AdventuresNew Around Town: Willcox
Leah LeMoineJanuary 29, 2018
The late "Arizona Cowboy" Rex Allen's hometown is updating its Western roots for a new era.
Adventures
Chef Justin Beckett takes at least one or two trips a year to San Francisco. As someone who's conquered 24 restaurants in 36 hours during "eat-a-thons" in the city, Beckett knows some fantastic food spots. "I'm a little weird; I don't go for the $300 dinner… We like to eat simple foods," Beckett says. After years of traveling with his wife and two kids, the owner of Beckett's Table and Southern Rail has racked up a handful of family-friendly foodie destinations.
AdventuresTravel Bag Bites: February 2018
Craig OuthierJanuary 29, 2018
As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200-page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.
But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-sized travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.
AdventuresNew Around Town: Camp Verde
Leah LeMoineJanuary 29, 2018
Almost smack dab in the middle of Arizona lies Camp Verde, an outdoors enthusiast's dream situated on the idyllic banks of the Verde River, whose lush greenery lives up to its verdant moniker. The town has a handy app (visitcampverde.com) to help visitors navigate local attractions, but these three newish ones are top on our radar.
AdventuresJust Back From: Jalisco with Jeff Smedstad
Leah LeMoineJanuary 29, 2018
Muslims flock to Mecca, hipsters swarm Coachella and Elvis fans go to Graceland. Chef Jeff Smedstad of Sedona's prized Elote Café heads sur for his annual pilgrimage to the western Mexican state of Jalisco, particularly its capital Guadalajara and its blue agave-ensconced town of Tequila. Smedstad and Elote manager Juan Rojas venture here each year to "look for unique barrels of tequila, to spend time with the different tequila makers... kind of researching the product, the same way people would [with] wine country," Smedstad says. He shares a few of his Jalisco hot spots.
AdventuresNew Around Town: Douglas
Leah LeMoineDecember 4, 2017
Formerly a smelter site for neighboring Bisbee’s copper mines, the quaint border town of Douglas now draws birders and history buffs to its riparian areas and historic landmarks. We round up the new and notable in “Arizona’s Hometown.”
AdventuresTravel Bag Bites: December 2017
Craig OuthierDecember 4, 2017
As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200 page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.
But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-sized travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.
AdventuresTravel Bag Bites: November 2017
Craig OuthierNovember 1, 2017
As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200 page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.
But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-sized travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.
AdventuresNew Around Town: Casa Grande
Leah LeMoineNovember 1, 2017
Not content to be just a pit stop between Phoenix and Tucson, Casa Grande has been making strides toward becoming a destination in its own right. To wit: three new attractions keeping locals and visitors busy.
“There is such unadulterated beauty in Cabo,” says Pauline Martinez, owner of Perk Eatery and CHAR Kitchen+Bar in Scottsdale. Martinez visited the Baja California city with her husband this summer to draw inspiration from their culinary traditions to bring back to her restaurants – as well as to kick back a little and enjoy the view. “There’s this big juxtaposition between this party scene and this...rich beauty that is so natural,” she says. And Cabo's seafood, she adds, is delicious. Her recommendations for making the most out of this lively tourist magnet:
It’s almost the most bone-chilling time of the year, and there’s no better way to kick off October than with some ghost hunting.
In addition to faux haunted homes and fear farms in every corner of the Valley leading up to Halloween, Arizona also has plenty of reportedly haunted historic places to whet the appetites of paranormal enthusiasts and urban explorers alike. Test your mettle beyond artificial haunted houses starring high schoolers dressed up like killer clowns — here are some ghost hunts for those brave souls wanting to stare down something a little less cheesy and a little more real.
AdventuresTravel Bag Bites: August 2017
Craig OuthierAugust 9, 2017
As editors of a city lifestyle magazine with a travel section that covers locales far beyond our beloved Phoenix Valley, you can imagine that we get pitched A TON about new and exciting travel offers around the country. Of course, we can't fit everything into a 200 page monthly magazine that only allots five of those pages to regional travel. Sigh... 'tis the nature of publishing.
But it pains us too much to kill all of our darlings. So each month, we scrape a few travel tidbits off the cutting room floor and bring you Travel Bag Bites – bite-sized travel-related goodies (special offers, activities and deals) to snack on while planning your next great escape.
AdventuresNew Around Town: Benson
Leah LeMoineAugust 9, 2017
From its early days as a railway shipping point in the 1880s to its modern status as a “highway city” southeast of Tucson aiming to draw more tourists, Benson has had quite a ride. Three new developments are making Arizona travelers take note.
"We ate at 35 places in three days," Valley super chef Bernie Kantak (The Gladly, Citizen Public House) says of his recent Seattle excursion with Little Miss BBQ pit-master Scott Holmes. He says it with a faint, rueful chuckle. Translation: Yes, we made pigs of ourselves... but we learned so much.
Fast friends after cooking together at the James Beard House in New York City last year, the duo promised to do a culinary R&D trip in 2017. Ultimately, the settled on Seattle. And planned it on the fly.