) and largest (200 by 400 feet) suite room in the world!
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Continue heading east to the small town of Seligman known for the Snow Cap Drive-In. This drive-in was owned and operated by Juan Delgadillo, who was famous for pulling pranks on unsuspecting tourists. Working on a shoestring budget, Juan and his wife, Mary, built the Snow Cap from scrap lumber in 1953. Juan became well known through many magazines and newspaper articles as one of the co-founders, along with his brother, Angel, who ran a barber shop next door. He was cherished by tourists for the antics he pulled on them while they were trying to place their order. Today, visitors from around the world seek the nostalgia of Historic Route 66 and the jokes that are famous at the Snow Cap (along with its burgers and milkshakes).
|
| |
|
From Seligman, you will return to I-40 which runs parallel with the old highway and takes you through additional Route 66 towns and on to our next stop, Flagstaff.
|
| |
|
|
The final stop is Northern Arizona University's (NAU) campus. Here you can find two 25-foot tall statues of lumberjacks - the school's mascot, affectionately referred to as "Louie the Lumberjack". These lumberjack figures, known as "Muffler Men", are actually promotional statues produced in the 1960's and 1970's used by auto repair shops to draw the attention of passing motorists on Route 66. These statues were donated to NAU in 1973. You can find these lumberjacks on campus, one at the Skydome and the other near the south scoreboard on the football field.
|
| |
|
|
| |
Want to learn more about Arizona? Visit our Online Training Programme, from Arizona A to Z
For more Arizona roadside attractions click here.
For visitor guidance due to COVID-19 such as mask-wearing, a list of tourism-related reopenings or closures, and a link to public health guidelines, click here: https://www.visitarizona.com/covid-19/ .
Some attractions are open year-round, and some are open seasonally or move to seasonal hours. To ensure the places you want to see are open on your travel dates; please check their website for hours of operation.
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
Trade:
Katie Gould
kgould@hillsbalfour.com
|
Media:
Fiona Lilley
flilley@hillsbalfour.com
|
|
| |
|
