Arizona Heritage Tourism

In this lens I want to take you on a very brief trip to a number of Arizona heritage tourism sites and share some thoughts on this most interesting state. I have lived there twice: First, send by the Air Force, and the second time choosing Arizona to get away from the icy cold winters of Iowa and to get a fresh beginning for my family. Join me in this latest search for adventure in the State of Arizona.

Although I have many photos of Arizona, this one of the Saguaro Cactus at sunset is just too good to pass up. It speaks many things to me about the State of Arizona. By the way, the Saguaro, with those distinctive arms, only appears in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Northern Mexico - not Texas, or Colorado, or New Mexico. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, as are all the photos in this lens unless specifically noted otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saguaro_Sunset.j...

I always mention any National Heritage Area (NHA) in each state we highlight because the NHA website will clearly describe the historical, cultural and natural elements in that area for your consideration. Yuma Crossing NHA is certainly no exception.

Have you visited the Grand Canyon?

This is magnificent site you might miss - so I'm sharing it here! ;-)

We lived not far from the Meteor Crater along old Route 66, now I-40, between Winslow and Flagstaff in northern Arizona. Anyone visiting us, got to visit the the Meteor Crater - along with the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest to the East, of course. This is well south of the Grand Canyon, of course.

Click on the photo for more information on Wikipedia.

This well preserved Mission provides one of many examples where you are taken back in time to when this portion of Arizona was still a part of Mexico and heavily influenced by the mission spirit of Spanish colonialism.

Click on the photo for more information on the Mission at Wikipedia.

Two of my daughters earned their undergraduate degrees and I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Arizona so I would be derelict not to mention it. Arizona State University is now the nation's largest University, and my youngest daughter worked there when she graduated, so I'll share some of each with you, for your information.

Both have great programs as well as doing great research that adds immeasurable dimensions to the experiences of the residents of the state as well as visitors - like you and I. Their websites are excellent resources for your planning efforts.

Arizona is home to twelve professional sports teams. The weather encourages outdoor activities of all kinds, of course.

Golf courses are everywhere. The Universities each have a complete array of sports as part of their PAC-12 affiliation.

Baseball Spring Training is one reason many people visit the state - do some heritage tourism while you are there.