Arizona Quarterly Roundup: Get in Touch with Your Wild Side!

Get in touch with your wild side!

The Grand Canyon State is home to some great animal attractions. So, get ready to get wild at these hot habitats:

Out of Africa Wildlife Park
This attraction, located in Camp Verde, is part zoo and part safari, offering visitors up close and personal encounters with lions, wolves, hyenas and leopards. Want to kiss a giraffe? No problem! Feed a zebra? Sure! As a special treat, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, guests can see the employees feed 800 pounds of raw meat to the intimidating carnivores. Go to www.outofafricapark.com for more.

Fossil Creek Llama Ranch
Hidden in the ponderosa pine forest near Strawberry, visitors will find a truly unique animal experience. At Fossil Creek, pretend you’re a “llama mama” while enjoying a beautiful and secluded hike where these pack animals carry your lunch. In addition, visitors can sample goats milk fudge, made on-site, and spend the night in yurts. Check out www.fossilcreekllamas.com for more.

Sipe White Mountain Wildlife Area
This 1,500-acre spread in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona is home to elk, muledeer and turkey, just to name a few. Visitors can learn about the area’s history, flora and fauna at the visitors center, then sit outside on the porch to enjoy the unspoiled views and catch a glimpse of the native animals. Go to http://www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/wildlife_area_sipe.shtml for more.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
Located near Tucson, this museum is a combination of a zoo and a botanical garden. Hike the loop trail and discover mountain lion, bighorn sheep, black bear and Mexican wolf in lovingly created habitats. If you’re feeling brave, check out the reptile house, where all kinds of creepy crawlies, from rattlesnakes to tarantulas, reside. Check out www.desertmuseum.org for details.

For more information on Arizona’s animal attractions, go to www.arizonaguide.com.

Interesting Upcoming Events

SMITHSONIAN CultureFest
November 1-5            PHOENIX & SCOTTSDALE
November 10-11         FLAGSTAFF & PRESCOTT
Arizona 's cultural treasures brought to life through demonstrations, talks, tours, concerts, events and more. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/culturefest/

13th Annual Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival
November 3-5            CAREFREE
Downtown Carefree, featuring more than 165 artists, paintings in all mediums, bronzes, photography, pottery, glass wood, mixed media, live musical entertainment, wine & micro-brew tasting- $10 which includes engraved souvenir wine or beer glass and six tasting tickets, gourmet food and chocolates, Fri is free, Sat-Sun $2, 10 am - 5 pm, 480-837-5637 or www.thunderbirdartists.com

Midnight Meteor Madness
November 18              KITT PEAK
Kitt Peak Visitor Center, witness the Meteors streak across the dark sky, instruction in planispheres and binocular astronomy, visitor center telescope open for viewing deep-sky objects depending on humidity, 1-4 am, reservations required, $23-25, 520-318-8726 or www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/classes.html

Fall Color Festival
November 25-26       SUPERIOR
Boyce Thompson Arboretum, the beauty of falling leaves, tasty apple pie, live music, arts & crafts for the kids, nature trails, $3-7.50, 11 am - 3 pm, 520-689-2811 or www.pr.state.az.us or http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu

Celebration of Basketweaving and Native Foods Festival
December 2-3            PHOENIX
Heard Museum, more than 75 of the nation's finest Native American basket weavers will be showcasing and selling their work, special music & dance performances, artist demonstrations & a special marketplace celebrating the basketweaving heritage of Native cultures across the country, plus Native Food producers from 15 tribes, top chefs demonstrate both traditional & contemporary preparations and recipes, $4-10, 10 am - 4 pm, 602-252-8848 or www.heard.org

Petrified Forest 's 100th Anniversary
December 8-9            HOLBROOK
Petrified Forest National Park , celebrating the establishment of the park as a national monument in 1906, exhibit in the park, 928-524-6228 or www.nps.gov/pefo

36th Annual Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade
December 30             PHOENIX
A Celebration of Champions - Central Phoenix., floats, bands, specialty and equestrian units; Arizona's largest one-day spectator event and one of the nation's finest and largest parades, reserved seats $25, 11 am,  480-350-0911 or www.tostitosfiestabowl.com    

What’s New

Painted Desert Inn’s Renovation Complete
The Painted Desert Inn, located in Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, has opened after an extensive rehabilitation project. The National Historic Landmark has been closed for more than a year as new wiring, plumbing, and security system were put in.  Repaired plaster, new paint, and refinished floors brighten the historic building.  The exterior of the old in received a face-lift with repaired vigas, new flagstones in the courtyard, and a re-graded perimeter.  Updated restrooms and an accessible entrance for the inn will welcome the public as well. Painted Desert Inn was originally constructed by Herbert Lore in the early 1920s as the “Stone Tree House.”  Between 1937 and 1939 the building was enlarged to its present size by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) under the direction of Lorimer Skidmore and architect Lyle Bennett.  Because it was constructed on shifting bentonite, structural problems at Painted Desert Inn began in the 1930s with noticeable damage occurring throughout the building by 1950.  For more information, go to www.nps.gov/pefo/. For media information only, contact Lyn Carranza at 928-524-6228 x245.

