ARIZONA Archives - My Family Travels
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A Massive Arizona Entertainment Hub Featuring Dozens Of Bowling Lanes And Immersive VR Under One Roof

The Arizona sun blazes outside, but inside this massive hub, the only heat comes from friendly competition. Dozens of bowling lanes glow with colorful lights as pins crash and...

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The No-Frills Diner In Arizona Quietly Serves Some Of The Best Prime Rib In The State

A slide greets you at the entrance. You climb up, sit down, and whoosh straight into a steakhouse where the prime rib has been quietly winning awards since 1971.

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Step Inside Arizona’s Best-Preserved Ghost Town General Store, Still Stocked Like It’s 1890

You don't come here for the history. You come here for the gold-flecked fudge. Tucked inside a dusty Arizona ghost town, this...

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The Arizona Restaurant Where One Burrito Is Never Meant For One Person

I made a mistake the first time I walked into this Arizona restaurant. I ordered a burrito for myself like a normal person. The...

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This Colossal Secondhand Shop In Arizona Is Definitely Worth The Long Trip

A giant smiling armadillo waves at you from the side of the freeway, and that is your first clue that you are in for something special. This colossal secondhand shop in Phoenix...

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Why Arizona’s Route 66 No Longer Feels Special

Have you ever driven down a famous road and wondered if it lives up to its reputation? That’s the feeling some travelers get on Arizona’s stretch of Route 66 today.

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Arizona’s Most Underrated Hot Springs Has Warm Pools, A Riverside Setting, And Zero Entrance Fee

You won't find a parking fee or a gift shop. Just a desert canyon, a short hike, and two small rock-walled pools where the water stays a perfect 100 degrees year-round.

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These Strange Arizona Landscapes Stay Off Most Travel Lists

Arizona does not save its weirdest sights for the brochures. Some of the most jaw dropping landscapes here sit quietly off the highway, unmarked, and largely ignored while crowds...

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Arizona’s Most Underrated Hot Springs Has Warm Pools, A Riverside Setting, And Zero Entrance Fee

No entrance booth. No parking fee. Just a desert canyon, a short hike, and three steaming pools carved into the rocks. This...

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These Mexican Restaurants In Arizona Are Serving Tradition With Heart

Have you ever craved a meal that feels like home, even if you’re miles away from it? In Arizona, Mexican restaurants aren’t just serving food.

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These Arizona Food-Focused Road Trips Are Worth Planning

If you love discovering new flavors while hitting the open road, Arizona is full of surprises. I quickly learned that some of the best trips are the ones planned around food instead...

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What Makes Off-Road Driving In Arizona Deserts Risky

Most people think off-road driving in Arizona’s deserts is all about freedom, the wide-open trails, the rugged scenery, and the thrill of taking a vehicle where regular roads...

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This Famous Arizona Shop Along Route 66 Houses A Treasure Trove Of Nostalgic Stories And Rare Finds

You can still smell the old barber's talc when you step through the door, a ghost of the days when this was just a simple pool hall and a barbershop. But something remarkable happened...

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This Arizona Hotel Is A Former Hospital Where Ghosts Still Make The Rounds.

You check into this Arizona hotel and the room looks normal. Nice even. But the hallway feels different. Long.

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10 Arizona Spots Where The Chimichangas Are So Good, Locals Will Fight You Over The Best One

Chimichangas are serious business in Arizona. Other states have burger feuds or barbecue rivalries. Arizona has heated arguments...

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10 Arizona Restaurants Serving Carne Asada So Good, Locals Forget The Rest Of The Menu Even Exists

You walk into any of these Arizona restaurants and something happens. People who came in planning to order something else look at the carne asada and change their minds.

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Arizona’s Most Unexpectedly Amazing Shrimp Tacos Are At This Little Hideaway

Arizona is not the first place you think of for shrimp tacos. That would be Baja. Or San Diego. Or anywhere with a coast.

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Must-Visit Coffee Shops In Tucson, Arizona, 6 Top Picks For Coffee Lovers

Tucson does not mess around when it comes to coffee. The heat demands good iced drinks. The early mornings demand strong hot...

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This Historic Arizona Shop Along Route 66 Is A Hidden Gem Of Nostalgic Stories And Unique Finds

Have you ever slammed on your brakes for a building held up by rusty nails and sheer willpower? That is the lure of this historic Arizona shop, a ramshackle former gas station...

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This Peaceful Arizona Town Makes An Easy And Rewarding Day Trip

Patagonia is the kind of southern Arizona town that makes slowing down feel natural instead of forced. Tucked into open grasslands with mountains that keep their presence subtle,...

