As the valley of the sun heats up, we continue to look for ways to escape the heat.  A popular way to do this is with a day trip up to Flagstaff!  If you are unfamiliar with Flagstaff, it is a cute little city in Northern Arizona.  It is the home to NAU and growing fast!  I have watched as trendy businesses have started opening up shop here, like Chipotle, Whole Foods, and Pita Jungle.  But there are still plenty of little mom and pop places around to give it that small town feel.  So here are my tips for making the most out of a day trip to the beautiful pines of Flagstaff.

Start the Day Right With Breakfast

If you love a diner feel with huge portions, there is no place better than The Place.  (Also known as Mike and Rhonda’s.)  If you are looking for more of a coffee shop feel for breakfast, there are a ton of little coffee shops as well!  We love Macy’s European Coffeehouse & Bakery.  They have Vegan, Nut Free, and Gluten Free options for breakfast.

 

Do Some Shopping

There are all kinds of different places to check out in the downtown area of Flagstaff.  You can grab a two hour parking spot and walk around all the little shops and pop in to whatever catches your eye.  We have been in and out of different shops in the area, but we always stop at Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters to check out all the backpacking supplies and Crystal Magic to indulge our hippie hearts.  There are all kinds of shops from vintage clothing to backpacking/camping to bicycles to soap.

 

More Eating!

There are all kinds of places to eat in this little downtown area.  We highly recommend Mountain Oasis.  They have lots of great choices to please all dietary types from meat eaters to vegans and the gluten free crowd.  There are also a lot of great places to get treats like ice cream and candy apples.  Or you can pop into one of the many coffee shops for some snacks.  If you prefer to stick to big chains you know, there is an increasing number of chain restaurants around Flagstaff, mainly on Milton or Butler.  Choices like Chipotle, Pita Jungle, and Someburros (for my east valley peeps) to name a few.

Go Hiking!

There are so many hiking trails around Flagstaff!  You are sure to find a beautiful trail to fit into your day!  My favorite place to find trails is hikearizona.com, but I highly suggest using it on the computer.  You can also just google Flagstaff Hiking Trails and quite a few pop up on the map!

 

Take a Tour

There are also a lot of cool places to get tours of in Flagstaff.  The Arboretum is a 200-acre arboretum that is full of mostly native plants to the area.  During the summer they have special Bird Walks and Wildflower Walks.  In the summer they also have a Butterfly House!

Another cool place to check out is the Riordan Mansion.  This is a duplex-style Arts and Crafts-style mansion built in 1904.  They also host weddings outside the cabin!  So if you are searching for a ceremony venue, you can knock out two birds with one stone!

The last tour I will recommend is one I have not had the chance to take yet.  It is the Lowell Observatory.  This is only the place where Pluto was discovered!  I was waiting for the observatory to restore the Clark Refractor telescope, and forgot to check to see if it was done before we went up in May.  The telescope is back, and this is now back on my list of to do’s.  They have events all day at the Observatory, but at night they let you look through the Telescopes!

Honestly, you could have multiple date nights with all the things available in Flagstaff.  Maybe you should plan a monthly day trip to escape the heat and enjoy the wonders of this city.  Want more date night ideas?  Check out my #DateYourSpouse series.