8 New (Exciting) Reasons to Visit Arizona

No matter where you head in Arizona this fall, you are going to find something new to love. Take a look!

Your Passport to Wine

The Arizona Office of Tourism recently launched a statewide digital Arizona Wine Trail passport and interactive map to help wine lovers discover more than 100 of the state’s wineries. Visitors can register for the free passport and save as an icon to their phone’s home screen for easy access and navigation.

New Pub for Prescott  

If you are more of a beer lover than wine drinker, check out The P.U.B. – Prescott’s Unique Brewhouse – recently opened in Prescott. Modeled after a traditional Irish pub with a tutor-inspired interior, brick fireplaces and cozy bric-a-brac, you may forget you are in Arizona! The drink menu features everything from local and regional beer, wine, cider and mead to classic pub favorites, as well as a great shepherd’s pie.

New photography exhibit by Navajo photographer at Amerind Museum

Head to the Amerind Museum in Dragoon for its newest exhibit, “Through the Lens of Navajo Photographer Priscilla Tacheney”, now through March 31, 2022. A member of the Navajo Nation, Priscilla Tacheney is a Southwest landscape and portrait photographer. Through the lens of her camera, Tacheney captures the beauty of nature and its energy.

More rooms to love in Tucson (with outdoor showers!)

Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, a Forbes Four-Star Resort in Tucson, has completed its expansion project, adding 40 new guest rooms. The guest rooms span seven new buildings facing both the Santa Catalina Mountains and Rincon Mountains offering guests expansive mountain views. The new Rincon Ridge Rooms include fifteen rooms with private outdoor showers guests. Care has been taken to weave in elements of the resort’s unique history throughout the new guestrooms and other areas. In addition to the new guestrooms, Hacienda Del Sol also added a new pool area with a forty-foot lap pool, an infinity-edge wading pool, spa and a large sun deck. A 420 square-foot fitness facility with large roll-up doors takes advantage of Tucson’s months of mild temperatures and unforgettable mountain views.

Mesa first in Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program  

Mesa, Ariz. is the first U.S. travel destination to adopt the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, a program lauded for supporting travelers with various needs as a way for them to secure additional support they may require while traveling. Developed and launched in the United Kingdom, the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is now a recognized icon that accessible travelers can utilize to discreetly be identified as having a disability. Visit Mesa, the City of Mesa’s destination marketing organization, is the first Arizona Visitor Center to offer the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower complimentary lanyards and bracelets. When worn, the sunflower serves as a visual cue to trained visitor industry staff throughout Mesa who will then be able to recognize if that traveler, or traveler’s companion, would like additional support during their visit.      

The London Bridge in Lake Havasu City lights up!

On the eve of its 50th anniversary since its official dedication in 1971, the famed London Bridge in Lake Havasu City has a brighter future. A $281,000 lighting refurbishment will replace the bulbs and wiring in 700 lights on the underside of the north and south face of the bridge. New software will provide versatility to use colors and synchronization for special displays such as red, white and blue for the Fourth of July. The iron street lamps on top of the bridge made by the British out of the melted-down metal from Napoleon’s cannons will remain the same. Work for the project is expected to be completed by October.  Take a virtual tour, including 360-degree views of the London Bridge and English Village here.                                         

Lake Havasu Classic Outboard Championships Back Oct. 15-17, 2021    

The famed London Bridge isn’t the only thing that links Lake Havasu City to its fascinating past. The city was once home to the premier outboard powerboat race in the world. In a blast from the past, the Lake Havasu Classic Outboard Championships returns Oct. 15-17, 2021 after 31 years, in time for the rededication of the London Bridge. The outboard races will be part of the NGK Sparkplugs Formula 1 Powerboat Series. The original Outboard Championships in Lake Havasu City began in 1964 and continued through 1990.  The three-day event will feature racing in three classes: Formula 1, Tri-Hull and Formula Lights. Race headquarters and free fan viewing is expected to be at the Nautical Beachfront Resort.  

Register for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick

The Salt River Indian Community Fire Department will be hosting the 5th annual Memorial Stair Climb at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on September 11, 2021, to honor and remember the fallen firefighters on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Each participant pays tribute to an FDNY firefighter, police officer, or EMS by climbing the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center. Each climber will be issued a tag with the name and picture of one of the fallen to carry throughout the climb, symbolically completing their journey to the top of the World Trade Center Towers. Through firefighters and community participation, they hope to ensure that each of the 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 10 EMS personnel are honored, and their sacrifice is never forgotten. Register here.

Find more information on your trip to Arizona here!

Cover photo of Lake Havasu Farmer’s Market courtesy of TravMedia/GoLakeHavasu.com