Every year I scour the state of Arizona to track down what's new and noteworthy. There are always great new hotels and restaurants to be discovered, new tour companies that have started up, new museums that have opened. Occasionally there are even new parks or other natural areas that have opened to the public. Inevitably, I also discover that a few old favorite restaurants, shops, and such have gone out of business. Worse still, I sometimes find that places I once liked no longer make the grade and have to be taken out of this guide. Following are some of my discoveries for the latest edition of Frommer's Arizona.
The population of Arizona can be divided into city slickers and cowboys. Now if you'd like to switch horses from the former to the latter, then you need to spend some time at the Arizona Cowboy College, Lorill Equestrian Center, 30208 N. 152nd St., Scottsdale (tel. 888/330-8070; www.cowboycollege.com), where they'll teach you not only how to ride a horse but how to saddle it. They might even let you in on how to make a horse drink after you lead it to water. See chapter 2 for more information.
Phoenix, Scottsdale & the Valley of the Sun
Urban hipsters rejoice! You have someplace to see and be seen in downtown Scottsdale. The new James Hotel, 7353 E. Indian School Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 866/50-JAMES; www.jameshotels.com) may not be the W, but it sure is close. The bar, the restaurant, the pool, the plasma TVs -- it's all good.
At Carefree Resort & Villas, 37220 Mule Train Rd., Carefree (tel. 800/949-1994; www.carefree-resort.com), you can stay in a spacious new villa for about the same as what you would pay for an average room at some of the bigger name resorts in Scottsdale and Phoenix.
If you absolutely must keep up with your workout schedule even while you're on vacation, check out the new Scottsdale Resort & Athletic Club, 8235 E. Indian Bend Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 877/343-0033; www.scottsdaleresortandathleticclub.com). As a hotel guest, you get access to all the athletic club's facilities.
I've found lots of great Phoenix and Scottsdale restaurants to add to this book this year. For vibrant Nuevo Latino flavors, check out Scottsdale's Deseo, Westin Kierland Resort, 6902 E. Greenway Pkwy., Scottsdale (tel. 480/624-1000). For wood-oven pizza in a cozy neighborhood restaurant setting, eat at Grazie, 6952 E. Main St., Scottsdale (tel. 480/663-9797), in Old Town Scottsdale.
Up in the outer limits of north Scottsdale, you'll find some of the Valley's most creative cuisine at Mosaic, 10600 E. Jomax Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/563-9600; www.mosaic-restaurant.com). In the same area, you can go to the opposite extreme and get a burger and a beer at Greasewood Flat, 27500 N. Alma School Rd., Scottsdale (tel. 480/585-7277), an open-air joint the likes of which you can probably find only in Arizona. Greasewood Flat is affiliated with the adjacent Reata Pass, 27500 N. Alma School Pkwy., Scottsdale (tel. 480/585-7277), an old-time steakhouse in a building that was once a stagecoach stop.
In central Phoenix, don't miss the great breads and sandwiches at Pane Bianco, 4404 N. Central Ave., Phoenix (tel. 602/234-2100). South of downtown, you can combine a farm experience with gourmet food at Quiessence, 6106 S. 32nd St., Phoenix (tel. 602/276-0601), which is set at the back of a pecan grove.
Cowboys and Indians get equal time at a couple of unusual new museums in the Phoenix area. In downtown Phoenix you'll find the Wells Fargo History Museum, 100 W. Washington St. (tel. 602/378-1852; www.wellsfargohistory.com), which has not only an authentic stagecoach but also some great Western art and even some gold nuggets on display. South of Phoenix, on the Gila River Indian Reservation, you can learn about the Pima and Maricopa tribes at the Huhugam Heritage Center, 4759 N. Maricopa Rd., Chandler (tel. 520/796-3500; www.huhugam.com). This museum isn't very large, but it is in a complex that is an architectural work of art. If you've always wanted to pet a tarantula, don't miss Glendale's Katydid Museum, 5060 W. Bethany Home Rd. (tel. 623/931-8718; www.insectmuseum.com).
Spa goers take note, the Spa at Camelback Inn, 5402 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale (tel. 800/922-2635 or 480/596-7040; www.camelbackspa.com), has had a complete makeover and looks absolutely marvelous.
Central Arizona
No visit to central Arizona is complete without a stop in the town of Jerome. This hillside mining town turned art community is now home to a good restaurant with a very odd sense of humor. The Asylum, 200 Hill St. (tel. 928/639-3197), is a restaurant located in a former hospital building turned hotel. Not only does the Asylum have good food and a fun atmosphere, but there are glorious views from the veranda.
Scottsdale is not the only place in Arizona to get a hip new W-style hotel. The new Amara Creekside Resort, 310 N. Hwy. 89A (tel. 866/455-6610; www.amararesort.com), boasts not only the hippest rooms and interior decor in Sedona, but also claims an envious setting between the shops of uptown Sedona and the banks of tree-shaded Oak Creek.
