Natural beauty of lush forests, stunning mountain scenery and outdoor recreation opportunities cause Flagstaff, AZ to receive high ratings. National Geographic ranks it as a top 10 city for making you feel young. The history, land and culture of the Southwest community has received recognition as a top ten spot for RV traveling by Friendly Exchange Magazine. Many other kudos have gone to Flagstaff as well.

In part, the national wonders help to replenish body and mind; it is set at the base of the scenic San Francisco Peaks. All seasons bring in travelers for choices of preference which often includes hiking, camping, skiing and ice skating. Flagstaff is a living anthropology and geology tutorial, with ancient Native American ruins and spectacular scenery at the Wupatki and Walnut Canyon National Monuments.

The Northern Arizona University campus fosters educational and cultural attractions. The city also has an arboretum and a planetarium. An award-winning permanent exhibit "Native Peoples of the Colorado Plateau" at the Museum of Northern Arizona sheds a perspective on the lands and peoples. The Pioneer Museum offers a glimpse of what life was like for the early settlers of the region and includes a 1929 Baldwin locomotive in its collection.

Accommodations

The Little America Hotel and Towers, situated on 500 acres of pine forest, offers traditional guest comforts, room amenities and fine dining. The Embassy Suites Hotel, a hotel with a 2-story lobby fireplace is adjacent to Northern Arizona University. Additional hotels include: the

Fairfield Flagstaff Resort, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn, and La Quinta.

Restaurants

Many varied dining options abound in Flagstaff including American, African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and vegetarian. Josephines receives kudos for impeccable service. The Cottage Place cuisine includes American, French, Greek, Italian, Seafood, Central European and Continental. The Mountain Oasis Restaurant features African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern selections.

Major Attractions

Visitors can learn about astronomy at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. The privately owned observatory is named after a prominent mathematician and best known for its discovery of the planet Pluto.

The Riordan Mansion State Historical Park is settled on a five-acre park showcasing the distinctive early 1900s mansion owned by the Riordan family. The Mansion includes all of the original furnishings and decor.

A great way to experience the history, geology and the culture of Flagstaff is by spending a day at the unique Museum of Northern Arizona. The Museum

has permanent exhibits including artifacts from ancient native American tribes and a life-size skeletal model of the Dilophosaurus, a carnivorous dinosaur found in northern Arizona.

Once populated by the Sinagua Indians, this Southwest area has an abundance of popular scenery and history. Millions of years of history is unraveled at the Walnut Canyon National Monument where a geology of the rocks can be appreciated and other details of discoveries.



Art Scene

The arts flourish in Flagstaff with galleries and museum collections. The Beaver Street Gallery is a premier fine arts gallery, with scheduled exhibitions year-round. The Gallery represents artists from both the US and abroad, and in addition, Collections include works by some of the best-known contemporary artists from around the world, including Rudy Autio, Christo and Jean Claude.

Shopping

The Flagstaff Mall is Northern Arizona’s regional shopping area and is
located off I-40 and offers numerous choices for the shopper.

Main Events

For the adventurous, a Vertical Relief Climbing Center is located in historic downtown Flagstaff. The center features over 6500 square feet of widely varied climbing terrain to suit all abilities and climbing styles. The Center is committed to supporting the climbing community though quality training facilities, expert instruction, informative equipment sales and a friendly supportive atmosphere for all level of climbers.

History

The area takes acute interest and holds closely to it’s roots through their commitment to the geography and history of Flagstaff. This can be appreciated through their involvement in anthropology, biology and Native American earlier times.

Bearing that out, The Museum of Northern Arizona houses nearly 5 million objects in its anthropology, biology, fine art, and geology collections.

The Anthropology Collection is subdivided into Ethnographic (historic Native American) and Prehistoric Collections. The Ethnographic Collections contain significant holdings of baskets, katsina dolls, jewelry, and Hopi and Navajo textiles. Smaller collections represent the material culture of the Apache, Zuni, and Pai.

The Prehistoric Collections focus on the ancient Puebloan cultures and include sandals, arrow points, ceramic vessels, and many other types of artifacts of the Colorado Plateau. The Biology Collection features the Walter B. McDougall Herbarium of plant specimens from northern Arizona as well as insect, fish, reptile, bird, and mammal specimens from the area.

The Fine Art Collection is comprised of sculptures, etchings, and paintings. Highlights of the collection include paintings by Museum cofounder Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton as well as works by young Native American artists.

The Geo-Collections, illustrates every geologic period of the Colorado Plateau with dinosaur, reptile, mammal, plant fossil, mineral, and rock specimens.


Flagstaff honors cultural diversity celebrating the magnificent Colorado Plateau through Native through stories, dances, and songs.