Chris & Radia
Things To Do
Downtown Flagstaff
There are multiple restaurants, bars, art galleries, clothing/jewelry stores, and outdoor gear shops to explore. Radia recommends Sage Brush Trading Co and Rainbow's End for women's clothing. Some of our favorite dining options downtown include Diablo Burger (best fries in town, plus the veggie burger is made locally), Shift Flg (small plates, high quality), Flg Terroir (wine bar with small plates), Pato Thai, Cornish Pasty Co (large variety of hearty pasties), Tourist Home (breakfast & lunch), Annex (dinner, snacks, cocktails), Proper Meats (butcher shop with fresh sandwiches), and Sosoba (noodles).
Museum of Northern Arizona
They usually have a couple of featured/temporary exhibits, as well as permanent exhibits related to the history of the region.
Wupatki National Monument
Drive the loop through Wupatki and get out of the car to explore various sites, including Native American ruins, lava flows, and a volcanic crater. Bring snacks and beverages; you will likely be here a couple of hours, and there are several picnic tables on site.
Walnut Canyon National Monument
More Native American ruins (but different from Wupatki)! Yay! This one has lots of steps/stairs, so it might not be appropriate for people with limited mobility.
Oak Creek Overlook Vista Native American Artisan Market
About 8 miles (10 minutes) south of the wedding venue is a Native American Artisan Market with a gorgeous view overlooking Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona. Entry is free. Look for the sign and entry/gate on the east side of 89A (there is also a center turn lane in the road just before the entrance); this is located just before the road curves right and the switchbacks start going down from Flagstaff to Sedona; if you miss the turn, you'll have to descend through the switchbacks until you find a good spot to turn around.
Lowell Observatory
Pluto was discovered at Flagstaff's famous little observatory!
Arizona Snowbowl
Drive the winding road up to Snowbowl to check out its Summer/Fall activities, such as a scenic gondola ride or hiking (https://www.snowbowl.ski/summer/). The aspen leaves could be changing at this time of year, too, so if you can find a parking spot, stop at Aspen Corner on your way up/down Snowbowl road and get out to walk through the beautiful trees.
Grand Canyon National Park
There's a big hole in the ground with pretty rocks and stuff! The South Rim is much closer to Flagstaff than the North Rim. Please ask us for more information if you want to visit the Grand Canyon, and we can give you some tips.
Mexican Food! Yum!
There are many options for Mexican Food in Flagstaff. Some of our favorites include Los Altenos (hole in the wall spot with amazing burritos), El Tapatio on Rte 66 (large portions, super yummy, local to Colorado & Arizona), MartAnne's Breakfast Palace (downtown, known for chilaquiles), and Salsa Brava (Guy Fieri made this place famous, and one of our friends painted the murals here).
Sedona
Sedona is gorgeous, but it gets extremely crowded and can be difficult to navigate (fair warning). If you decide to do this, we recommend doing a scenic loop by driving down 89A from Flagstaff, turning onto 179 (Red Rock Scenic Byway), and then driving back up to Flag on I17. Be careful on 89A...it's a winding road with steep cliffs. Once you reach Sedona on 89A (but before turning onto 179), you can park and wander through the shops in Uptown Sedona and/or drive up to the Airport for food at Mesa Grille and hiking along Airport Mesa Loop and Table Top trails. Along the 179, you can visit Tlaquepaque Arts Village (https://www.tlaq.com/) and then enjoy the views of Cathedral Rock, Courthouse Rock, Bell Rock, and more as you drive (there are also hiking options at all of these rocks).
Jerome
This is an old mining town a couple of hours south of Flagstaff that has become a funky little tourist destination with lots of art galleries, tasting rooms for local wineries, quirky shops, ghost tours, and more. Be prepared to walk steep inclines, as this town is located on the side of a mountain. If you go, make sure you stop by Nellie Bly - the world's largest brick-and-mortar kaleidoscope store!
La Posada Hotel
Cool hotel with an amazing restaurant, interesting art, unique rooms, and more. This is in Winslow, not Flagstaff, so we don't recommend staying here on the night of the wedding.
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park
Take a tour to see interesting architecture and learn a little about the history of Flagstaff and the Riordan family.
Bearizona Wildlife Park
Go see bears and other critters! You can do a drive-through in some parts of the park and a walking tour in other areas.
Verde Canyon Railroad
Relax and enjoy the scenery of the Verde Canyon on this 4 hour train ride. The depot is located about 1.5 hours south of Flagstaff.