I was pleasantly surprised at how hip(ster) the town is, particularly in the downtown area. Coincidentally (and of course, not something I would've known back in November before actually going to Flagstaff), the latest January 2018 issue of Phoenix Magazine had an article about Flagstaff's food scene. So, it's legit!
We stayed only two nights and explored at a very leisurely pace. There was only so many meals we could squeeze in those two days while not eating out for every meal, and so there is definitely more to see on a future visit though it's a small town (but, I wouldn't go for more than a weekend at a time, I think).
Lodging
We were originally anticipating up to 7 people for the weekend, and so we found and stayed at this Airbnb: Large Home on Acreage - HGTV Style.(Pictures from the Airbnb listing, since we didn't end up taking any of our own).
It was a very spacious place and we enjoyed our stay there. Having a full kitchen was nice, and we also made use of the fire pit in the backyard. It also had this picturesque barn out back, though the inside of the barn was off-limits:
Dining
We drove in on a Friday night and decided to eat out for convenience. We first tried to eat at Lumberyard Brewing Company, but there was a wait and we didn't feel like waiting. There were a number of other options in the downtown area that sounded tasty, but we ultimately ended up at Beaver Street Brewery, where we only waited a few minutes.Some of the other places that sounded good on Yelp (and we may try on a future visit):
On Saturday night, we opted to cook our own dinner (burgers), as well as make s'mores over the firepit in the back later in the evening:
Sights
During the day on Saturday, we went back to the downtown area to poke around. We . . .- stopped by the Flagstaff Visitor Center.
- found a neat mural, the Sound of Flight (also, a post from the Flagstaff Arts Council about the mural: Sky Black & The Mural Mice: The Sound of Flight), where we stopped to take some pictures.
- perused Flagstaff General Store, which had a neat combination new old, handmade, and old old (i.e., antiques). I also liked the historic building where the store was located, which if I recall correctly from the plaque on the front of the building, used to belong to either a doctor or a dentist who lived and practiced out of the building.
- also came across PJ Chilcottage, which was fun for me to shop around, but not as much for Greg given that it's very much geared towards ladies. Nevertheless, Greg was a good sport and even got me some Arizona-shaped soap that I wouldn't buy for myself, ha.
Jerome
On our way back to Phoenix, we made a stop in Jerome for breakfast at the Mine Cafe. It was a good breakfast and I chuckled inside because the cafe had very much of a hipster vibe, what with the server's glitter mustache and all (the guy in this Instagram post - can you see the glitter?!). It'd been a few years since we were in Jerome (last time, Evelyn was around 18 months and we were there too early on a Sunday for any shops to be open), and I believe the Mine Cafe is new since our last time passing through Jerome.Our other notable stop in Jerome was the Raku Gallery, where we were able to watch a glass blowing demonstration. Greg and I had seen it years ago on a previous trip to Jerome (back before we had kids), but our friends had never seen it.
At some point, I'd like to visit Jerome again. When Greg and I went before having kids, we stayed at the Surgeon's House Bed and Breakfast in the Chauffeur's Quarters and loved it.
It's also been on my small town Arizona bucket list to visit Bisbee, but we haven't quite made it happen yet. Eventually!