Red Rocks’ Amara Creekside Resort Adds Full-Service Spa
Sedona’s Four-Diamond Amara Creekside Resort is reaching a pinnacle in its evolution by investing in a million dollar state-of-the-art spa boasting the Southwest’s only Elemis treatment program and line of products. The 4,000 square-foot Elements Spa at Amara will feature six treatment rooms, manicure/pedicure areas, separate male/female locker areas, full weight-training facilities and the exclusive London-based Elemis line of products and treatments. The spa will be one of only five in the United States to offer the Elemis line of products (featured in beauty publications and oft-used by celebrities) as well as Elemis-trained professionals. The Elemis training program involves a two-week intensive, hands-on experience with site visits and training at the resort by Elemis professionals from London. Amara is investing in training nearly 20 full-time employees in the program. The spa will feature a couples’ treatment room and a central “relaxation room” where groups or couples can meet to unwind before and/or after treatments. New York-based architect Michael Leclere designed the spa, intended to complement the Resort’s architecture and, like the resort, offer a modern yet tranquil, spiritual and meditative experience. Reservations can be made by calling toll free 866-455-6610 or visiting www.amararesort.com. For media information only, contact Shelley Parnell or Sara Fleury at 602-277-9530 or shelley@bjc.com and sara@bjc.com.

Queen Creek Olive Mill offers tours, shopping and new restaurant
Queen Creek Olive Mill, which is Arizona’s only working olive farm and mill, opens to the public October 3 rd for the fall harvest season and is offering tours, a store featuring its handcrafted products, and a new restaurant with a picnic area in the olive grove. The mill is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays until December 24. Tours are offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can sample Queen Creek Olive Mill’s products at the mill store, including flavored extra virgin olive oils, stuffed olives, tapenades and artisan breads. Every weekend in November is a celebration of “Olio Nuevo,” the new olive oil of the season. New this year is del Piero, an Italian-inspired eatery created by Queen Creek Olive Mill’s owner Perry Rea. The menu features local products and a variety of take-away breakfast and lunch items, including pastries, Panini sandwiches, bruschetta, salads and picnic baskets. Al fresco dinning is offered under the olive trees, with a view of the nearby San Tan Mountains, on the mill’s new 1.5-acre picnic area. Master Blender Rea follows the old-world tradition of hand picking olives from his 30-acre grove then gently cold pressing them within 48 hours of harvesting to ensure the highest quality oil is produced. The olives are pressed in a two-phase press to extract the extra virgin olive oil, which is a designation for the highest grade of olive oil with acidity of one percent or less. The process is labor intensive but provides a fresh product that is bottled in small batches on site. Group tours (eight or more) should be arranged in advance by calling 480-756-6998. For information, a map, and to verify visiting hours and dates, go to www.QueenCreekOliveMill.com or call 480-756-6998. For media information only, contact Jeff Davis or Megan Homan at 480-275-8270.  

Historic Turquoise Trail
Trace the footsteps of Tucson’s earliest residents along the new Presidio Trail, a self-guided urban walking tour featuring stories of Tucson’s rich, multicultural heritage. The scenic two-mile loop, marked by a turquoise stripe painted on the sidewalk, connects 23 historic sites and includes several restaurants. Walkers will visit an archaeological dig for remnants of the original adobe-walled city that was the Spanish Presidio of Tucson in the late 1700s, an outdoor shrine for lost lovers and at a café in the 1920-era hotel where Tucson police captured the infamous John Dillinger gang. A brochure and map is free from the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information, call 520-624-1817 or visit www.VisitTucson.org. For media information only, contact Kimberly Schmitz at kschmitz@visittucson.org.

Did You Know…?

What is the display in the Kayenta, AZ Burger King dedicated to?
The Navajo Code Talkers of WWII. Many people don’t know that the Navajo were instrumental in America’s victory in that war. To this day, theirs is still the only code that’s never been broken.