Catherine Hollis

There is a stretch of desert north of Tucson where a capybara might climb right into your lap and settle in like it owns the place. Down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere sits a ranch where porcupines, warthogs, emus, and the world’s largest rodents greet guests one small group at a time. […]

Some roads in Arizona ask you to hold your breath, grip the wheel, and slow way down for reasons that have nothing to do with traffic. Tucked into the eastern edge of the state sits a mountain route so twisting that motorcyclists rank it among the finest anywhere, and hikers keep coming back to finish

Arizona locals looking for something faster than a Saturday spent scrolling their phones have a serious contender hiding in plain sight. Electric karts that scoot along at real racing speeds, an indoor track built for both first-timers and grownups who still chase lap times, and a setup that treats an 11-year-old like an actual competitor

Some places earn a following that spreads by word of mouth, one satisfied guest telling the next until people start planning a whole afternoon around the trip. Up in a small desert town north of Scottsdale sits an Old West saloon-style spot with nearly three thousand rave notes and a dessert case worth the drive.

Tucked into a rocky hillside in a tiny Arizona town sits a place most locals drive right past without knowing it exists. Hand-carved sculptures line a winding path up a boulder-strewn slope, telling a story step by step while the high-country views open up around you. No passport, no plane ticket, and no steep entry

Right in the middle of one of Arizona’s biggest cities, a stretch of quiet canal path hides something most longtime locals have never seen with their own eyes. Every summer evening, just as the light starts to fade, a concrete flood control tunnel releases a stream of tiny winged residents that ripple out over the

Somewhere in Phoenix, there is a building so packed with old treasures that people show up expecting a quick peek and leave three hours later, arms full and wallets barely dented. Aisles stretch on and on, filled with vintage toys, coins, jewelry, records, and cabinets of curiosities that trigger memories you forgot you had. Longtime

When summer turns the desert floor into a furnace, plenty of Arizonans forget that the state also has cool, pine-ringed lakes sitting thousands of feet higher up. At most of these spots you can rent a kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or motorboat right at the water and spend the day drifting instead of sweating. From the

There is a spot in the Verde Valley where families book their birthdays months ahead and out-of-towners get sent by strangers at wine shops in Sedona. It has held a 4.6-star reputation across more than 1,600 votes, which is not easy to pull off in a small Arizona town. Steaks come out cooked exactly as

There is a place in the southwest corner of Arizona where stone-walled cells still stand exactly where they did back when the Old West was still wild. Outlaws, cattle thieves, and one very famous woman all spent their days behind these bars, and the buildings that held them have survived long enough for you to

Tucked into the hills of Cochise County sits a place most Arizonans have driven right past without a second glance. It carries the fingerprints of miners who came from Finland, Serbia, and Montenegro over a century ago, and later folded into a famous copper town nearby. Longtime residents sometimes forget it is even here, which

There is a train in northern Arizona that has been carrying people toward one of the planet’s most famous canyons since the early 1900s, and plenty of locals have never climbed aboard. It rolls out of a small mountain town with a Wild West show, singing cowboys, and a staged holdup that keeps kids and

Some of the best meals in Arizona come with a jukebox, a spinning stool, and a pie case that has probably outlasted three governors. These are the diners that still do things the old way, from homemade root beer to breakfast served before the sun is fully up. A few sit right on Route 66,

Arizona hides a whole town that time nearly forgot, tucked out in the desert where a gold mine once ran as one of the richest in the state. Stone and adobe buildings still stand, filled with the tools, furnishings, and everyday objects the miners left behind. Instead of a single museum room behind glass, an

Somewhere in East Mesa, behind a plain door that most Arizonans have driven past without a second glance, sits a room where quarters mean nothing and 1988 never ended. Pay one set fee, walk in, and every pinball table and vintage cabinet is yours to play as many times as you want, with no coin

Some places in Arizona hold time inside solid stone, and this one has been quietly guarding it for more than 200 million years. Scattered across a painted stretch of high desert are logs that turned from wood into rainbow-colored rock, waiting patiently long before anyone lived nearby. Longtime residents sometimes forget it sits right in

Roughly 40 miles south of Lake Havasu sits a small town most Arizonans breeze right past on their way to the busier shoreline. It has a quiet main street, a slow-moving stretch of the Colorado River, and a pace that hasn’t changed much in decades. While the big lake fills up with weekend traffic, this

There is a certain kind of Arizona joy that comes from spotting a hand-painted sign for fresh fruit and local honey while you are cruising down the highway. These roadside stops are the real deal, run by working farms and family operations that still fill their shelves with raw honey, seasonal produce, and homemade jams.

