Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. You don’t need a passport to see Switzerland, at least not for the Switzerland of America. That title belongs to Ouray, a mountain town tucked into the rugged San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. Complete with historic storefronts, waterfalls, scenic drives and steaming hot springs, this town makes […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Expand The Local: Michelle Streeter Senior Project Manager Town of Gilbert Unexpected Surprises in Gilbert Step off the plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and you might be tempted to stay. After all, Arizona’s largest city is packed with sporting venues, rooftop bars and endless things to […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Before Southern California became known for its movie making and theme parks, it was citrus country. At its peak, Southern California was home to tens of thousands of acres of orange groves, drawing workers, growers and families from a variety of backgrounds to help build the region’s booming […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. “Friday night lights are a big thing in Texas, whether that’s football or rodeo,” Brady Ragland explains. As the state’s official sport, rodeo is a way of life, with events happening practically year-round. And as the county fair season kicks off, so too, comes some of the biggest […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. When you want to put your small town on the map, the best way to do it is with ducks. At least, that’s what worked for Deming, a town in southwestern New Mexico, which is known for one of the quirkier community events in the state: The Great […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. × Expand Discover Davis Bison on Antelope Island State Park, Utah 9-10 SG1191 Bison aren’t exactly abundant in the Southwest. Roadrunners, rattlesnakes, coyotes, enough lizards to populate a small Jurassic Park? Sure. But herds of enormous, shaggy bison thundering freely across the desert? Not as much. Unless you […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. × Expand Hotel Adeline Labor Day might mean a day off, but in the Southwest, it certainly doesn’t mean a day of doing nothing. The long weekend is packed with reasons to get out and play, whether that means a pool party, film festivals or even celebrating Swiss heritage […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. With the promise of fall season evident in cooler mornings and pumpkin-spice drops, there’s a lot to look forward to in September. And that includes the events going on in the Southwest! From rodeos, to festivals to just good, quirky fun, there is plenty to go out and […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Roughly halfway between Las Vegas and Reno, on the high desert of Nevada, the small historic mining town of Tonopah sits in the middle of a cluster of silver-laden hills. It was founded in 1900 by Jim Butler, who, the story goes, discovered silver in a rock he […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. In the American Southwest, the refreshing hint of mint in a crisp Mojito or the sharp, citrusy tang of a salted Margarita may be the traditional go-to beverages for beating the desert heat, but a new movement is afoot. Travelers are increasingly seeking that same vibrant, flavorful goodness, […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. If you’ve ever wanted to roam through the forest barefoot, without the risk of stepping on a cactus or bug, Flagstaff has you covered. Up in Northern Arizona among the ponderosa pines, crisp mountain air and much cooler temperatures, you can engage the senses on the barefoot trail. […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. The best beer gardens aren’t really about beer. Sure, the pints matter. Afterall, this is Colorado, where craft brewing has become something of a state pastime. But after spending an afternoon in the patio of a beer garden, it won’t take long before you feel something else behind […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. The Southwest is nothing if not wildly diverse. Take, for example, New Mexico, where near White Sands National Park, you’ll find rolling dunes, desert brush and blistering heat shimmering off the highway. But drive about an hour northeast, and you’ll find yourself in the United States’ southernmost ski-resort […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Colorado loves to hog all the mountain charm. So much so that while places like Telluride, Breckenridge and steal the spotlight, but there are plenty of postcard-worthy mountain towns you may have never heard of. Scattered throughout the Rockies, these smaller communities offer the same dramatic peaks, historic downtowns and outdoor adventures—just with fewer […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Come hungry to this Southwest, because restaurant week season is officially on the menu. From August through October, destinations across the Southwest are serving up special prix-fixe menus with chef creations for a chance to try somewhere new and delicious. Whether you’re tasting your way through Los Angeles, […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. For much of the year, water is a bit of a rarity in the desert Southwest. Then comes the season locals love most (well, many of them): monsoon season. Come usually July through September, the monsoons bring a seasonal shift in winds and moisture that fuels summer thunderstorms […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. August is a month for celebrating culture across the Southwest, and this month’s festival calendar shows just how many forms that can take. From Indigenous art and Japanese traditions to Western heritage, regional food, live music and community arts, festivals across the region are putting local culture front […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Towering coastal bluffs, steep sandstone cliffs and ravines, a sprawling bird-rich lagoon, and more than 4 miles of undeveloped sandy beach make Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve (SNR) one of the wildest stretches of coastline in Southern California. Located within San Diego just north of tony La Jolla, […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. For years, friends and social media followers begged Tucson, Arizona, chef Mateo Otero to open a restaurant. At the time, Otero ran a catering business and routinely shared his creations on Facebook—including a trio of rolled tacos topped with queso or his own enchilada sauce-like rojo broth. × […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Desert wellness comes in many forms. From a Japanese-inspired spa to an experiential luxury retreat to a family-friendly resort that caters to kids and adults, these three properties exemplify the diversity of wellness experiences in the Southwest. × Expand CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa CIVANA Wellness Spa Experiential […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Las Vegas may be famous for dazzling lights, but one of Nevada’s greatest shows happens far from the Strip. Each August, the skies above Great Basin National Park come alive as the annual Perseid meteor shower streaks overhead, offering a front-row views to the annual spectacular celestial event. […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. Before it could call itself a state, Utah had an amusement park. Celebrating its 140th anniversary in 2026, the Farmington attraction has been entertaining generations since 1886, making it one of the oldest family-owned amusement parks in the United States — and the 15th oldest amusement park in […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. August might be the Southwest’s most surprising month for festivals. One weekend, you can watch world-class surfers carve waves in Huntington Beach. The next, you’re stomping grapes in Arizona wine country, cheering on rodeo champions in Payson or celebrating Palisade’s famous peaches in Colorado. From Japanese cultural traditions […]
Originally published on Southwest Travel & Life. You won’t find charcoal on the grills of these Arizona restaurants. Here in the Southwest, nature already supplied the perfect fuel: Mesquite. What is Mesquite? Native to the deserts of Arizona and the greater Southwest, mesquite trees have long been part of life here. Their dense hardwood burns […]