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This Immersive Arizona Theme Park Lets You Experience The Wild West

If you want a day that feels like walking straight into an old Western, Old Tucson Studios is the move. The place sits on the edge of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, with dusty...

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Where Visitors Go Big And Where Locals Go Easy At Arizona Steakhouses

Arizona’s steakhouse scene has a knack for balancing spectacle with comfort. Across the state, polished destination dining...

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Go Beneath The Streets Of Arizona For The Most Incredible Halibut You Will Ever Taste

Underground restaurants are not supposed to exist in Arizona. The ground is too hard. The heat is too intense. But someone figured...

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In This Arizona Town Donkeys Walk Into Bars And Stop Traffic For Carrots

You are sitting at a red light in this Arizona town and suddenly traffic stops moving. Not because of an accident. Not because...

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One Outlet Mall In Arizona Could Eat Up Your Entire Day

There are some places you visit expecting to spend an hour, and then suddenly you look up and half the day is gone. Arizona Mills in Tempe is exactly that kind of place.

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A Historic Arizona Motel Where Guests Still Get Real Metal Keys, A Rotary Phone, And A Neon Vacancy Sign That Flips By Hand

Remember when checking into a motel meant receiving a real metal key with a plastic diamond tag, not a plastic card? That ritual is still alive at this historic Arizona hideaway,...

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Arizona’s Most Haunting Ghost Town Is A Place Time Forgot But Fear Didn’t

The buildings are still standing. That is the strange part. Wooden storefronts. A saloon with the swinging doors half rotted...

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An Enormous Used Bookstore In Arizona With Endless Shelves And A Pet-Friendly Atmosphere

What does a father?son handshake for one dollar and a customer's unexpected record collection have to do with one of Arizona's most beloved used bookstores? The answer fills an...

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Space City Vintage In Los Angeles, California Is A Y2K Goldmine Hiding Inside A Record Shop

I walked into the record shop looking for old vinyl. Walked out with a low rise denim skirt and a burning desire to watch "Mean Girls" again.

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Phoenix, Arizona Just Received A Devastating Report And The Metro Is Now One Of The Most Polluted In The Nation

You look up at that big blue Arizona sky and it is easy to assume everything is fine. Sunscreen weather. Pool season. Beautiful...

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This Restored Arizona Ghost Town Offers A Rare Overnight Lockdown Experience Inside Its Haunted Buildings

Imagine spending the night locked inside a ghost town where up to eighteen miners were once hanged from a single tree. That is the rare and chilling opportunity at this restored...

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This Arizona Pizzeria Has The Crispiest Thin Crust In The Region

What do you get when a pizza maker turns a childhood memory of onion bialys into a pie topped with pistachios? You get one of the most celebrated thin crust pizzas in the region,...

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Arizona Swap Meet Draws Thousands Of Bargain Hunters Every Weekend

Nearly forty acres of covered vendor booths, one and a quarter miles of breezeways, and a misting system that keeps the desert heat at bay. That is the sprawling scene at this...

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This Arizona Pizzeria Has The Crispiest Thin Crust In The Region

A pizza so good that the man behind it became the first pizzaiolo to ever win a James Beard Award. That is the kind of legendary status you will find at this Arizona pizzeria,...

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This Arizona Warehouse Sale That Sells Returned Items By The Pound

Not knowing what hides behind a door is half the fun. A certain warehouse in Arizona has turned that feeling into an entire shopping experience.

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The Monstrous Burrito From This Beloved Arizona Eatery Will Leave You Speechless

One bite into a Tucson burrito the size of a newborn, and my whole afternoon rearranged itself. No plan survived. No regret followed....

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The Tucson, Arizona Pancake So Good, No One Believed It Was An Experiment

Some meals just stop you in your tracks. Mine happened inside a low slung building on a sunbaked Tucson road: a place that looks like nothing until pancakes arrive.

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This Arizona Restaurant Has A Massive All-You-Can-Eat Spread With Snow Crab, Sushi, And A Mongolian Grill

Snow crab legs piled high, a hibachi chef flipping shrimp onto your plate, and a sushi bar stocked with fresh rolls. This is not a Vegas casino buffet.

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The Arizona Recreation Area Named For A Submerged Mining Town And A Ghost Lost To The Deep

What if a lake born from a flood control project became one of Arizona's best kept secrets, hiding a drowned mining town and a restless ghost beneath its surface? That is the haunting...

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4 Rivers In Arizona That Vanish Every Summer Into The Desert Heat And Return After The Rain

Arizona hides one of nature’s most dramatic secrets beneath its sun-baked surface: rivers that vanish without warning. The first time I reached what should have been a flowing...