Somewhere in Mesa sits a small cafe where people with celiac and severe food allergies can order anything on the menu without asking a single nervous question. No modifications, no worried glances at the kitchen, no bringing your own snack from home. The whole place runs fully gluten-free and dairy-free, and it even makes a

Arizona gets a reputation for dry heat and cactus, but the state hides pockets of naturally warm water that bubble up right out of the desert floor. Some of these springs sit at the end of a short walk, some take a full day of hiking and river crossings, and a few come with private

Most people assume Arizona means cactus, red rock, and desert heat that lasts all year. That picture leaves out a high-country secret where snow piles up and chairlifts hum every winter. Sitting on the tallest peaks in the state, this mountain lets locals carve real runs without ever crossing a state line. Add a scenic

Most drivers cross the bridge here and never slow down, missing one of the more remarkable sights in the state. Just off the road, herds of wild horses step right into the flowing water, sometimes crossing within a few dozen yards of people cooling off nearby. The water runs clear, the desert stretches out in

Somewhere between the bustle of Phoenix and the crowds of Sedona sits a small Arizona town where the pace slows down and the scenery does most of the talking. Red rock ridges frame the horizon, cottonwoods trace a river through the valley, and the whole place carries the feel of an older, gentler Arizona. Longtime

High on a mountainside in the Verde Valley sits a town that once counted itself among the biggest in all of Arizona, only to nearly empty out when the copper ran thin. What remains clings to a steep slope, where an old mansion now guards the stories of miners, fortune seekers, and a boomtown that

Some buildings quietly ask you to look up, and this one in the heart of Phoenix does exactly that before you ever touch a single page. Five stories tall, wrapped in a design that locals swear rivals big-city landmarks, it hides a glass elevator that gives riders a jolt of butterflies and a top floor

Weekend mornings in the East Valley have a secret worth setting an alarm for. More than 1,500 vendors set up shop under wide, shaded aisles, and shoppers wander for hours before they find their car again. Golf carts, hot tubs, western rugs, crystals, handmade tables, and stacks of clothing all wait for someone to name

Some meals earn a reputation strong enough to pull drivers off the highway and straight into a parking lot in Tucson. That is exactly what happens with one bacon-wrapped, bun-hugged creation that has turned an ordinary lunch stop into a statewide craving. People from Phoenix and beyond plan entire routes around a quick bite here,

Somewhere along a busy stretch of highway between Kingman and the Nevada line, there is a spot where the desert opens up into a wide valley with a river running far below. Longtime Arizona travelers know it as a quick pull-off with big views, free camping nearby, and a rugged canyon that begs to be

There is exactly one spot in the entire country where you can plant a hand and foot in four different states without moving an inch. It sits far out in the high desert, reached by a lonely two-lane highway that seems to stretch toward nothing until a low monument appears. People drive across whole states

A thousand years ago, a busy village of 90 rooms buzzed with life on a rise above a central Arizona creek. Today that same ground sits quietly just north of Payson, free to walk and open to anyone curious enough to pull off the highway. Most drivers zip past on their way to the Grand

High in the pine country east of Flagstaff sits a quiet body of water with a secret hiding just below the surface. Old tree trunks stand rooted in the lakebed, a sunken forest that divers and curious paddlers still talk about. The road in rattles your teeth, the wind picks up by afternoon, and the

Molten glass glows before it becomes something you can hold, and in one small mountain town, artists spin that fiery material into hearts, ornaments, and shapes you would not expect. Down a walkable street lined with local storefronts, a gallery has quietly built a name among longtime Arizona residents who love handmade things. The owner

If you have ever thought that Arizona living had priced you out of the good stuff, these seven towns might change your mind. Each one sits near mountains, moves at an easy pace, and keeps costs low enough for people living on a pension or Social Security. We are talking preserved downtowns, quiet morning walks,

Along a stretch of old Route 66 in northern Arizona, a pair of towering concrete dinosaurs keep watch over piles and piles of ancient stone. They have become one of the most photographed roadside stops in the state, and longtime residents often forget the whole thing is sitting right in their own backyard. Behind those

There is a stretch of Arizona desert where mountain peaks stand guard over a wide-open lot that fills, a few times a year, with row after row of vendor stalls, carnival lights, tractor rumble, and old-time string music. Longtime residents plan their calendars around it, camping for days at a stretch and driving in from

Somewhere off Highway 191 in southeastern Arizona, a stretch of desert hides tiny stones that glow with red and orange color when the light hits them just right. People show up with buckets and go home with fire agate they found scattered right on the ground, no fancy tools required. It is free to collect,