Be sure to save your calorie quota for Sedona and just hope that you can walk off some of your meals on the area's superb hiking trails. Cucina Rústica, 7000 Hwy. 179, Village of Oak Creek (tel. 928/284-3010), is a new restaurant from the owners of the ever popular Dahl & DiLuca in west Sedona. Great food and a great interior decor make this a real jewel. El Portal Sedona, 95 Portal Lane (tel. 800/313-0017; www.innsedona.com) is my favorite B&B in the state, so I was delighted to find out that they also now serve superb dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings, and you don't have to be a guest at the inn to get in on these great meals.
Talk about your short run. The Sedona Cultural Park, which took years to build, is already out of business. Double-check the location of any event you run across that claims to take place at this former outdoor performance venue.
Flagstaff
Don't leave Flagstaff without having a meal, or at least a glass of wine and some appetizers at the new Kokopelli Winery Bistro, 6 E. Aspen St., Suite 110 (tel. 928/226-WINE). The wines are from Arizona and are inexpensive and approachable. Much of the food is made with the same wines.
Think singing waiters and waitresses are a thing of the past? Think again. At Black Bart's Steakhouse, 2760 E. Butler Ave. (tel. 928/779-3142), you get a good old-fashioned family floor show with your steak.
Lake Powell
Up on the Arizona-New Mexico state line, the waters of Lake Powell have dropped close to 120 feet below the lake's full level. The dropping water level is due to many years of drought. Don't worry though. There's still plenty of water in the lake and houseboating is just as popular as ever. However, if you've been dreaming of visiting Rainbow Bridge, be aware that you will now have to walk something like 1 1/2 miles from the boat landing to reach the natural bridge.
Tucson
Fresh from major makeover, the Doubletree Hotel at Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85711 (tel. 800/222-TREE; www.dtreidpark.com) is looking great. The same is true for and the Radisson Suites Tucson, 6555 E. Speedway Blvd. (tel. 800/333-3333; www.radisson.com), although its room rates have since skyrocketed. If you're looking for a superb B&B surrounded by the desert, check out La Zarzuela tel. 888/848-8225; www.zarzuela-az.com), which is located west of the city and not too far from Saguaro National Monument.
I am addicted to the carne seca burritos at El Charro Café, so I was elated to find out that you can now get carne seca at the new Charro Grill, 1765 E. River Rd. (tel. 520/615-1922), a fast-service foothills spin-off of El Charro. There's more good southwestern fare to be had at HiFalutin Rapid Fire Western Grill, 6780 N. Oracle Rd. (tel. 520/297-0518), which is also in the city's northern foothills area. Cuvée World Bistro, 3352 E. Speedway Blvd. (tel. 520/881-7577), is my new favorite central Tucson restaurant. The food is great and the atmosphere is deliciously romantic. If you're of the mind to spend a small fortune on sushi the likes of which has never been seen in this neck of the desert, have a meal at Yama, 5425 N. Kolb Rd., #115 (tel. 520/615-1031). Ummm, pizza! Want the best in town? Of course you do. Check out the new Zona 78, 78 W. River Rd. (tel. 520/888-7878).
Sad news for fans of fine dining -- the venerable Tack Room, long Tucson's premier special-occasion restaurant, is no longer open to the public. The last I heard, it was doing special events only.
Southern Arizona
The closure of scenic drives by the Border Patrol has severely reduced the amount of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (tel. 520/387-6849; www.nps.gov/orpi that is open to the public. You can now see so little of this rugged natural area that it is hardly worth the long drive to get there.
In the Santa Cruz Valley, south of Tucson, things seem to be booming. Two aging resorts have gotten major face-lifts in the past year. Both the Tubac Golf Resort, 1 Otero Rd., Tubac (tel. 800/848-7893; www.tubacgolfresort.com), and the Rio Rico Resort & Country Club, 1069 Camino Caralampi, Rio Rico (tel. 800/288-4746; www.rioricoresort.com), are looking great these days. In fact they're both looking so good, it's difficult to pick a favorite.
Western Arizona
This seems to have been the year for the opening of hip hotels all across Arizona. Even Lake Havasu City, home of the very unhip London Bridge, has gotten into the act with the opening of the very attractive Agave Inn, 1420 McCulloch Blvd N. (tel. 866/854-2833; www.agaveinn.com), which is located at the foot of the London Bridge and adjacent to the new Javelina Cantina, 1420 McCulloch Blvd. (tel. 928/855-8226), a fun Mexican restaurant with a view of, you guessed it, the London Bridge.
Down in Yuma, in the southwest corner of the state, you can now catch art exhibits at one of the prettiest little art centers anywhere in the state. The Yuma Art Center, 254 S. Main St. (tel. 928/373-5214), is a first-class exhibition space that would be right at home in Scottsdale's art-gallery district. Right next door to the art center is the newly renovated and reopened Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main St. (tel. 928/373-5214), which stages a wide variety of music performances and live theater. Just a few miles west of Yuma, you can visit the Official Center of the World (tel. 760/572-0100), which is located in Felicity, California. You can also see eye to eye with a dromedary or two at the Saihati Camel Farm (tel. 928/627-7511).