Travel

Roxy’s Great Escape is our new (not-so-)secret hideaway. Tucked away in a strip mall off Indian School between 40th and 44th streets, it’s buzzing with the liveliness of an awesome neighborhood bar: A game of Yahtzee is being played at one end and another crowd of regulars is at the other. One guy mistakes us for someone and gives us a big side hug. We already like it here. Behind the bar, Holly whips up a spicy shooter she calls a Southwest Cucumber.

Ever climbed up onto a World War II bomber plane and played with the machine guns? No? Well, you can, and you won’t have to worry about coming under enemy fire. The Commemorative Air Force Arizona Wing Aviation Museum in Mesa has a fully restored B-17 plane called “Sentimental Journey”…

There are a lot of new buildings and businesses popping up in downtown Phoenix, especially around Central Avenue and Jefferson Street, where the CityScape project is about to open. But there’s a place on the corner of Central and Jefferson that pays homage to Phoenix’s past. It’s the Phoenix Police…

The original idea behind this “Hidden Valley” blog was to find unusual things and interesting places in Phoenix that are in the heart of the city, but often overlooked. This weekend, we found the epitome of that in beautiful, vintage neon bunny signs at Bunny Auto Sales, Inc.We’ve driven down…

A smiling bug sculpture greets pedestrians in downtown Phoenix.​There’s a lot to see in the heart of downtown Phoenix, aside from towering new office buildings. One of our favorite sights sits in front of the Phoenix Convention Center — a trio of adorable bug sculptures called “Social Invertebrates.”Yes, we said…

Black-necked Stilt birds hang out at the riparian preserve.​The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch just might be the coolest place in Gilbert. This idyllic, 110-acre preserve sits in the heart of the city, providing both a home for wildlife and a source of renewable water for the town.Located next to…

It might be hard to imagine a huge high school bustling with more 5,000 students at the corner of Sixth and Van Buren Streets these days, but back in the 1930s, that area was the site of the booming Phoenix Union High School.The buildings now house various classes and offices…

Most local hospitals aren’t known for their amazing art displays, but Phoenix Baptist Hospital has a museum collection worthy of being ogled for hours.The Medical Museum at Phoenix Baptist consists of several glass display cases in the lobby on every floor, filled with hundreds of relics from medical history such…

Photos by E. GrovesMost of the Sunnyslope Rock Garden is visible from the street.​Sunnyslope hasn’t changed much over the years. Aside from the expansion of John C. Lincoln Hospital (which caused the destruction of a few strip malls and the old Brookshires Restaurant), everything’s pretty much as it was in…

Photos by E. GrovesSoleri’s Wind Bells adorn the interior of a giant dome at Cosanti.​Cosanti is a Zen arts and nature compound in the middle of our hectic desert metropolis. This historic site in Paradise Valley features several eco-friendly buildings, artist studios, garden walkways, and most famously, countless Soleri Wind…

Up until a few years ago, Van Buren Street in central Phoenix was a booming strip for prostitutes. The street used to be the main thoroughfare through Phoenix, and over the decades, the stretch of Van Buren from 24th to 32nd street in particular became well-known for countless prostitutes hawking…

The Hotel San Carlos in downtown Phoenix has a long and storied history. In operation since 1928, the hotel hosted numerous Hollywood stars in its heyday, including Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Ingrid Bergman, and Gary Cooper. In 1993, the owners of the Hotel San Carlos, the Melikian family, installed the…

Big, sprawling houses are the norm in the neighborhoods nestled in the mountains around 44th street and Camelback Road. But the house at 5050 East Red Rock Road is unlike any other in the area — in fact, it’s not so much a “house” as it is a big, Moorish…

And we have your list of participating spas. But before we get there, here’s the skinny: During National Spa Week (Sept. 13 to 19) local spas slash prices on their signature treatments. We’re talking $50 for treatments and services that are usually $85 to $450. A complete list of participating…

It’s hard to say what remnants of metropolitan Phoenix will remain a thousand years from now, but it’s easy to see remnants of what was in the Valley a thousand years ago. There are numerous prehistoric petroglyphs carved into the rocks across the sprawling, 1600-plus acre South Mountain Park.These petroglyphs…

Ten years ago, Mandall’s Shooting Supplies was an unusual hub in Old Town Scottsdale. Back then, it was the place to go if you were looking to shoot some high-powered, fully automatic guns or buy an expensive, vintage rifle from Spain. Now, all that’s left of Mandall’s Shooting Supplies is…

The Hall of Flame Fire Museum in Phoenix is the largest firefighting museum in the world, but it’s easy to pass while driving east on Van Buren Street toward Mill Avenue. But take a right around 61st Street, and you’ll find a fascinating collection of fire engines, firefighting equipment, and…

Few signs around Phoenix are as eye-catching as Western Exterminator Company’s “Little Man.” The “Little Man” is really anything but — the fiberglass figure of a man in a top hat holding a hammer behind his back stands nearly 10 feet tall, and hovers over 24th Street from about 20…

There’s a big white pyramid in the heart of Papago Park. The shiny white tile structure is as flashy a standout as the man buried within it. This is the tomb of George W.P. Hunt, Arizona’s first governor, who served seven terms between February, 1912 and January, 1933. Hunt stood…

There’s a building in central Phoenix that looks like a primitive mud hut barely held together by tree branches. Small squares of ancient glass are wedged in the walls for windows, and the “backyard” is a five-foot wide patch of dry weeds and broken glass. Hardly charming, but the place…

The Buckhorn Baths have been on the corner of Main Street and Recker Road in Mesa since 1936. In its heyday, the 10-acre property included a bathhouse annex with 25 whirlpool hot tubs, a motel, and a wildlife museum. Its large neon, Vegas-style sign beckoned to weary travelers from the…

The west Valley might not have the biggest nightlife scene, but it is home to the biggest baby possibly ever seen from a freeway.That’s right — there’s a gigantic cardboard baby in Goodyear. He stands almost 20 feet tall and perpetually looks down at a cardboard tractor. He’s been sitting…