| |
|
Unique Finds and One-of-a-Kinds at Arizona's Museum Gift Shops
|
| |
| |
|
These museum gift shops offer unique gift items and mementos to take home with you to make your Arizona visit unforgettable. If you love a location or love what a museum is doing, then purchasing an item at the gift shop is a great way to give back to the local community and to support the museum and their preservation activities. The best part is that you get to take home a memento of your incredible Arizona trip!
|
|
| |
|
Starting in North Eastern Arizona, located on the Navajo Nation is the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and the Rug and Jewellery Rooms. It is the oldest continuously operating trading post in the American Southwest. Hubbell's (as it is affectionately known) is more than a special place. Hubbell's is about the culture, tradition, and artistry of a place that is steeped in the history of the West while continuing today as a living, thriving, active trading post. When visiting the Hubbell Trading Post, many people feel that they've been transported back in time. When your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen" you find you've just entered a mercantile establishment. Hubbell's has been serving Ganado - selling groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee and Native American Art - since 1878.
|
|
| |
|
Walk into the Rug and Jewellery Rooms to see the great selection of authentic Navajo rugs and other southwest Native American arts and crafts for sale. The trader still purchases handmade crafts directly from artists at the trading post. They feature hundreds of authentic hand-woven Navajo rugs for sale as well as hand-crafted Navajo rings, bracelets, and necklaces. The rugs, silver and turquoise jewellery, kachinas, pottery, and baskets are all unique and exclusive to the store since they are individually hand-crafted. Many of the items are created from natural resources found within the Navajo Nation, and are carefully made by skilled Navajo artisans. Noticing and appreciating the details of the wonderful selection of unique handmade items is only achievable when slowing down.
|
|
| |
|
Hubbell Trading Post is operated by Western National Parks Association, a non-profit education partner of the National Park Service. Due to the uniqueness of each item, handmade goods from Hubbell Trading Post are unavailable online. However, you can shop collectibles from Arizona's National Parks and Monuments online at Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site and help support parks and monuments like the Hubbell Trading Post. These shops are only a sampling of the options around the state, but they give you a glimpse of the world-class museums, national parks and monuments and local historical museums Arizona is well-known for until you can visit again.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Staying in Northern Arizona we have the famous Route 66 which is home to the Route 66 Museum and Gift Shop in Kingman. Route 66 is a unique living museum you can experience out on the road. And, Arizona is home to the longest stretch of original Route 66, that is still in use today. The spirit of Route 66 is fun and free so it is easy to get excited about it. Learn the chronological history and importance of the road in Kingman at the Arizona Route 66 Museum located in the same building as the Powerhouse Visitor's Centre. In the gift shop, pick up an Arizona Route 66 Passport for $1.66 and receive your first "stamp". The passport is a planning tool and cool way to experience the Mother Road while collecting stamps within Arizona. The gift shop also has a variety of custom items to celebrate Route 66 such as mugs, bandanas and a Christmas ornament that is exclusive to this shop. But the item most shoppers slip into their cart? A long metal sign featuring a map of Route 66 going through all eight states.
|
|
| |
|
For those who want something a bit more hand-made, soft and cosy to remember their time on the road - consider a hand-embroidered Route 66 pillow! Put your head on this pillow for sweet dreams of getting your kicks on Route 66 again. There is no admission charge to access the gift shop. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona's online shop is a great way to purchase all kinds of Route 66 memorabilia. And, it is all for a good cause, as it supports the Association which preserves, promotes and protects Route 66.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
On the eastern side of Route 66, located just off Interstate 40 at the north entrance of the Petrified Forest National Park, the Painted Desert Oasis Gift Shop offers a variety of goods and services to park guests including Painted Desert and Route 66 memorabilia. The Painted Desert Oasis and its sister shop at the south entrance, the Rainbow Forest Lodge Gift Shop, carry jewellery, pottery and other traditional wares made by local tribes, Route 66 themed items, and apparel. If you want to take a piece of Arizona home with you, the gift shop also sells polished petrified wood obtained legally from private lands nearby.
|
|
| |
|
The bookstores in the park's Visitor Centres also offer educational material, keepsakes and gifts for all ages that help maintain a connection to the unique resources found in the park. Shopping at the park stores is a great way to support local artisans and your national park. Supporting these gift shops has long been an essential way for national parks to enhance their ability to serve visitors. Online shopping is available through the Petrified Forest Museum Association.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Making the journey further south be sure to schedule a visit to the Verde Valley which is home to eight quality cultural heritage sites and museums. However, if you are in Sedona and just have time for one, consider a stop to visit and shop at Sedona Historical Museum and Gift Shop. The red rocks of Sedona have hosted peoples for thousands of years, but the museum concentrates on the 'modern' history from 1876 to the present. The shop highlights local history books, items made by local artists, movies made in Sedona, jewellery, knives, toys and stuffed animals (even javelinas) for kids, ornaments, art, Sedona-themed calendars and totes, fibre art and all types of gift selections. For those interested in the "inside scoop" a docent from the museum can describe their personal experience with the items in the shop because the docents are some of the shop's best customers! Many gifts are one-of-a-kind objects lovingly made by the heirs of those who built Sedona. You can find books the museum publishes, ornaments made by a descendant of the family who built the house (the museum's main building), pine needle baskets by a docent and several pioneer descendants present geode art, hand crocheted luxury infinity scarves, hand-beaded jewellery and wire-wrapped, hand-beaded necklaces and bracelets. Additional hand-made collectible and functional items include American Indian knives - no two are alike - made of 440 Damascus steel with handles of bone, wood, antler and sometimes with turquoise or other inlay.
|
|
| |
|
Enjoy tax-free purchases, and support area cultural institutions in an un-crowded, un-harried environment all in one shopping trip! A few items are available on their website, call ahead for a personal shopper who can talk you through additional options and ship you the perfect gifts.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
Continuing down South to capital city Phoenix you will find the Musical Instrument Museum (The MIM). Once guests have finished touring the galleries where they have seen and heard musical instruments from almost every country in the world, they are inspired to make music too. Located just inside the The MIM, across from the main entrance, the Museum Store is an extension of the guest experience that educates, entertains, and inspires guests. It is a place to find familiar and unusual musical instruments, ranging from pieces built by master instrument makers to those made under fair-trade conditions by artisans around the world to simple, fun, and affordable favourites. Perhaps the most popular instrument in the Museum Store is the harmonica because it is so easy to carry and because they offer several different sizes, styles, and price ranges.
|
|
| |
|
The Museum Store also features books for adults and children about music and world cultures, as well as CDs and LPs. Add to that jewellery, personal accessories, handmade global crafts, games and musical toys, and the Museum Store is sure to have something for everyone.
|
|
| |
|
The Museum Store offers jewellery made from piano wire, miniature instrument replicas, novelty socks with instrument designs, and instruments including the Theremini, djembes, didgeridoos, and ukuleles, just to name a few. Every year they offer a charming assortment of handmade and fair-trade holiday items from around the world. These ornaments, nativities, and decorations range from the whimsical to the traditional, and in many cases become cherished family heirlooms.
|
|
| |
|
There is no admission required to shop at the Museum Store and proceeds support MIM and its programs. The Online Store offers a small selection of some of the best-selling items in the Museum Store.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Trade:
Katie Gould
kgould@hillsbalfour.com
|
Media:
Lottie Phillips
lphillips@hillsbalfour.com
|
|
| |
| |
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.
|
|
| |
|
