There are plenty of reasons to visit Arizona! Beautiful scenery, lots of history, the CLDA Final Mile Forum in May, and amazing weather, to name a few. I thought I would highlight just a couple of the many amazing events to plan a future trip around and maybe a few ideas to squeeze in when you come to the CLDA Final Mile Forum this May!
The Tucson Rodeo
This year marks the 94th annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the Tucson Rodeo. We have long celebrated cowboys here in Arizona and our heritage of ranching. Beginning in the late 1800s, when pioneers venture out west and discovered our beautiful rolling hills and rich grasslands, thriving cattle ranches became an icon of our landscape and a staple of our economy. Seen in hundreds of movies and countless pieces of artwork, the cowboy has become synonymous with the Southwest. When the rodeo began in 1925, the three day event was meant to attract visitors to Arizona to give them a taste of cowboy life and the thrill of the Wild West. It has since grown to a nine day event and attracts hundreds of thousands of people. The parade that kicks off the celebration is the world’s longest non-motorized parade. At the rodeo, visitors are treated to bull riding, bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer roping and wrestling, and barrel racing
This year’s rodeo just wrapped up last week, but you can explore history of cowboys and living in the southwest at several museums in and around Phoenix and then plan a trip back next year to see the rodeo.
- The Western Spirit, Scottsdale’s museum of the West
- The AZ Historical Society Museum
- Pioneer Living History Museum
Wyatt Earp Days
Another great stop for a fan of cowboys, outlaws, gunslingers, or just a really cool old western town is Tombstone, AZ for Wyatt Earp days. Honoring one of Tombstone’s most famous lawmen, the event is May 25-27 this year, and includes mock gunfights, chili cook-offs, look-alike contests and more. Tombstone, located in Southern Arizona, is a quaint little old western town that has a historical and legendary past most notably for the gunfight at the O.K. Corral between lawmen Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday and the outlaws Clanton and McLaury brothers and Billy Claiborne. The feud came to represent the utter wildness and open range of the American frontier. I will talk more about the legend Wyatt Earp in a later newsletter, but Tombstone, is full of history of the old wild west and is worth the time to explore. Tombstone is only a 3 hour drive south of Phoenix, so make sure you go and see the town that was dubbed, “Too tough to Die”!
Relaxing Sunday
I am a big fan of farmers’ markets when I travel. I still vividly remember eating fresh tomatoes like they were apples from a farmers market in Paris, France many moons ago. Stuffing unknown cheeses, dried meats and bread wrapped in parchment paper into my backpack to snack on later. The smells, the eccentric local flavors, the local artisans and fresh air of the outdoors all bundled up in one place to explore. What is not to like about that?
I would recommend the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers’ Market in downtown Scottsdale as a relaxing Sunday event featuring local makers, foods, and artisans. Find a selection of unique Arizona-made goods and produce from one of the local vendors. Head down early for the best selection, they open at 8am and most vendors will start to close up around 1pm or when they run out of product. If you want something closer to CLDA Final Mile Forum event, you can run to the Ahwatukee Farmers’ Market which is only about 15 minutes away from the hotel.
After you drink some local coffee and have a breakfast snack, Downtown Scottsdale has plenty of places within walking distance for you, your friends and family to relax and see. This guide to Downtown Scottsdale is a great read, along with a wealth of information to help you find the perfect place for your tastes. If you are headed to Downtown Scottsdale, I would recommend a couple of places. Los Olivios is a great place to grab some lunch serving up authentic Mexican food, everything on their menu is amazing. If I could only eat one thing on the menu it would be their cheese enchiladas with red sauce. You can always tell a good Mexican restaurant by their salsa and red sauce and Los Olivios does not disappoint.
Next, If you are feeling under served and need a cold adult beverage you can walk over to the Rusty Spur Saloon, Scottsdale’s oldest cowboy saloon. If you get lucky you might even see a man on a horse in the saloon. Lastly, if you need a place for a quick picture with your family or significant other, Robert Indiana’s “Love Sculpture” is always a great place to take photos or people watch. Whether it is food, drinks, shopping, or just wandering around to see what you see, Downtown Scottsdale should be a stop on any trip to Phoenix.
Arizona Navy?
So to finish off today, I wanted to let you in on two little known facts. First, Arizona had a navy. Yes a navy. Let that sink in for a moment as you ponder how that is possible since Arizona is a landlocked state. Secondly, Arizona was the last state to take up arms against another state. In 1934, Arizona deployed around 60 armed infantry and two small wooden vessels to patrol the Parker Dam site on the Colorado river to keep California from completing the Parker dam and essentially stealing Arizona’s water rights from the river. Luckily no shots were ever fired, and the dam was eventually completed in exchange for a large government irrigation project for Arizona. It is unclear when the “Navy” was decommissioned.
