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…
Central Phoenix isn’t known for its sprawling cemeteries, but just off 12th Avenue and Jefferson Street, there’s a vast, historic burial ground called the Pioneer Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery is one of the oldest in the state, with graves that date back to the mid-1800s. The 11-acre cemetery grounds…
In searching for a new wedding location on their 1200-acre grounds, the folks at The Boulders Resort in Carefree may have accidentally stumbled upon an ancient religious site. Managing Director Michael Hoffman found the small grouping of boulders and decided it was the perfect spot to build an outdoor wedding venue called…
Chances are, you know about one of the most popular boutique hotels in town. But just under the hip veneer at the Clarendon Hotel — past the street tacos at Gallo Blanco, the artwork of Jason Hill and Mike Little, the raucous pool parties — there’s a shrine of sorts you might…
There’s a doll in downtown Phoenix that’s older than the United States.Her wax skin is clear and smooth, her features soft and vibrant. Her shiny blond hair is human (each follicle was applied by hand) and her white cloth dress has no tatters or stains. The 300-year-old doll is the…
As we roll into June, the mercury is climbing and the snowbirds are heading for the hills. Weaklings! But their flight is our gain. Some of the Valley’s top hotels and resorts are offering summertime specials that’ll help you have a four-star vacation at bargain-basement prices. Now through September, the Four Seasons Resort at…
The phrase “eat dirt” has never been complimentary, but there sure are some tasty-looking rocks at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum on Washington Street. The museum’s “Banquet of Rocks” display features more than a dozen rock and mineral dishes that look startlingly edible, from a steak (quartz and jasper)…
On the outskirts of Central Phoenix, quirky old Grand Avenue careens west toward Glendale and Wickenburg at a 45-degree angle, as it has done for almost 85 years. A lot has come and gone along this arterial road, but many signs of Phoenix past remain. Literally. The stretch of Grand…
The “World’s Tallest Kachina” looms over the sleepy subdivision of Tonto Hills, about six miles east of Carefree. This 40-foot tall marvel lends a splash of color to the adobe landscape, and has become an off-the-roadside attraction for visitors to the Valley. Designed by renowned Southwest sculptor Phillips Sanderson, the…
Anybody who’s driven down Broadway near central Phoenix has probably passed right by Mofles the Auto Parts Man and failed to notice him. Sure, he’s bright red and nearly 20 feet tall, waving big flags in front of Charly’s Auto Servicio, but he’s easily overlooked because that stretch of Broadway…
Masquerading as just another empty boarded-up building in downtown Phoenix, the brick rectangle at 222 Roosevelt Street acts as a street-side bulletin board, sitting quietly next to the Scientology (Get your personality analyzed!) building at the intersection of Roosevelt and 3rd Street. But wait. …
Beginning today, from time to time we’ll show you something you may not have known is right in the middle of the city. Starting this month, you have a place to go in the Valley to stick your head in some bat clouds. Who knew? Turns out, there’s a “Phoenix Bat…
