Flagstaff has done very well in 2024 when it comes to receiving high ratings as a great location for pets, especially dogs. The city has long been praised by visitors and residents alike, renowned for refreshing high-mountain air, pristine skies, adventurous foot trails and welcoming restaurants and accommodations. The bounty of these gifts has also benefited the happiness and health of the countless pets that both live here or visit the town. Earlier in the year, a USA Today Blueprint study … [Read more...] about A Pet-Friendly Mountain Town
Tourism
Voters Will Decide Whether to Renew Flagstaff’s BBB Tax with Proposition 487
Flagstaff voters will have an opportunity to preserve the bed, board and beverage tax on their November ballot, allowing the city to continue investing in parks, beautification, arts, sciences, festivals, economic development and other initiatives. Proposition 487 on the ballot will ask voters whether to continue collecting the 2% BBB tax through June 2043. Without a renewal, the tax will expire in 2028. The tax is paid by people who stay in hotels, motels, short-term rentals and campgrounds, … [Read more...] about Voters Will Decide Whether to Renew Flagstaff’s BBB Tax with Proposition 487
Cultural Astronomer Danielle Adams Leads Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition as Organization Takes on Ambitious Vision
As the Flagstaff community continues to come out for Celebration of the Night activities this month, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition (FDSC) will be led by newly appointed Interim Executive Director Danielle Adams, Ph.D., a cultural astronomer, dark sky advocate and astrotourism consultant whose work inhabits the intersections of art and science. “Flagstaff is not only the world’s first International Dark Sky City; with 75,000 residents and an airport, it is the largest and most accessible … [Read more...] about Cultural Astronomer Danielle Adams Leads Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition as Organization Takes on Ambitious Vision
Flagstaff Remembers Sept. 11 with Flags, Gatherings
Representatives from the Flagstaff Police, Flagstaff Fire Department, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, Flagstaff City Council, Coconino County, UniSource and other local businesses gathered at Flagstaff City Hall and at Heritage Square to honor those lost on Sept. 11 on the 23rd anniversary of the tragic day. “The Police Department’s tribute to those who responded to the 9/11 attacks serves as a heartfelt reminder of the extraordinary bravery and selflessness shown by first responders on that … [Read more...] about Flagstaff Remembers Sept. 11 with Flags, Gatherings
Meandering with Music
Julie Sullivan Brace is accustomed to wearing many hats. After 46 years as a highly successful art director and graphic designer, including 35 years in Flagstaff, she is slowly and joyfully easing into retirement from her Shine Creative Industries design and marketing firm, as she builds a new venture, the Musical Meanderings Series, an extension of her Roots and Boots Music Camp (RBMC), started in 2019 and inspired by the bluegrass tradition. This musical move is not a big stretch, as … [Read more...] about Meandering with Music
Coffee Inn Thriving Downtown
It could be the vegan sourdough bread, organic peanut-butter pie, gluten-free coconut magic bars, scratch-made butternut squash soup, fresh fruit smoothies or any sandwich served on a croissant, but Anastassiya McPherson believes it’s more than any one favorite menu item that keeps the Coffee Inn bustling with return customers, even though it’s only been open for two months. “There’s a big moms’ community that wants healthy food for their kids,” she said of her new Flagstaff bakery and … [Read more...] about Coffee Inn Thriving Downtown
Puzzle Rides Turns Sightseers into Wild West Crime Solvers and Pirates
What began as a golf cart taxi service that merely broke even has evolved into an award-winning and profitable guided tour adventure that invites Wild West bank robbers, pirates and ghosts along for the journey. And this has Puzzle Rides founder Katie Dufort thrilled. On Friday, Aug. 2, Dufort won the grand prize of $10,000 in the statewide Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour Competition in Cottonwood. She says the award will help her expand the hours of current staff members and hire more tour guides at … [Read more...] about Puzzle Rides Turns Sightseers into Wild West Crime Solvers and Pirates
Northern Arizona Couple are Champion Riders and Talented Trainers
Although CR Mules owners Roddy and Connie Lara could talk for hours about their amazing mule CR Katie, who died recently at 36, in their humility they never seem to mention the multitude of horse championship trophies they have won across the country. Racking up stacks of belt buckle awards that adorn the shelves in their Mountain View Ranchos home, the Flagstaff couple met in 1975 at the former Cowboy Country Club (CCC). “I was just out of the service and was in a rodeo at CCC and got … [Read more...] about Northern Arizona Couple are Champion Riders and Talented Trainers
Rebuilding The Arboretum from Rocky Ground
A maze of meadows and hillsides of colorful wildflowers in late summer bloom, the sound of live music floating on the warm August air and Flagstaff residents wondering about the Ponderosa pine forest, discovering and enjoying nature on full display against a backdrop of the majestic San Francisco Peaks. Such was the scene at The Arboretum at Flagstaff’s annual Summer Garden Party on Saturday, Aug. 24. “It was the most successful fundraising event The Arboretum has had in years, as far as I … [Read more...] about Rebuilding The Arboretum from Rocky Ground
NACOG’s Fall Tourism Forum to Feature Marketing Tips, Strategies, Best Practices
State and local tourism industry professionals, news media representatives and Forest Service officials will be among those providing insight during the two-day Fall Tourism Forum, hosted by NACOG (Northern Arizona Council of Governments), Oct. 9-10, at The Lodge at Cliff Castle in Camp Verde. Featured speaker, Arizona Office of Tourism Executive Deputy Director Lisa Urias, is a fourth-generation Arizonan. Urias built her career by crafting and promoting the multi-faceted brand of our state … [Read more...] about NACOG’s Fall Tourism Forum to Feature Marketing Tips, Strategies, Best Practices