publisher page - september 2008

ARIZONA WATERING HOLES

After thoroughly enjoying a wonderful margarita recently, I thought it might be nice to take a tour of Arizona’s unique bars, saloons and watering holes - all capable of quenching your thirst after a long day of soaking up the sun, golfing, hiking, or relaxing by the pool. So, whether you need a tall glass of lemonade, a frosty mug of beer, or a tasty margarita, here are a few places to imbibe.

In Flagstaff I highly recommend a visit to The Museum Club. Locals call it “The Zoo” - it used to house a museum-like curio collection and taxidermy zoo. Today it holds a wonderful assortment of Route 66 memorabilia and hosts top live entertainment acts. It’s famous wooden dance floor is held up by five Ponderosa pines that appear to grow through the building - museumclub.com.

Heading down south a bit will bring you to The Palace Saloon, a favorite of Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp, located on Prescott’s famous Whiskey Row. To say that patrons love this place is an understatement. In 1900 a fire was burning down Whiskey Row... the drinkers literally picked the bar up, carried it across the street, and kept on drinking while the buildings went up in flames - historicpalace.com.

Whether you are traveling north to Sedona or south to the Valley, the Rock Springs Cafe and Pie Shop is "worth the drive from anywhere". Serving Arizona since 1918,"The Rock", as it is affectionately called, serves ice cold libations and the best pie anywhere - rockspringscafe.com!

A little further south will bring you to Scottsdale and the Rusty Spur Saloon. Drinks are always ice cold thanks to the bank vault that serves as the refrigeration area. The building dates back to 1921 when it used to house a bank - rustyspursaloon.com. A beautiful scenic desert drive to a world-famous real western atmosphere, hearty cocktail, tap beer, steaks and special grub for the young cowpokes awaits you at the historic Reata Pass Steakhouse - part of the original 1882 stagecoach stop - www.reatapass.com. A cold draft beer and great food are staples at Harold’s Corral in Cave Creek - the original wild west saloon and restaurant - haroldscorral.com. If you crave a tasty margarita made with fresh fruit, then head to Tradiciones in Phoenix and experience an authentic Mexican restaurant - tradicionesrestaurant.com.

Further south, in Patagonia (located between Tucson and the Mexican border) is the La Mision de San Miguel. Although it looks like a church, once inside you’ll find this cowboy bar has beautiful murals, paintings and statues. Enjoy live entertainment - lamisionpatagonia.com.

Down in Tombstone, be sure to check out Big Nose Kate’s Saloon. This big and bright cowboy bar started off as the Grand Hotel in 1881. Don’t miss the downstairs “shaft”. After working the hotel day shift, an employee dug secretly during the night from his room to prospect the mine shafts under Tombstone - bignosekate.com.

As you can see, Arizona offers a wonderful assortment of watering holes. Please drink responsibly and as always, enjoy your visit to the Grand Canyon state.

Thomas J. Ruberto
Owner / Publisher