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This Arizona Restaurant Has A Massive Chinese Buffet That’s Absolutely Worth The Drive

Have you ever driven across town just to watch a chef grill your custom stir-fry right next to a sizzling hibachi and a fresh sushi bar? That is the kind of delicious chaos waiting...

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This Mysterious Arizona Roadside Attraction Has Lured Curious Drivers With Yellow Billboards For Decades

Have you ever driven past the same yellow billboard a dozen times, each one promising a mystery hidden in the desert, until you finally had to pull over and see for yourself? That...

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This Arizona Airport Cafe Lets You Enjoy Breakfast While Watching Planes Lift Off

Have you ever sipped fresh brewed coffee while a small plane taxis past your window, the pilot giving you a quick wave? That is the everyday magic at this Arizona airport cafe,...

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This Arizona Farm Market Is A Fruit-Filled Paradise Where Orchard Harvest Steals The Spotlight

Desert and orchard are not a combination you expect to work this well, which is exactly why this Arizona farm market feels like such a fun surprise. In a state better known for...

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This Arizona Lake Is Now Revealing Expansive Mud Flats As Water Levels Fall

A lake does not have to vanish completely to start looking like a very different place. This Arizona one is proving that in a way that feels hard to ignore, as falling water levels...

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These Arizona Spots Are Serving Mexican Green Chile Favorites

Ever crave that perfect kick of flavor that only green chile can bring? In Arizona, you don’t have to look far, several restaurants are serving up Mexican dishes where green...

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The Wild History Behind This Arizona Landmark Feels Stranger Than Fiction

What kind of Arizona landmark makes you hear the backstory and immediately wonder how any of it was even real? This place has exactly that effect, because its past feels less like...

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All ages will love the oceanfront pools at the Cancun Hilton Resort. photo c. Hilton
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14 Surprisingly Affordable Last-Minute Family Spring Breaks

It’s not too late to plan a family spring break with friends and family of any age, on any budget! The 24-hours news cycle almost demands that we wait to see...

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The Arizona Lake That Fell To Alarming Levels And Is Now Raising Fresh Concerns

It is one thing to hear that a lake is dropping, and another to see the change become impossible to ignore. That is exactly what gives this Arizona lake such a gripping story right...

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This Iconic Arizona Biker Hangout Is Known For A Wild Desert Vibe And A Loyal Crowd

What kind of place feels like it already has a story before you even park the bike? This iconic Arizona hangout has that kind of pull, with a wild desert vibe that hits fast and...

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This Arizona Breakfast Spot Comes With A Breathtaking Red Rock Backdrop

Some breakfast spots have good food, and some get an extra boost from scenery that completely steals the morning. This Arizona place clearly knows how to do both.

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This Massive Arizona Antique Mall Is A Treasure Trove Of Vintage Home Décor And Unexpected Finds

Ever walk into a place planning to browse for ten minutes and then suddenly start mentally redecorating half your house? That is exactly the kind of effect this massive Arizona...

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12 Hauntingly Beautiful Ruins In Arizona That Belong On Your Travel Bucket List

You know those places that make you stop talking for a second because they look too strange, too quiet, and too fascinating to be real? That is exactly the kind of pull Arizona...

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The Homemade Pies At This Spot In Arizona Are So Heavenly, They Deserve A Desert Drive Of Their Own

How many miles starts to feel completely reasonable once pie enters the conversation? This Arizona spot has the kind of homemade pies that answer that question very quickly.

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The Small-Town Restaurant In Arizona With Legendary Steaks That Locals Claim Are The Finest In The West

When did a steak dinner last feel important enough to plan part of the day around? This small-town Arizona restaurant has exactly that kind of pull, and locals clearly think the...

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Travelers Rarely Plan For This Arizona Town But Never Forget It

Have you ever ended up in a place you didn’t plan to visit, but it stuck with you anyway? That’s exactly how travelers describe Ajo, Arizona. This small town isn’t usually...

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These Are 10 Arizona Restaurants You’ll Miss Unless Someone Tips You Off

You know how the best spots in Arizona seem to hide a block off the action? You only hear about them when a friend leans in and says, take this turn and trust me.

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This Iconic Chapel In Arizona Might Be The State’s Most Ethereal Spot

Some places do not need to say a word to leave you completely still for a minute. This iconic chapel in Arizona has that kind of presence, because the moment it comes into view,...

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The Legendary Arizona Diner Where The Breakfast Classics Are A True Local Tradition

When did breakfast stop being just breakfast and start feeling like part of the local culture? This legendary Arizona diner answers that the second you walk in.

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This Massive Arizona Antique Shop Feels Like A Goldmine For People Who Hate Paying Full Price

Ready to convince yourself you are just browsing and then leave with three things you absolutely did not plan to buy? This massive Arizona antique shop makes that outcome feel...

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