Features

Kick off your Super Bowl experience with our guide to events, activities and parties pinned to the big game on February 1.

Verizon Super Bowl Central
Located in Downtown Phoenix, Verizon Super Bowl Central is the week-long, pedestrian-only epicenter of Super Bowl entertainment in the Valley. Find concerts and food, plus the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park with games, clinics and NFL autograph sessions. Visit azsuperbowl.com for more information.

Dates: January 28 – February 1
Hours: 2 p.m.-Midnight

Daily Schedule
2 p.m. Food and beer gardens, Sponsor Activity Zone, Autograph Stage and XLIX Concert Stage open
2–6 p.m. Local talent and group performances on Concert Stage
6 p.m. Autograph Stage closes
7–10 p.m. Regional and national music artists on Concert Stage
10–10:10 p.m. Nightly fireworks show
10 p.m. Activities close
Midnight Food and beverage close (Friday and Saturday)

Pour-overs, brew bars and local roasters – coffee has experienced a delicious evolution in the last decade. Discover new frontiers of caffeinated ecstasy with our guide to all that’s coffee in the Valley.

Coffee. Most Americans can’t get through the day without at least a cup – 58 percent of consumers age 18 and older drink it daily, according to a 2012 survey by the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Coffee has become more than a daily wake-up ritual or a jolt to the system during afternoon slumps. Its consumption has moved into the domain of wine, fine spirits, craft beer and gourmet food, with baristas being elevated to artisans and a cup of coffee telling a story about where it grew, how it got to you and the personality of who roasted it and who brewed it. It’s no longer liquid energy to mindlessly swill – it’s an experience to be evaluated, with flavor and aroma profiles and brewing skills, and, of course, enjoyed.

Your guide to the most quaffable wines, tantalizing tasting rooms, and beauteous B&Bs that Arizona has to offer..

Picking Your Poison
Arizona wine is rising up faster than a tangle of summer syrah vines. In 1990, there were five licensed wineries in the state. Today, there are 91, with roughly a dozen more due to open by the end of next year – each providing an additional tourism boon to the state’s three main growing regions. Similar but distinct, these high-country hotspots each present a dreamy fall drive.

Nearly burned alive in a gas explosion, a young West Valley couple beats the odds – and  makes medical history.

October 16, 2013, 9:19 p.m.
When the house at 7916 W. Cholla St. exploded, it rocked a Peoria police patrol car idling only 15 feet away. Officer Kenneth Tarrant happened to be sitting in the cruiser, wrapping up a traffic case.

He radioed for help, then ran to aid the young man and woman running from the house. They were screaming in agony. They managed to tell him they’d been badly burned. Tarrant asked if anybody else was in the house. The answer was no.

For our fourth annual reader photo contest, titled “Elemental,” you submitted stunning shots of Arizona in all its earthen, blustery, rust-hued glory. We selected the top 10, and our readers voted for their favorite.

It's hot outside, and getting hotter. Thankfully, Arizona's burgeoning brew industry has a seasonal offering just for you.

Summer beers have typically become lighter, more refreshing styles,” says Arizona craft beer distributor and certified cicerone Chuck Noll. Educate your beer-loving mind with this handy overview.

Summer is the ideal season for Phoenicians to indulge their deepest-held travel fantasies. The snowbirds have flown, the kids are out of school and the northern snows have melted, paving the way for outdoor adventure. From waterfall hikes to canyoneering in the Salome Wilderness to biker rallies, we’ve tracked down some of the best recreation opportunities for summer 2014.

Bonus: Six out-of-state adventures!